World Chiropractic Alliance

The World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA) is a not-for-profit corporation founded in Arizona in 1989 that serves as the voice of conservative "straight" chiropractors (those who rely exclusively on subluxation-correction).[1]

The Alliance claims to be "the only major chiropractic organization which passionately defends the rights of subluxation-based doctors and will stand up against those who would corrupt chiropractic by denying its philosophical and vitalistic foundations,"[2] and believes that spinal adjustment should begin at birth and continue for life,[3] even in the absence of symptoms.[4] It tends to have an antagonistic relationship to the World Federation of Chiropractic because of philosophical differences.

Background

The WCA supports "straight" chiropractic, with its emphasis on subluxation-correction, drug-free care, and non-medical approaches to wellness. This stance has brought it into conflict with the majority "mixer" school of chiropractic that favors use of more mainstream medical techniques alongside the traditional chiropractic adjustments.[5] The WCA denies that chiropractic adjustments pose any significant risk of stroke.[6] The WCA is against vaccinations and believes that "chiropractic adjustments have a positive impact on the immune system," a claim which, "to date, the data reviewed do not validate this theory."[7]

The WCA advocates the use of chiropractic adjustments "for asymptomatic patients":

"It is the position of the World Chiropractic Alliance that chiropractic care to detect and correct vertebral subluxations offers benefits for all people, including those who do not demonstrate symptoms of a disease or health condition. Therefore, the presence of symptoms and/or a medical diagnosis should not be a factor in determining the need for or appropriateness of chiropractic adjustments, nor should the presence of symptoms be required by any chiropractic board, insurance company or court of law to justify the rendering of chiropractic care to any patient."[4]

In 2002, the WCA was represented by Leona Marie Fischer, member of the WCA International Board of Governors, on the United States Department of Veterans Affairs "Chiropractic Advisory Committee."[8][9][10]

Structure

Membership

Membership is open to all chiropractic doctors and students. A board of governors formulates policy and administers the running of the organization.[11]

Leadership

The WCA was founded by Terry Rondberg, DC, who still serves as CEO.[12] Also serving in leadership positions are:[12]

  • Timothy J. Feuling, DC, Vice President
  • Cindy Rondberg, CFO
  • Barbara Bigham, Director of Communication

The WCA relies on the assistance of an "International Board of Governors" to help formulate and promulgate its policies and positions, but declines to name them.[13]

Antagonistic relationship to the World Federation of Chiropractic

The WCA's philosophy differs from that of the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC). It has challenged the WFC's authority "to define chiropractic identity" or "to speak for the chiropractic profession."[14] Rondberg has stated that "subluxation-based doctors of chiropractic being subjected to extreme prejudice in many nations. . . Groups such as the World Federation of Chiropractic have tried repeatedly to define chiropractic as a quasi-medical musculoskeletal treatment in these nations, and the WCA has had to vigorously defend against their actions."[15]

Lobbying, AzScam scandal, and patient solicitation scheme

The WCA apparently was involved as a lobbying group until 2006,[16] but that appears to have stopped in the past few years.

In 1991, the WCA lobbyist was involved in the AzScam scandal and was arrested "for bribery and for . . . laundering large contributions through a list of individuals . . . [including] Rondberg, his wife, and other WCA principals. . ."[17] Rondberg, his wife, and other WCA officials were implicated in this illegal political contribution affair. By 1993, both founders of the WCA were defendants in the "AzScam" case.[18] Both Rondberg and Immerman signed agreements with the Maricopa County Attorney's office admitting to civil charges of illegal contributions. Immerman was required to pay a fine of $11,160 and Rondberg was required to pay a fine of $9,840.

Many years later, Immerman responded in WCA's April, 2001 edition of "The Chiropractic Journal"[19] to the negative publicity of the incident published by Dynamic Chiropractic in 1992.[20]

They were also involved in a "patient solicitation scheme known as the Vertebral Subluxation Research Institute (VSRI)" which Dynamic Chiropractic described as "almost universally condemned as teaching illegal and unethical practices within the chiropractic profession. . ."[17][21][22][23] "VSRI taught chiropractors how to recruit 'research volunteers' and convert them into lifetime chiropractic patients. Its chiropractor clients were instructed to use telemarketing and other approaches to ask people to volunteer for a nationwide study on spinal conditions. . . . The VSRI program was concluded in 1991."[24]

Self-awareness as a persecuted group

The WCA clearly describes the points of view of their presumed enemies in their fundraising:

