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Background:Many original clinical trials and several review papers have come to the conclusion that manipulation is safe and effective for the treatment of low back pain. However, it is necessary to determine which specific types of manipulation and nonmanipulative types of chiropractic adjustive care are most effective for particular types of low back pain across both tissue-specific and functional classifications. Objective:To characterize the quantity and quality of literature gathered for an Expert Panel that was convened to rate various specific chiropractic adjustive procedures for the treatment of common types of low back pain, drawing on the clinical expertise of the panel members and the relevant literature. Study Design:Systematic review of treatment-specific, condition-specific trials, studies, and case reports of chiropractic care for low back pain. Methods:Computerized searching and hand searching were used to identify references in the medical and chiropractic literature pertaining to the chiropractic treatment of low back pain in which both the condition and specific treatment procedures were adequately described. This literature was then categorized according to a variety of characteristics and used by a panel to evaluate the specific procedures. Results:The 3 most studied adjustive procedures are side-posture high-velocity, low-amplitude; distraction (mostly flexion distraction); and mobilization, respectively. The clinical condition most commonly addressed by the included studies is low back pain. The procedure with the widest base of evidence support is side posture manipulation for low back pain. (J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2001;24:407-24)

As the profession of chiropractic grows in stature within our society, the morality of each chiropractor's conduct will be increasingly examined and scrutinized by the public, the media, the government and the profession itself. Immoral conduct occurs not by just a few unscrupulous individuals, but by a host of apparently good, successful professionals who lead what appear to be exemplary private lives. Recent increasing examples of professional and corporate moral decay as reported by chiropractic state boards, in print media, etc., should spur chiropractic colleges to make determined efforts to reemphasize ethics as part of the core curriculum. Ethical judgments depend upon both the decision making process itself and the experience, intelligence and integrity of the decision maker. The College on Forensic Sciences (CFS), a subsidiary of the American Chiropractic Association's (ACA's) Council on Chiropractic Orthopedics (CCO), developed a guideline of conduct to assist forensic examiners in making decisions in their every day subspecialty practice. Guidelines provide guideposts that can be helpful in assisting forensic examiners in evaluating the circumstances they are encountering and providing possible approaches that may be taken in addressing the ethical issues involved.

The article discusses the importance and benefits of postgraduate chiropractic residency training in the U.S.

The author discusses seventy ethics columns about chiropractic in the "Perles of Wisdom" newsletter that has given discomfort to some people. He agrees that ending his ethics columns might be a delight for some and would cause lament for others who learn lessons from the ethics columns. Also discussed are commitment of the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic (UBCC) to academic freedom , The 1940 Statement in the academe and works of Dr. David Sackettt on evidence-based practice.

The article presents the author's views on the professional ethics of American Chiropractic Association (AMA). The author mentions about a study which shows that internal mammary artery ligation (MAL) helps in treating angina. He further discusses use of radiography in chiropractic practice and George's Test.

The author contemplates on the qualities of a good advertisement according to Tenant XI of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) Code of Ethics. Topics discussed include the code's requirement for doctors of chiropractic to ensure that advertising is truthful and accurate in representing the doctor's professional qualifications and degree of competence, the author's belief that professionalism should not be based on aesthetics and the aesthetic components of a practice.

The article discusses the importance of doing volunteer work in the chiropractic profession. Topics covered include the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS), the two sets of instrumental and terminal values described by social psychologist Dr. Milton Rokeach in his 1973 book "The Nature of Human Values," and the qualities that must be included by chiropractors in their lists of terminal and instrumental values, such as being helpful and having a sense of accomplishment.

The author discusses how groupthink becomes a power that sometimes averts dissension. He says that the need to speak truth to power is an important problem for people who are influential because of their status. He also discussed the book "Freakonomics" about a contrarian view of evidence that leads to very different conclusions than experts.

The author discusses the good chiropractic education he obtained at Texas Chiropractic College in which he studied to learn and to think like a chiropractor. Topics covered include his learning of new methods of diagnosis and treatment from a chiropractor's point of view, and his experience with a patient with paresthesia in the upper extremity. The author also mentions the need for chiropractors to do more for their patients because they are trusted to know the appropriate treatment.

The author discusses ways to treat individuals in the medical profession who are anti-chiropractic. He agrees that some anti-chiropractics can be approached as ignorant who should be educated about the practice or diseased who should be ignored. Also discussed are interactions with some doctors of medicine (MDs) who have mistaken notions about doctors of chiropractics (DCs), relationships with MDs in Connecticut and an MD who would not accept the chiropractic practice.

The author discusses the benefits of a good working relationship between doctors of chiropractic (DC). Topics include the author's experience in starting his DC practice and how he formed a good working relationship with a podiatrist, the value of the trust and goodwill of the patient for DCs, and how an efficient working relationship among DCs through mutual professional referrals provides the best healthcare for patients.

The author discusses the importance of proper documentation in the continuing care of a patient by the next healthcare provider as of 2014. He states that more solo practicing chiropractic physicians are maintaining high-quality patient medical records as a result of the dead doctor rule, in which if the doctor dies, the documentation's level of detail allows another doctor to continue care. The author notes that such records also help in the payments for and possible investigation of doctors.

