May 11, Toronto, ON – Over 1,000 doctors of
chiropractic and students from 38 countries were present for this celebration of
chiropractic which began with an inspirational address from Canada’s 2008 Athlete of the Year, Chantal Petitclerc.
Petitclerc, paraplegic
and wheelchair-bound since a spinal cord
injury at age 13, broke two world records when winning five track gold medals at the Beijing
Paralympics.
She spoke of her
career, how to adjust and achieve your goals whatever may happen in life, the important
role of chiropractic in her life as an elite athlete, showed the video of her narrow victory over
two Chinese competitors in the 100 metres, and drew tears and laughter and a standing
ovation from an audience in awe of her character and achievements.
Increased integration
of chiropractic services within mainstream health care around the world, as in
Petitclerc’s sports medicine team, was one theme of the Congress. In the opening session,
examples were given by speakers from the US (Dr. Scott Haldeman, and Dr. Andrew Dunn from
the West Buffalo Veterans
Administration Medical
Center), Canada (Dr. Silvano Mior and Dr. Deborah Kopansky Giles
on inclusion of DCs in primary care teams and
hospitals), and Denmark
(Dr. Charlotte Leboeuf Yde, University of Southern
Denmark).
Dr. Jack Taunton and
Dr. Robert Armitage, Chief Medical Officer and Co-ordinator, 2010 Vancouver Winter
Olympic Games, spoke of the team of approximately 40 DCs that will be part of
the core healthcare team for the Games. In a keynote address Dr. David Eisenberg of
Harvard described integration of chiropractic within the Harvard University hospital system,
and reported his new research there – not yet published – showing far superior
results with chronic back pain patients when chiropractic and other complementary services
are integrated with best medical care.
The lecture hall had
standing room only for many as 15 minute overviews of their workwere given by eight
Canadian chiropractic researchers holding PhDs and research chairs at major universities
across Canada.
One, Dr. David Cassidy, described the work of 10 chiropractic researchers
and PhD students at his center at the University of Toronto. Speaking the next day
Eisenberg, accustomed to the standards of Harvard, explained how “extremely impressed”
he was with the intellectual standards and work of the research being presented at the
Congress.
Canada now has the greatest depth of university-based
researchers and research of any country, and this is
the result of an ongoing long-term plan by the Canadian Chiropractic Association to
establish respect, cultural authority and a secure future for the profession.
The Congress original
research competition attracted 155 submissions and was sponsored by NCMIC Insurance.
First prize ($10,000, the Scott Haldeman Award) went to Drs. Shawn He and Veronica
Dishman of Palmer Florida for a basic science paper entitled Motor Neuronal
Degeneration Following Knee Joint Immobilization in the Guinea Pig: An Animal Model of
Vertebral Subluxation Complex.
Many events associated
with the Congress included meetings of the Association of Chiropractic Colleges, CCE International, the International Federation
of Sports Chiropractic (FICS) and
representatives of licensing boards worldwide. One special event was a dinner to
roast and toast the sports chiropractic leader Dr. Tom Hyde of Miami on the occasion of his retirement from
international sports administration.
As in Portugal in
2007 at the last WFC Congress, Sister Brigitte Yengo DC, MD of the Congo was present and the Congress was used as a venue
to raise funds to support her orphanage. In a raffle
sponsored by Activator Methods over $5,300-00 was raised.
At the WFC Assembly of
Members, held just prior to the main conference, national associations from Indonesia, Serbia
and the United Arab Emirates
were admitted to WFC membership. This means
that the WFC now comprises and represents national associations in 92
countries.
Other highlights of the
Assembly included an address by Dr. Molly Robinson, a former student leader in the
American Chiropractic Association and the World Congress of Chiropractic Students.
Under a contract between the World Health Organization and the WFC Dr. Robinson has
this year become the first DC ever employed by WHO and is working as a technical
officer at WHO headquarters in Geneva,
Switzerland.
The location of the
WFC’s next Congress, announced in the closing session accompanied by drummers and samba
dancers, is Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. Dates
are April 7-9, 2011.
’This Montreal Congress
worked on every level”, said Dr. Susan Gillis-Lawson of Toronto, commenting on the strong technique, philosophy
and scientific presentations, the social program, the
venue, the large attendance, and the atmosphere of quality, unity and success.
“It is possible, at
times, to be discouraged about current challenges facing the profession in Canada and elsewhere, but this Congress, the best
chiropractic meeting I have ever attended, has
completely restored my enthusiasm and optimism for the chiropractic profession and its
future.”
For more on the
Congress, including photos available for downloading, visit: www.wfc.org .
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