Join the fight to save chiropractic from our enemies
Powerful forces within and without the profession are trying to destroy chiropractic. Our enemies are taking to the streets, the media and even the internet to stop you from providing uniquely chiropractic care. They say chiropractic is dangerous ... that it's quackery ... that it should never be used for children ... that it should be limited to back pain ... that anything over 6-12 visits is fraud ... that subluxations don't really exist!
We have to STOP THE LIARS NOW. Help us help you to save our profession and our right to care for all people![25]

In June 2003, the WCA joined forces with the American Chiropractic Association in attacks on what they termed "biased" media coverage of a report in the journal Neurology which wrote about the "dangers of chiropractic neck adjustment."[26]

In May 2006, in response to signs on the sides of some buses in two Connecticut cities which solicited contact from people who might have been injured by chiropractic treatment, the WCA's attorneys "issued a cease and desist warning letter demanding the signs be immediately removed." The signs were sponsored by the "Chiropractic Stroke Victims Awareness Group.”[27] After this (June 2006) they formed a chiropractic "anti-defamation campaign," with aggressive retaliation tactics clearly described.[28]

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References
  1. Hadler, Nortin M. (2009). Stabbed in the Back: Confronting Back Pain in an Overtreated Society. University of North Carolina Press. pp. 66–67. ISBN 9780807833483.
  2. "Purpose & Overview: Protecting and Promoting the Principles of Chiropractic". World Chiropractic Alliance. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  3. Homola, Samuel (2001). "Is the Chiropractic Subluxation Theory a Threat to Public Health?". Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine. 5 (1): 45–53.
  4. Position paper on chiropractic for asymptomatic patients. WCA
  5. Cooper, R. A.; McKee, H. J. (2003). "Chiropractic in the United States: Trends and Issues". Milbank Quarterly. 81 (1): 107–138, table 138 contents. doi:10.1111/1468-0009.00040. PMC 2690192. PMID 12669653.
  6. Benedetti, MacPhail. Spin Doctors: The Chiropractic Industry Under Examination, p. 125
  7. Perle S, Ferrance R. What's Good for the Goose Is ... Ethics and Vaccinations. Dynamic Chiropractic February 12, 2005, Vol. 23, Issue 04
  8. VA Appoints Chiropractic Advisory Committee. United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Press Release. August 12, 2002
  9. WCA board member picked for VA advisory committee. WCA
  10. Southerland, Randy. Finding The Right Care For Veterans. Today's Chiropractic, November/December, 2002
  11. "International Board of Governors". World Chiropractic Alliance. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
  12. "Board of Directors". World Chiropractic Alliance. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  13. "International Board of Governors". World Chiropractic Alliance. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  14. WCA declines to participate on WFC identity committee. Chiropractic Economics, Oct. 2003
  15. WCA corrects Dynamic Chiropractic report error. WCA
  16. Annual Lobbying by World Chiropractic Alliance. OpenSecrets.org, Center for Responsive Politics
  17. Michael J. Schroeder, Esq. The Silence Is Deafening. Dynamic Chiropractic, July 19, 1991, Vol. 09, Issue 15
  18. AzScam's Bombshell. Phoenix New Times, 03/17/1993
  19. "A Perennial Bad Actor", The Chiropractic Journal, April, 2001 (Accessed on the Internet Archive on June 14, 2011, whereafter it has been deleted, but one can catch a glimpse of the original article.)
  20. Editorial Staff. What's in it for me? Dynamic Chiropractic, Vol. 10, Issue 24, November 20, 1992
  21. Editorial Staff. VSRI Under Investigation by California Attorney General. Dynamic Chiropractic, August 29, 1990, Vol. 08, Issue 18
  22. Donald Petersen, Editor. Pure Coincidence or an Attempt at a Clean Getaway? Dynamic Chiropractic, April 12, 1991, Vol. 09, Issue 08
  23. Perle, Stephen; Schneider, Michael. The Ethics of Research, aka Marketing. Dynamic Chiropractic, June 20, 2006, Vol. 24, Issue 13
  24. Stephen Barrett. Subluxation: Chiropractic's Elusive Buzzword. Chirobase
  25. Donation page to "save chiropractic from our enemies." WCA
  26. ACA, WCA blast media for ‘biased’ coverage of journal report. Chiropractic Economics, June 2003
  27. WCA demands removal of anti-chiropractic ads. Chiropractic Economics, May 2006
  28. WCA forms anti-defamation campaign. Chiropractic Economics, June 2006
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