Focus: Community involvement: A chiropractic tradition

Journal of the American Chiropractic Association, May 1999

Chiropractors have always been active members of their communities. From getting into politics to participating in Big Brother/Big Sister programs, from teaching in literacy programs to volunteering to help out with Little League or local high school sports programs, chiropractors' record of community involvement goes way back.

We would like to consider this issue of JACA a salute to every chiropractor who has ever used his or her time to make a difference in the community-whether that "community" is at the local, state, national, or international level. Here are a few examples of chiropractors who've done just that.

Global Outreach: "There Is a Responsibility to Share Chiropractic with the World"

In July of 1998, Dr. Dennis Woggon of St. Cloud, Minnesota, met Dr. Harold McCoy, who had been working with a chiropractic clinic in Vladivostok, Russia, for two years. Periodically, Dr. McCoy set up delegations of chiropractors to go to this clinic to train Russian medical doctors in the latest American techniques.

By October, Dr. Woggon and two fellow doctors of chiropractic, Dr. David Butler of Alexandria, Minnesota, and Dr. Stephen Saunders of Renton, Washington, financed a trip to Russia as part of Dr. McCoy's scientific exchange program. (In Russia, chiropractic is considered traditional medicine and is called "manual therapy." MDs in Russia who want to practice chiropractic take a postgraduate course in manual therapy after five years in medical school.)

Dr. Woggon and his friends arrived with health-related books, equipment, x-ray supplies, teaching information, and a model spine. While such things were very much appreciated, Dr. Woggon found that chiropractic care in Russia was much broader than its traditional American counterpart. Rather than being used primarily for neck and back pain, Russian manual therapists work with cerebral palsy, scoliosis, mental illness, seizures, brain tumors-a wide variety of conditions.

Working with patients was time consuming because of the need to translate each patient's history and other information. On one particular day, the Russians and the Americans finished a long day with their patients at 5 p.m. But the Russians had many questions about x-ray analysis and procedures, so everyone wound up staying at the clinic until 10 p.m.-and forgetting to go for dinner. "Their desire for knowledge, and for ideas on how to improve their health care system, is insatiable," says Dr. Woggon.

One of the reasons Russians are open to chiropractic, says Dr. Woggon, is that "the Russian people don't have the media, drug companies, and medical doctors pushing drugs on them 24 hours a day-partly because they don't have a third-party insurance system and drug makers don't control research dollars. Most importantly, Russian patients don't feel drugs work, and they don't want them." He adds that Russian doctors have always relied on manual therapy as "a major part of their health care system."

"Working with the Russian patients," says Dr. Woggon, "was one of the best chiropractic experiences of my life. They were extremely grateful for the care, while in the States, we take our health care for granted." As for the doctors at the clinic, they were "impressed that three doctors of chiropractic from the United States cared enough to self-finance this program and teach, and that they would offer to help and expect nothing in return."

But it wasn't only the American DCs who were giving generously of themselves. Dr. Ekaterina Molakova (Dr. Katia) is the director of the Medical Spine Clinic in Vladivostok. Dr. Woggon explains that Dr. Katia "really cares about her patients. The doctors are paid about $250 a month. Dr. Katia has not had a vacation in three years. They don't do this for the money."

And, in the end, why did Dr. Woggon and his friends make this trip? Because it was an opportunity that he could not pass up. "I have always felt strongly that there is a responsibility to share chiropractic with the rest of the world," he says.

Outreach at Home and Abroad: "We Should Do More than Just See Patients"

Ask Dr. Valdis Muiznieks about community involvement and expect a firm answer. "We all live on this planet, and we should do more than just see patients," he says. Even with a busy practice and family responsibilities, Dr. Muiznieks finds time to live up to his own advice.

Dr. Muiznieks carries a strong commitment and passion toward preserving the freedom and heritage of Latvian people throughout the world. He has been active in the development of the Latvian community in the United States since the early 1960s. He has been instrumental in establishing a Latvian Studies program at Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and in setting up a Latvian Studies Center in association with WMU, including an extensive Latvian library. He has also assisted with tuition and housing arrangements for visiting Latvian students. His dedication earned him an honorary PhD from Western Michigan University in 1985 and, in 1996, the prestigious Three Star Presidential Award from the government of Latvia.