UK physiotherapy sells out to Big Pharma. Is chiropractic next?

Thursday, August 30, 2012 by: Eric L. Zielinski
Tags: physiotherapy, Big Pharma, prescription drugs

(NaturalNews) Be prepared to buy another dictionary next year because the one you have is going to be obsolete. Today, physiotherapy is defined as "the treatment of disease by physical exercise, massage etc., not drugs." This definition; however, will need to be amended to indicate a recent victory gained by Big Pharma. Last month, a landmark decision was awarded to UK physiotherapists to give them the world's first prescribing rights.

The achievement of this long-fought battle will ensure patients will have quicker access to medicines like anti-inflammatories and pain killers so they won't have to make a special visit to theirMD for prescriptions. To show their approval and support in this controversial decision, the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) welcomed the announcement and made their own in like manner, "The BCA, which is committed to improving quality and enhancing patient choice in the provision of musculoskeletal services, has already made representation to the statutory regulator, the General Chiropractic Council for the chiropractic profession to acquire prescribing rights and supports on-going dialogue to achieve this objective."

Will U.S. chiropractors keep true to their roots?

From its inception in 1895, chiropractic (Greek for "done by hand") has created a niche for itself as a drugless, alternative healthcare option for people who seek relief for anything from headaches to autism. According to the Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC), "Chiropractic is a health care discipline which emphasizes the inherent recuperative power of the body to heal itself without the use of drugs or surgery." Currently, the ACC contends that "Chiropractic is concerned with the preservation and restoration of health, and focuses particular attention on the subluxation. A subluxation is a complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological articular changes that compromise neural integrity and may influence organ system function and general health."

Recent actions by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE); however, may be putting the integrity of chiropractic as a non-allopathic health care model in jeopardy because of the proposed shift away from chiropractic-specific elements (i.e. the subluxation and drugless/non-surgical nature of chiropractic science and practice). If the CCE continues along this path, the chiropractors in the U.S. will be reading a similar press release as the BCA announcement above. National University of Health Sciences is already offering a Doctor of Chiropractic "Medicine" Program preparing students to be Primary Care Physicians and require their students to submit immunization information prior to registering for courses. The fingers of Big Pharma are all over chiropractic right now. The question is whether or not the purists can save their profession from getting trapped into the pharmaceutical spiderweb.

The fight to take chiropractic back from Big Pharma

The CCE policies, procedures, and standards which accredited educational institutions are required to follow have ignited a raging controversy within the chiropractic profession. In a public statement by the DaVinci Group, a nationwide coalition of chiropractic professional associations, clinical specialty organizations, research groups, advocacy organizations and individual practitioners, one of the proposed standards is to definitively define chiropractic as "without drugs and surgery." Thus far, 58 organizations have signed on to and endorsed the reform effort.

Support the movement to keep chiropractic drug-less. Contact your state board and voice your concern: http://www.acatoday.org

Sources for this article include:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/physiotherapy
http://www.csp.org.uk
http://www.chiropractic-uk.co.uk
http://www.worldchiropracticalliance.org/acc/acc.htm
http://chiropractic.prosepoint.net/41578
http://www.mccoypress.net/docs/davinci_statement_8_22_12.pdf
http://nuhs.edu

About the author:
Eric L. Zielinski, DC (c), MPH (c) has devoted his life to natural health and wellness for over a decade. Inspired by the timeless principles in the Bible, Eric's mission is to seek out ways to provide people with simple, evidenced-based tools that they need to achieve the Abundant Life. Formally trained as a chiropractor, Eric's primary approach is to serve his patients and clients through natural health care, nutrition counseling, spiritual mentorship, and empowering life strategies!

Eric is available for long distance consultations and wellness coaching to help YOU reach your health goals. For more information click here or visit his website www.DrEricZ.com.