Public Health Education and Promotion Commons^™

Commentary: Critical Analysis Of Chiropractic At The Crossroads Or Are We Just Going Around In Circles., Dennis M. Richards

Dennis M Richards

This commentary presents critical analysis of a paper published by Dr John Reggars, and based, as he admitted, on his perceptions and opinions. Many of those are wrong. Others raise important questions. Sourced from a lecture presented by him at the 2010 annual conference of the Chiropractic and Osteopathic College of Australia (‘COCA’), this polemic is best understood in its historical and political contexts. COCA’s objects include political activity and Reggars is its vice president, which he failed to declare.

Vitalism And Value In Undergraduate Chiropractic Education, Dennis M. Richards

Dennis M Richards

Vitalism is a philosophical viewpoint with ancient origins. In more recent times it has been discussed as a reaction to dominant reductionist and mechanist models in science and health. A ‘new vitalism’ incorporates recent developments in philosophy and science.

Demographic changes, particularly ageing, are occurring in many societies. These changes and the rise of non-communicable diseases resulting from unhealthy lifestyles challenge biomedicine’s ability to address them and societies’ abilities to pay for treatment of them.

Chiropractic was founded on and continues to involve vitalist thinking. A vitalist approach by chiropractors might offer solutions to these challenges. Such an approach would …

Paradigm Shift: A New Model – The Caa Wellness Initiative., Dennis M. Richards

Dennis M Richards

It has been projected that the costs of health care have the potential to threaten the fiscal stability of Australian Governments in upcoming decades. These costs relate in particular to the ageing of the population, common lifestyle activities that involve health risks, and the ever-increasing demand for taxpayer-funded medical, drug and surgical treatments and technologies. Various Government bodies have determined that there is a need for change in thinking about health care, with new models of care being required and with much more emphasis being placed on disease prevention and health promotion. The Chiropractors ‘ Association of Australia has developed …

The Palmer Philosophy Of Chiropractic – An Historical Perspective., Dennis M. Richards

Dennis M Richards

This paper presents the Palmer philosophy of chiropractic from an historical viewpoint. It examines how influences in the life of DD Palmer, such as spiritualism, theosophy and magnetic healing helped to shape the chiropractic philosophy expressed by him. It also oulines the philosophy of BJ Palmer, explaining how it may have been influenced by legal challenges to the early pioneers of chiropractic. Contemporary expression of the Palmer philosophy, as articulated by Strang, is also noted.