The article offers the author's insight on the problem of copying material. The author states that the internet has been a game changer in many ways and one of those is the relief with which people can violate copyrights, can plagiarize, and can plain steal other people's intellectual property. He also mentions that young people also tend to share digital media and software.

The article discusses the need for guidelines to address aggregate bias or ecological fallacy, which is seen to improve patient treatment outcome as reality has proven that patients' response to interventions are more heterogeneous. Living in the past is among the reasons identified for the lack of knowledge about the Council on Chiropractic Guidelines and Practice Parameters (CCGPP). An anecdote from Dr. Jerome Hoffman was cited as an example for this issue.

The article explores the viability of pre-payment in the practice of chiropractic. A strategy that can be used to convince patients to embrace pre-payment for their chiropractic needs is presented, which makes use of two things including telling their condition is serious and telling them that they cannot help themselves expect by coming to see a chiropractor. The impact of the use of the Nocebo effect versus that of using the Placebo effect is discussed.

The article focuses on the need for chiropractic physicians to look after the interests of their patients. The author says that these physicians are mostly interested in increasing their income and not in improving the health of the patients. According to him, there is a need to reconsider the ethics and economics of prepayment clauses in health care.

In this article the author discusses a tenet in the chiropractic code of ethics which suggests that chiropractors should comply with all governmental jurisdictional rules and regulations related to their profession. In the article he offers his opinions on the obligations that all chiropractors have to remain aware of all chiropractic regulations and to read the entire website of the regulatory agency which oversees the chiropractic profession.

The article presents the author's perspective on vaccines and public health as well as the medical and chiropractic professions' approach to therapeutic conservatism as of August 2013. Chiropractors' moral duty of helping patients and the profession's bias against treatments that are considered unnatural or invasive are noted. The medical profession's bias against alternative treatments is also noted.

In this article the author reflects on his experience of attending the 2012 annual meeting of the American College of Chiropractic Consultants/College of Forensic Sciences and of listening to a presentation given by a U.S. physician who had pleaded guilty in a federal court to a very large amount of insurance fraud. In the article the author discusses the particulars of the physician's legal case and offers his opinions on insurance fraud.

The author describes a presentation on ethics at the 2013 American College of Chiropractic Consultants/College of Forensic Sciences meeting by a chiropractor who had been convicted of insurance fraud. The speaker explained that his practice of billing insurance companies for services not rendered was motivated by greed. It is noted that the trial judge sentenced the chiropractor to community service and fines instead of prison time, but the U.S. government appealed the decision as too lenient.

The author discusses his experience of reading the Medscape Ethics Survey for 2012, which investigated the views that medical professionals have about ethical issues in the field of medicine. In the article the author discusses survey results on topics, including malpractice, insurance and patient relations, which chiropractors address on a regular basis.

In this article the author reflects on charitable acts and on the motivation which is behind them. A discussion of free chiropractic services which many chiropractors offered to individuals who worked at the World Trade Center disaster site, and of charitable contributions which were offered to victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, is presented. An ethically questionable fund raising effort for the victims of the Sandy Hook disaster is discussed.

The article focuses on an article on malpractice reform which was written by physician Anthony Youn and appeared on the web site of the Cable News Network (CNN). In the article the author offers opinions on Youn's article, on malpractice and malpractice insurance in the U.S. and on the malpractice policies used in New Zealand.

In this article the author discusses the negative applications of sexual misconduct by chiropractors and other medical professionals. A discussion of several cases of sexual misconduct by medical professionals is presented. In the article offers his opinions on sexual misconduct by medical professionals, including chiropractors, and on the impact that it has on patients' willingness to trust medical professionals.

In this article the author reflects on the case of a chiropractic student who participated in a clinical training exercise focusing on cervical manipulation which is offered at the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic. In the article the author offers his opinions on the training exercise and on the benefits that chiropractic students can obtain from hands on learning.

In this article the author reflects on inadequate medical treatments, including over medication and surgery, which are provided to many U.S. consumers for their back and neck pain by physicians. In the article the author offers his opinions on the services that chiropractors offer and on the benefits that they can find from focusing on providing non-surgical treatment for spine-related disorders.

The article discusses the impact that patient tardiness and late appointments caused by patient delays have on the happiness and trust levels of chiropractic practice patients. In the article the author offers his opinions on the benefits that chiropractors and patients can find from being prompt for appointments.

In this article the author reflects on a 2012 press release which alleged that the use of chiropractic care to treat patients with diabetes is gaining increased interest in the field of chiropractic research. In the article the author offers his opinions on the accuracy of the press release, on the importance of chiropractic ethics and on the value of case reports in the field of chiropractic.

In this article the author reflects on the history of the Palmer College of Chiropractic and on the history of several chiropractic associations, including the American Chiropractic Association. In the article the author offers his opinions on advances in health care and chiropractic and on health professionals who obtain patent protection for a treatment method.