TABLE OF CONTENTS | Volume 1 , Issue 2

FEATURES

Moms Are Ready For Us, But Are WE Ready For THEM?

Discover the evolving landscape of pediatric chiropractic care, the shifting perspectives of parents towards natural healthcare solutions, and the steps chiropractors need to take to become the primary choice for families seeking holistic health for their children.

By Dr. Tony Ebel

Australian Paediatric Care Issue – Patrons of Chiropractic Science Perspective

Explore the historical context, recent restrictions, and the controversies surrounding paediatric chiropractic care in Australia, highlighting professional development, claims of harm, and future implications.

By Dr. Chris Hart

Health Mission

Health Missions has been a OneChiropractic project since 2021. Dr. Joseph Esposito, co-founder of Health Missions and AlignLife, tells us more about leading a party of 11 to Colombia in May…

By Dr. Joe Esposito 

Sponsored Content

About Us

The State of Chiropractic is a groundbreaking peer-to-peer journal covering the intersection of law, policy, and the practice of chiropractic. Owned and operated by OneChiropractic, our primary audience is licensed chiropractic practitioners and includes graduates and students of accredited chiropractic colleges around the world; manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and researchers of the nutraceutical and natural products industries; and patients and advocates of chiropractic.

EDITORIAL CONTENT & AUTHORSHIP

Contributed articles must be original, previously unpublished, and written by practitioners with a chiropractic degree from an accredited program.

Topic areas may include:

• Chiropractic philosophy
• Practice building and business management
• Abstracts and reviews
• Discussions about the practice of chiropractors
• Public/media relations and networking
• Technologies that make practices more efficient and profitable
• Current trends and issues that affect chiropractic in your area
• News, announcements, and event notices
• Educational and grassroots programs that further the chiropractic cause
• Any other trend, event, or development you believe is pertinent to the profession

DOWNLOAD: The State of Chiropractic Submission Guidelines

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The State of Chiropractic welcomes thoughts and opinions from our readers via email at [email protected]

Volume 1, Issue 2

DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC RELATIONS
Stephanie Fogelson

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Erica Michaels

CONTACT US
[email protected]

OneChiropractic
5730 Traditions Drive
New Albany, OH 43054

Thanks to our sponsors for supporting the efforts of One Chiropractic and its member entities – The Chiropractic Defense Council, Health Missions, and Operation Backbone

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and specific other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address above.

The State of Chiropractic contains general legal information. Said legal information is not advice and should not be treated as such. You must not rely on the information in this book as an alternative to professional legal advice from your lawyer or other professional legal provider. If you have any specific questions about any legal matter, you should consult your lawyer or other professional legal provider. You should never delay seeking legal advice, disregard legal advice or discontinue legal services because of the information in this publication.

ver the last four years, many aspects of our lives have been impacted by governmental overreach. In British Columbia, Canada, the authoritarian control has escalated. Recently, the BC provincial government passed legislation governing healthcare with very little public input. The new “Modernization of Health Care” includes the amalgamation of health professionals’ colleges. The college boards will now consist of government-appointed officials, meaning the professions will no longer self-regulate. The 16 health regulatory colleges are due to be amalgamated into 6 colleges; Chiropractors (along with RMTs, NDs, and TCM doctors) will be regulated by the “College of Complementary Health Professionals.” The government has been working towards this for years, imposing top-down control.

Bill 36, now called the Health Professions Occupations Act (HPOA), is one of the largest bills ever passed in British Columbia, with 645 sections and 276 pages. It received royal assent on November 24, 2022, and is set to come into effect in June 2024. A former King’s Court Counsel, retired lawyer Wayne Alton, stated that he took weeks to read and re-read the Bill and was left with numerous unanswered questions, as parts of the bill are so vague and leave room for interpretation. He states, “this is the most intrusive piece of legislation in my 33 years of practicing law.” One thing is clear; this bill will be litigated for years to come. The only real winners will be the lawyers.

