ARTICLE
Hi, everyone! I hope this finds each of you well. For those of you that don't know me, I am the current president of the Texas Chiropractic Association. I have been in full-time practice in Amarillo since 1995. After reading a few posts on the Texas Chiropractors Facebook group, I felt compelled to write a post, and I wanted to share it with you. In this age of social media, it seems like decorum has been lost. I have seen chiropractors attacking each other in public forums, and I believe we are better than that. First, we are all professionals. Please conduct yourself as such in groups like this. Ad hominem or other personal slights will not be tolerated by the administrators in Texas Chiropractors or TCA groups. Any such behavior will be met with immediate removal from the group. There will be no warning. The Texas Chiropractors group was set up years ago by some very dedicated doctors to keep the profession abreast of the legislative and legal workings in Texas. Please keep it to that. If you are a TCA member and need help with something, we have resources. Start with TCA! If you know of a chiropractor who isn’t a TCA member or is lapsed, encourage them to join and take advantage of all the benefits that TCA membership offers. As a reminder, we hold a license to practice chiropractic in the state of Texas. That is a privilege granted to us by the state of Texas via LEGISLATION that carves us out of the Medical Practice Act. Practicing on a human being in any form for money or kind is considered the practice of medicine, period. It only is allowed with a special license such as, DC, DPM, OD, PT, etc. Otherwise, it is MEDICINE. The Texas Legislature decided (does not matter what you think one is) what a Doctor of Chiropractic in Texas is, what a PT is, what a DPM is, what an acupuncturist is, what a dentist is, what a veterinarian is, etc., Because of this, confusion can arise in our doctors who do not engage in the process, are not TCA members, do not attend TCA meetings around the state and basically are on an island to themselves. This confusion threatens to weaken us as we become disjointed and do not speak with a common voice. Many thousands of very decent and hardworking men and women have come before each of us to secure and preserve the right to practice chiropractic in this great state. It is not a God-given right. It was won and it is protected on a daily basis from attacks that you cannot imagine unless you are part of the battle. The American Medical Association and its affiliated groups such as Texas Medical Association have arrogantly stated for a very long time that their goal is to contain and eliminate. Although some very tough court battles to prevent that have been fought and won, they simply change their tactics to fit the current environment. For TCA members, the state of the union is addressed in multiple forums throughout the state, affording all the airing of issues one could ever desire. The TCA has a strong game, and that is only appreciated when you are around your colleagues in the trenches. Please check our event calendar to find a district meeting in your area. That is where your representatives lay out what is happening and how TCA is responding. For those of you who are not TCA members. I implore each of you to consider this ... what if we all belonged to the same association? What if we all contributed to the well-being of the profession? What if we each engaged in the process? It matters. It matters a lot. The work we do at TCA is admirable and noticed by the Texas Legislature, especially during an event like TCA Legislative Day. We get a lot done with little. We are professionals granted a license to practice chiropractic in Texas. That license and the privileges granted us are under threat most of the time from our competitors. Small groups get eaten. Larger groups survive. It is the way of the world. There is not a single reason one could argue against joining that would make any sense to me. Chiropractic does not have a problem. We have a problem. Chiropractic is as good as it has always been. The human being remains subluxated. The vertebral subluxation complex is as real today as it ever was. The chiropractic adjustment is as powerful as it ever was. The power of the human body to self-regulate and to heal from within is still law. Don't lose the principle. Fight hard to keep it. Never apologize for being a chiropractor. Why in HELL would we run from being a chiropractor when the entire population is RUNNING to our philosophy of wellness? We are going to give up now?!? NO! That said, join TCA if you aren't a member. If you part of the TCA community, thank you! Get more involved and donate to the Chiropractic Development Initiative (CDI) to help TCA protect, preserve and promote chiropractic in Texas. Go save a life today, with your hands! J. Todd Whitehead, DC TCA President