Director of Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation Presents to Brazilian Chiropractors
Christie Kwon DC, MS Executive Director of the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation, recently attended the Associação Brasileira de Quiropraxia (ABQ - Brazilian Chiropractic Association) 25th Anniversary Congress in November 2017. She was invited to present on the topic of vertebral subluxation and subluxation-centered chiropractic research during a 8-hour pre-Congress course as well as a 1-hour plenary session.
Dr. Kwon shared information about the Foundation’s research agenda and highlights of past and current research projects. Her talks also explored the interconnections between the philosophy, science and art of chiropractic, and how these elements should be incorporated in scientific exploration of the vertebral subluxation and used to guide clinical practice.
“The chiropractic profession is still young in Brazil, and an overwhelming number of practitioners are fairly new graduates of chiropractic school,” according to Dr. Kwon. “There are many who are very eager to know more about the clinical tools related to location, analysis, and correction of vertebral subluxation.”
The ABQ estimates there to be about 1,200 formally trained chiropractors in Brazil, and they report that approximately 60% of active practitioners were in attendance. A number of students from both Brazilian universities were also in attendance. The chiropractic profession remains unregulated in Brazil, and while two university programs of 4-5 years duration are offered, chiropractic education is not accredited by any agency. Individuals who participate in post-graduate technique seminars can advertise chiropractic services without formal training. Historically, the profession has encountered opposition – mostly from physiotherapists, who consider chiropractic care to be a subset of physiotherapy.
The significance of the vertebral subluxation is recognition of not only a biomechanical issue, but a neurological component impacting the body’s function. Addressing only the biomechanical component creates a severe limitation regarding the impact of chiropractic care. Dr. Kwon referred to both long-standing, chiropractic references to subluxation such as Stephenson’s 33 Principles and current scientific studies related to autonomic function and Quality of Life as measures of optimal well-being. Acknowledgement of the neurological component of vertebral subluxation is what differentiates the chiropractic profession from all others.
Other invited speakers included Dr. Ricardo Fujikawa, Program Director of the Madrid College of Chiropractic; Dr. Richard Brown, Secretary-General of the WFC; Dr. Adam Klotzek, Faculty for the Carrick Institute; and Dr. Walter Herzog, Professor of Biomechanics at the University of Calgary. Several Brazilian chiropractors presented on topics of interest to students and practitioners. Members of the World Congress of Chiropractic Students were also in attendance.
As the profession faces many, sometimes opposing, influences from various chiropractic organizations, Dr. Kwon hopes that the ABQ will maintain a foothold in shaping the Brazilian chiropractic profession as one focused on addressing the vertebral subluxation, and one grounded in philosophy, science, and the many arts of chiropractic. She encourages chiropractors worldwide to support the growth of the chiropractic profession in Brazil, particularly to nurture their understanding of the vertebral subluxation.
The mission of the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation is to advocate for and advance the founding principles and tenets of the chiropractic profession in the area of vertebral subluxation through research, education, policy and service.