The College of Chiropractors in BC has already outlawed chiropractors from educating the public about the many benefits of chiropractic care for children and most recently banned chiropractors from routine x-rays (unless red flags are present) and is now doubling down. Here is a composite of the most egregious aspects of the HPOA:

1. All BC practitioners must now follow health guidelines set by political appointees for their patients or risk penalties, including loss of license to practice.
2. Non-compliance with Ministry therapeutic guidelines may result in fines up to $200,000 or $500,000 (for corporations) and incarceration up to 6 months or 2 years.
3. Anonymous complaints to the Colleges can result in summary suspension of licensure to practice before the complaint is investigated.
4. Appointees chosen by politicians may now enter a healthcare practice, seize patient records, and restrict access to that facility without a warrant or court order.
5. Refusal to accept all Ministry-mandated vaccines and therapies will likely result in delicensure.
6. College advisory boards will now consist of government appointees only.
7. All “self-regulatory” healthcare professions in BC will be governed entirely by politicians and their agents, using appointees selected by the Ministry of Health.
8. The Cabinet and the Minister of Health can adopt as law in BC any regulations, codes, standards, or rules enacted in foreign jurisdictions or international bodies.
9. The new Health Professions and Occupations Act requires further elucidation of undefined terms used in the Act, such as ‘false or misleading information,’ which may be defined by appointees at their discretion, lacking consultation with health professionals.

For more information, please visit CSSEM.

The current state of healthcare in the province is dire. In a province of 5 million people, over one million are without a primary medical doctor. Doctors are leaving the province, and thousands of health professionals, who are here and want to work, have not been hired back since being terminated for their expression of bodily autonomy and opting not to be vaccinated against COVID. These issues are affecting most of the province’s residents, and unfortunately, many people have not yet connected the dots, and the true issues aren’t being discussed.

Fortunately, new paradigms of health are arising from sheer necessity and people’s growing mistrust of the prevailing Allopathic healthcare models and authorities as they become aware of the levels of censorship and propaganda of the past four years (and beyond). These new paradigms are in alignment with chiropractic principles of innate wisdom, self-responsibility, bodily autonomy, and a healthy lifestyle. More people are waking up to True Health, taking responsibility, and looking for options.

As chiropractors, we know that health comes from the inside out; the notion of an outside agency regulating health is the antithesis to True Health. We need to be leaders in our community, and it is time that we all participate in the great awakening and rise together. We can stay strong in the face of the destabilization of old healthcare models, work together, and make a stand for True Health.

Collaboration is the way. Please support the Chiropractic Defense Council; they are great collaborators, working with many chiropractic groups and networks through late-night zoom calls and funding top-notch legal action. Additionally, community building, education, and awareness are key. A way to move forward is to engage with colleagues, patients, and friends in information and support sessions. Across BC, numerous communities are hosting Town Hall Meetings to discuss these very important issues. BC Town Halls 2024 These meetings are grassroots, non-partisan, people-led initiatives. Organizers find knowledgeable speakers, the meetings are well moderated, have time for Q&A, and are recorded. A recent Town Hall in Campbell River, BC, has had 19,000 views already through Rumble. This is an effective tool for getting accurate information to citizens so they can see beyond the smoke and mirrors of mainstream media. Town Hall replays can be viewed here: Town Hall Replays.

You could join our local Town Hall Facebook group: Nanaimo Town Hall

Please like, comment, and share to help boost the reach of these events. Consider starting Town Halls in your community; they are becoming an international phenomenon. These gatherings are supportive for those fully awake and revelatory for those who are just beginning to ask questions. This is our time. There is a rising tide of people seeing through the corporate and globalist agendas, the lies, propaganda, and censorship.

The good news here in BC is that an election is due no later than October 2024, and the polls are demonstrating that the people want change. Let’s fuel that change, bring light to the darkness, and illuminate where True Health comes from.

What can you do to participate, educate, and challenge the tyrannical prevailing ruling authority? Now is the time for courage; we need you!

Together we are the difference,

A concerned chiropractor from BC

Join the Movement

BHARON HOAG

Columbus, OH – One Chiropractic is thrilled to announce that our Executive Director, Bharon Hoag, has been honored with the prestigious Chiropractic Advocate Award by the Michigan Association of Chiropractors (MAC) during their Spring Convention. This accolade is a testament to his unwavering commitment and transformative contributions to the chiropractic profession.

