Having originally ignored our requests to answer crucial questions regarding their stance on issues effecting the future of the ICA, Dr. Stephen Welsh posted his responses on Facebook.

The ICA is in the midst of a contentious election process with a seemingly classic battle of the old guard attempting to maintain their status quo and control of the organization against a new, younger thinking group who realize that the old ways are not working.

Faced with declining membership and internal disagreements about how best to confront the Cartel, the ICA seems poised for the possibility of change should the right leadership prevail in the upcoming elections.

The choice now seems fairly clear: Vote for the Welsh/Rodnick ticket and keep the status quo, embrace primary care, third party pay and working closely with the Chiropractic Cartel.  With this group get ready for the same old saws:

• We can change the Cartel from within   
• We need to have a seat at the table
• All politics involve compromise

Or vote for McLean, Oberstein, Sigafoose-Jackson and Gorman and breath some new life into the ICA that is not as tied to the decades long good old boys club that has brought the ICA to where it is today.

Welsh argues in his responses that chiropractic is the practice of primary care. This is consistent with the position of the CCE, ACA, and the rest of the Cartel.

Welsh argues that we need to have a seat at the WFC’s table. The same organization that has become a cancer throughout the world when it comes to subluxation based chiropractic. The same organization whose definition of chiropractic does not use the term subluxation and the same definition that Welsh voted to accept when the definition was adopted by the WFC. The same organization whose values are so far from conservative, traditional chiropractic that the West Hartford Group has adopted them.         

Welsh also voted to accept “neurobiomechanical dysfunction” as being synonymous with vertebral subluxation in the CCE documents. This was the same vote with the CCE, ACA, FCLB and COCSA (All Cartel Members) where he endorsed the phrase: “without unnecessary drugs and surgery” and  endorsed the concept of chiropractors as primary care providers.

If compromise is a political skill then Dr. Welsh and his ticket are very skillful.

This is not a time for compromise. Conservative, traditional chiropractic cannot afford a weak ICA. If this strategy continues there will be no need for the ICA in the chiropractic political spectrum. Sadly, one wonders if that’s not actually the plan.

As always I look forward to your feedback, comments and suggestions.

Matthew McCoy DC, MPH

matthewmccoy@comcast.net