Arizona Board of Chiropractic Completely Controlled by ACA Members

The entire leadership of the Arizona Board of Chiropractic is now controlled by dues paying members of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA). American Chiropractic Association member Wayne Bennett DC was just recently appointed to the Arizona Board of Chiropractic Examiners to fill the seat of the late Jim Badge that was temporarily held by Martin Kolash who resigned to assume the duties of Board Executive Director.

The Arizona Board of Chiropractic is the sole licensing and regulatory authority overseeing licensed chiropractors in the state of Arizona.

In a statement from the Arizona Association of Chiropractic (AAC) the AAC stated it was "... excited to notify . . ." its members and that they ". . . look forward to working with Dr. Bennett and wish him all the best in this new adventure."

The AAC is purportedly the trade organization representing the interests of practicing chiropractors in Arizona.

Throughout the country the ACA and its members have infiltrated chiropractic state associations, regulatory boards and the Boards of Chiropractic Colleges (including Palmer) and have been pushing ACA Policies. This is despite the fact that those sitting on the regulatory licensing boards are active market players making decisions that may inure to their own benefit or the benefits of those organizations they represent. Clear ethical conflicts exist that cannot be resolved by simply abstaining from a vote when the entire board represent one trade group. 

The American Chiropractic Association has recently rebranded itself and adopted standards of care that are inconsistent with the management of vertebral subluxation and present a threat to public health.

The ACA requires its members to sign a pledge agreeing to the standards of practice promulgated by the organization.

For example, the ACA standards include a list of five tests it states are commonly ordered but not always necessary in chiropractic care. The recommendation includes the admonition to not take spinal x-rays in acute low back pain patients unless there are so called "Red Flags" and to never take repeat x-rays to monitor progress. Teaming up with ABIM Foundation and Consumer Reports, the ACA’s President referred to these as “unneeded or overused services” and that following these recommendations would yield the “best possible care”.

The recommendations by the ACA, which has been pushing hard to remove subluxation language from Medicare and to expand the scope of practice of chiropractic nationwide including drugs, are at odds with what is considered to be a standard of care within chiropractic.