Under Bharon’s leadership, One Chiropractic was founded with the vision of revolutionizing the profession by introducing a new model that renders the old obsolete, promoting unity and progression in a traditionally fragmented industry. This effort has evolved into the Chiropractic Defense Council, a robust platform that defends the practice rights of chiropractors across the globe.

Health Missions, our 501(c3) completed its first trip to Colombia after a  five year hiatus. Health Missions has been a OneChiropractic project since 2021. Dr. Joseph Esposito, co-founder of Health Missions and AlignLife, tells us more about leading a party of 11 to Colombia in May.

I launched Health Missions with my sister Dr. Cristina Esposito, in 2004 in memory of our father. The purpose of Health Missions is to spread awareness of chiropractic. In Colombia, we met that purpose when the team treated more than 400 children and adults in underserved communities.

You return from a mission trip like that changed. To make a real impact on the lives of people who would otherwise never experience the benefits of chiropractic. We know that through chiropractic, we can help patients live healthy lives, and it is so awesome to see that in action in some of the most remote places in the world.

I watched my fellow doctors take orthotics from their shoes, cut them to size, and place them in the shoes of the people they adjusted.

Our group of 11 included six chiropractors. Dr. Bryne Willey and Dr. Sebastian Bonnin joined me from AlignLife Chiropractic & Natural Health Centers. Also, Dr. Erik Kowalke of Higher Health Chiropractic, Dr. Justin Brown of Friends & Family Spinal Care, Dr. Carlos Vega of Puerto Rico, and student Jeff Scheurman from Logan University.

Being able to go into the most remote areas and be welcomed into homes, to get a sense of how others live, is such a blessing. And then being able to witness the power of chiropractic, void of all things our Western medical system does to complicate and cloud healthcare, and where the only thing you have in your hands to assist the body to restore proper nerve function is priceless.

Colombia was the fourth trip for Health Missions but the first for OneChiropractic. We have also served communities in South Africa, Mexico, and Ecuador.

The trip would not have been the success it was without the support of mission coordinator Kellie Willey. She traveled to Colombia with the group.

For Kellie, it was the visual of chiropractic tables lining the dirt road in Puerto Samaria that would live rent-free in her mind. When I spoke to her after the trip she said she had visualized what the experience would look like for months, but no matter how much she anticipated, she really could not prepare for a life-changing experience such as this.

In Colombia, we witnessed countless people receive their first adjustment and then we enjoyed a beautiful meal prepared by each community. It was hospitality in its purest form, and I know we all left with full hearts.

Health Missions will travel to Colombia from November 4 to November 10 this year and from March 30 to April 5 next year to further build a foundation for chiropractic growth. There will be a mission trip to Peru from May 5 to May 11, 2025. For more information about Health Missions, visit us at healthmissions.net

About the Author

Joseph Esposito, DC, CCN

Dr. Joseph Esposito, DC, CCN, stands at the forefront of wellness healthcare as a visionary chiropractor dedicated to enhancing community well-being. Through his pivotal role at Health Missions, a 501(c)3 organization committed to the education, research, and promotion of natural healthcare, Dr. Esposito embodies high-intention, lifestyle-focused care. His mission is to empower communities nationwide to embrace the transformative benefits of a wellness lifestyle, underscoring his commitment to holistic health and natural healing practices.

 

 

The first chiropractor to establish a practice in Australia was Palmer College-trained Mrs. Barbara Blake in 1907. From this early period until 2019, there were no restrictions on chiropractic care for any age groups. Currently, there are over 6,000 registered chiropractors in Australia.

Professional Development and Paediatric Studies

Most mainstream chiropractic technique groups in Australia offer continuing professional development sessions and seminars specifically covering the examination and treatment of children, including infants. Extended postgraduate paediatric studies are also available in various colleges.

Recent Restrictions and International Comparisons

Australia is now the first country where regulated and registered chiropractors have faced bans and then restrictions on the care of children. Chiropractic care of children has been studied in several countries, including Canada, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands, but these carefully considered reviews did not lead to any practice restrictions.

