In a massive and historic outpouring by practicing chiropractors, students and patients the chiropractic profession is demanding that the United States Department of Education consider a series of complaints being lodged by the profession regarding the governance of the non-profit group that controls accreditation of chiropractic schools - the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE).
Through Facebook, Twitter and e-mail, at least 6000 chiropractors appear to have expressed their frustration with what has been called a “Cartel” and “monopoly” by the Federal Government’s Committee that regulates the CCE which is the chiropractic profession’s only accrediting agency. The majority of chiropractic regulatory boards require graduation from a CCE accredited chiropractic institution in order to get a license to practice in the state.
In addition to the unusual control the CCE has over the licensing of chiropractors it is also considered part of a Cartel within the profession consisting of various testing agencies, licensing boards, state and national trade organizations and companies doing business within the profession.
At issue is the systematic remaking of the profession by these groups into a branch of medicine. So effective has been the cartel’s campaign to overhaul the profession that chiropractic can no longer be considered to be a drugless profession since chiropractors can now prescribe certain types of drugs in some states and at least one school, National University of Health Sciences, has changed the name of its educational program to Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine and has just recently been accredited by the CCE to offer it.
With their virtually complete control of the education and licensing of the entire chiropractic profession, the CCE has recently changed its Standards by which chiropractic educational programs are accredited. Those changes include the characterization of chiropractors as primary care physicians while removing the designation of chiropractic as occurring without drugs and surgery. Most significant is the complete removal of the chiropractic profession’s reason to be – the vertebral subluxation. Since its inception, chiropractic has focused its clinical practice on the identification and management of this spinal problem which results when the bones of the spine lose their normal position or do not move properly, subsequently interfering with how the nervous system works.
This has set up a perfect storm for a battle between those within the profession who wish to give up their traditional, conservative practice to take advantage of a broader scope through a merging with medicine and those who wish the profession to remain separate and distinct from organized medicine and keep its focus on the analysis and correction of vertebral subluxation.
The outrage by the conservative factions within the profession has its timing along with an upcoming hearing before the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity – the Committee of the USDOE that regulates accrediting agencies such as the CCE. The CCE is up for consideration of its recognition by the Federal Government as part of a regular five year review and chiropractors are hoping to use the hearing to put a stop to what it sees as a hijacking of the profession by rogue groups closely involved with the CCE.
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