Claims of Harm and Their Origins

Unfortunately, the recent Australian child care restrictions were driven by an ill-informed State Health Minister and her health department bureaucrats, who publicly claimed, without evidence, that chiropractors harm children. This position was then promoted to such an extent that all other Australian State and Territory Health Ministers agreed to place severe interim restrictions on any child patient under 2 years of age and recommended cautions against chiropractic care for children under 12 years of age.

The Controversial YouTube Videos

The claims of harm were actually based on two YouTube videos posted by two Melbourne-based chiropractors, one a Gonstead practitioner and the other an SOT practitioner. These videos were demonstrating conventional infant examination and treatment on actual patients.

First Video: Gonstead Practitioner

The first YouTube video was posted in May 2016. Following an outcry from the medical lobby and then the media, the practitioner faced an extended legal case initiated by the Chiropractic Board of Australia (CBA), resulting in orders that he cease treating patients under 18 years of age. This video presented a case of an infant suffering from severe colic, referred by a local healthcare nurse. The infant’s birth was extremely difficult, requiring full medical resuscitation. While this procedure was clearly necessary to save the child’s life, the mid thoracic spine was apparently injured, triggering the distress and colic. Following a Gonstead examination, a single, measured HV-LA adjustment was delivered, resulting in complete recovery. Coincidentally, there was massive media reporting about 11 infant deaths at the hands of the medical profession in the Bacchus Marsh Hospital, close to Melbourne, just prior and during the case against this chiropractor. Details of this infant case can be accessed in a peer-reviewed, published case study via this link.

Second Video: SOT Practitioner

The second YouTube video was posted in February 2019. This video showed an SOT chiropractor examining an infant, including a heel hang technique, which, as well as being an accepted neurological screening test (Peiper-Isbert reaction), is an examination procedure used in SOT to help establish evidence of cervical subluxation or a category classification. Coincidentally, outcries of harm arose from the medical lobby and its lackeys around the same time as the inquiry into the Bacchus Marsh Hospital infant death findings were being released. The SOT practitioner was ordered by CBA to cease treating patients under 12 years of age.

Inappropriate Responses and Defamatory Statements

Strangely, both videos show appropriate chiropractic examination and treatment of infants that caused no harm and actually quickly resolved their presenting health problems. This did not seem to matter to the authorities, the medics, or the media.

However, the Australian Medical Association and its attack dog, the Friends of Science in Medicine, based on these two cases, created a public furore and encouraged the Victorian Minister for Health and the CBA to prohibit chiropractors from treating children under 12. This Minister made numerous defamatory statements, including: “We won’t rest until babies are protected from practices we know to be harmful, and that we can be sure children under 12 are not being exposed to harm.”

Safer Care Victoria (SCV) Review

In August 2019, the Victorian Health Minister initiated the Safer Care Victoria (SCV) Review, calling for public submissions regarding chiropractic care of children under 12 years of age, where parents and families could tell their stories of harm. This Minister made further defamatory statements, including: “Now is the time for parents who have experienced the dangerous practice of child spinal manipulation to have a say and share their story.”

The SCV review was completed in late October 2019 and received 22,000 public submissions. Of these, 99.7% spoke of very positive experiences with absolutely no harm, and 98% indicated chiropractic care had helped their child. The Australian chiropractic profession’s public primary indemnity insurer could not identify a single claim of harm to a child at the hands of a chiropractor for the previous 20 years (the extent of their records). The only evidence of harm that the SCV Review identified was following manipulation by a physiotherapist and a dentist.

Continued Restrictions Despite Positive Feedback

Yet in November 2019, even though no evidence of harm was identified (the original purpose of the SCV Review), the panel suggested the evidence of efficacy was weak and recommended continuing restrictions. However, chiropractic evidence is largely based on expert opinion, case studies, and case series studies in the same manner as 85% of the evidence for all surgical procedures. These findings were then considered by all Australian governments at the Council of Australian Government-Health Ministers Council and, following pressure from the medical lobby, decided that no child could be manipulated by a chiropractor under 2 years of age. This ban/restriction remained in place until November 28, 2023.

Legal Considerations and Fiscal Impact

In October 2023, Patrons of Chiropractic Science (PCS) met with the Chiropractic Defense Council (CDC) to discuss the 4.5-year ban and consider if a restraint of trade claim could be brought against those parties involved in the decision to unfairly restrict chiropractic care to such an extent. Initial assessments of the fiscal impacts on most practices over the 4.5 years demonstrated potential losses exceeding A$350 million.

Both CDC and PCS made a number of announcements in mid-November 2023 to their members and some in the media that described the claim and possible losses suffered by the profession. On November 28, 2023, after repeated submissions over years by the Australian Chiropractors Association seeking to lift the restrictions, but a few days after it became known that an unfair restraint of trade lawsuit was being prepared by CDC and PCS, and without any additional reviews by the government on the extent of harm or evidence of efficacy, all restrictions were suddenly lifted by the CBA under direction from higher authorities.

Future Implications and Recommendations

Both CDC and PCS continue to prepare for what is believed to represent a significant test case that is likely to have a global impact.

However, PCS encourages every practicing chiropractor around the world to select at least one interesting case each year and prepare a case study based on the CARE protocols, to help build on the body of evidence of efficacy, as described on the PCS website: PCS Website. PCS and its associated institutions are happy to assist in the preparation and review of any submitted case study.

About the Author

Dr. Chris Hart | President of the Patrons for Chiropractic Science

Dr.  Chris Hart  is the current President of the Patrons for Chiropractic Science. This is a research organization and registered Australian charity that focuses on chiropractic clinical research, publication and review of peer reviewed studies and general public health matters.

“Welcome to the last resort!” 

Back when I first started practice in 2007 and throughout those early years, internally that’s how we joked we should answer the phone – “Welcome to the last resort!”

It was a joke that would’ve been wildly true, but also one that was always wildly frustrating. While it took me quite a few years to wade through a few different programs and certifications to finally wind up with the pediatric + family practice of my dreams and really go all in on serving kids, we were blessed to start serving a fair amount of kids early on.

Which means that over the years, I’ve literally had thousands upon thousands of conversations with moms, all centered around the health and healthcare choices of their kids.

Back then that phrase was meant to illustrate how they had already seen every medical specialist and tried every medication under the sun before giving us a call and giving Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care a chance. For the first many years of my practice life, the state of healthcare in this country meant that 80% or more of my pediatric patients were already on medications (usually multiple) when they started care.

But now, things have changed! Now today it’s gone through a dramatic shift where moms + dads are ditching the traditional medical system and saying “no thanks, not yet” to medications at unheard of rates. Now today, just 20% of our new pediatric patients are on medications when they start care. That’s a massive shift in a short amount of time if you think about it!

So while that huge cultural or as I like to call it market shift has occurred, we chiropractors still actually lag behind when we could easily be way out front and much closer to my dream for these families and this world – putting Principled, Neurologically-Focused, Pediatric Chiropractic Care as the FIRST choice for millions of families.

This Shift Is Already Happening

As look out at the state of the world and pediatric + family healthcare today we absolutely should celebrate this shift of putting medications as the last resort, but we’ve got a lot of work to do yet because this reality is now true – 80% of our new pediatric patients coming in for care today have now gone gluten + casein free, tried the paleo + keto diet, go to PT + OT weekly (and have for years), had tongue + oral ties clipped, take $1000 of supplements a week, use essential oils, herbs, and homeopathics, have someone treating their child for retained primitive reflexes and parasites, and the list goes on.

In the last decade the use of “natural, holistic, functional, integrative medicine” (choose your name for it, they all fit) have absolutely exploded!

Once again I think this is to be celebrated because going “natural” and putting medications last certainly fits our philosophy much better than the way it used to be. But, the job’s not done.

While we’ve awesomely climbed up to where we could now answer “Welcome to the 2nd to last resort!” on our phone calls, we can’t stop until we are in that very first spot!

We must continue our work in getting the word out to these parents who are desperately up late at night searching for Hope, Answers, and Drug-Free Help not because diet changes, detoxes, and supplements are bad things. They’re wonderful and wildly helpful, but they’re NOT chiropractic.

This is the ONE profession who knows that every single bit of neurodevelopment in kids starts with the function of the central and autonomic nervous system, and that every other component of good health is tied to the function of the nervous system. We know that, but do they?

While they work hard to improve their gut health and microbiome, eradicate primitive reflexes and parasites, and take down inflammation by eliminating toxins and changing their lifestyle, we know that all of these kids and families still have wildly subluxated and dysfunctional nervous systems! That’s why despite doing ALL of those things for years on end, these families still wind up in our offices with sick, struggling kids.

But there is hope! Not only are we seeing Neurologically-Focused Pediatric + Family Practices all over the world grow at unheard of rates hiring 1-2 additional doctors per year to try and keep up with all the new patients, but we’re seeing the world wake up to nervous system health and regulation like never before!

With every Instagram influencer who posts about cold plunges, infrared saunas, and barefoot walks in nature, I believe we move closer and closer to breaking through and becoming THEE go to for healthcare for the entire family!

Generational Impact Through Market Positioning

I know for sure that each of you reading this will get behind a mission that creates generation impact, but I’d imagine many might be confused by what I mean when I say “market positioning” in the same header. But don’t overthink it!

Instead think dentists and optometrists. Each child in the United States and in most developed countries is required to get a dental and eye exam on a very regular basis to qualify for public education. Now the last thing we want to do is get mixed into that sort of system, but the first thing we absolutely DO need to do is position ourselves to be THEE authority in neurodevelopment and overall neurological health for kids.

How truly insane is it that dentists and eye doctors went from “afterthoughts” to primary care through similar moves, and while of course those things are important elements of a child’s health, but if you were to compare the nervous system to teeth – which one matters most? It’s not even close.

As much as not every doc will love it, this massive shift to push Pediatric Chiropractic to the front of every parent’s perspective will not occur through a new adjusting technique or clinical research (although that will be vitally important to back us up), but instead it will occur through branding, marketing, and communication.

It’s the reason Dr. BJ Palmer, the man who not only protected chiropractic more fiercely than anyone but also promoted it more obsessively than anyone, bought a dang radio station! He knew we had to get the word OUT to get patients IN, and that truth stands today.

What’s Next?

We’ve got a long way to go, but we’ve also got a ton of momentum and for the first time in a long time we now can confidently say this – they’re ready!

So that means you just have to ask yourself – am I ready?

Is your practice perfectly positioned to serve all the kids + families in your community who are struggling massively with their health due to the “Perfect Storm” of high stress + anxiety during pregnancy, birth interventions and trauma (forceps, vacuum, induction, c-section, etc.), and the massive overuse of toxins and antibiotics early in a child’s life?

Can you speak the message of Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care and subluxation loudly, proudly, and clearly to your community? Can you keep it simple enough they can understand it, but unique enough that they know it’s the ONE thing they’ve been missing all along? Can you confidently determine a Care Plan and course of action to transform a child’s life through chiropractic adjustments?

If this article inspired you to step into this massive opportunity that is now here TODAY and available to this generation of chiropractors, please take the time to find out whatever it may be within your practice’s brand, market positioning, or clinical operations that would hold you back from seeing kids + full families, and get it “well adjusted” and cleared up right away! Because they’re ready doc, so the only question to ask is – Are You?

About the Author

Dr. Tony Ebel

Dr. Tony Ebel is first and foremost an incredible husband, father, and faith-based family man! He is best known for making massive impact in the Pediatric Chiropractic profession and helping lead and grow it for more influence and impact. Specifically he is known for creating The Perfect Storm, a workshop and clinical care approach for kids struggling with neurosensory challenges. 

He runs a 6-doctor, 65% pediatric, 100% cash and 100% crazy fun, family wellness practice called PWC Chiropractic in Crystal Lake, Illinois and then has also spent the last 10 years teaching and training other chiropractors.

In 2020 he and his wife, Kristina, launched The Pediatric Experience, a first-of-its-kind online mentorship and training program that teaches chiropractic students and doctors every single element of what it takes to build a wildly impactful and successful Pediatric, Prenatal, and Family Practice.