November 20, 2002 – The Chronicle, Montreal’s West Island community newspaper

West Island patient helps deliver petition

BY BARBARA LAVOIE

On October 22, West Island resident Laurie Davey, put her back into a province-wide effort to support her chiropractor and the profession of chiropractics by joining three busloads of more than 200 patients and chiropractors to hand-deliver a 120,000-signature petition to the National Assembly.

Davey also acted as the delegation’s English spokesperson that day. The day of action was led by two South Shore women, Louise Lemieux and Nadine Girard, who in the past two months have rallied the support of the patients across the province by forming a coalition of Quebec chiropractic patients to redress the potential injustice proposed changes to the code of professionals may bring to chiropractors and those they help.

In a telephone interview, Davey, a 51-year old secretary, revealed why she felt compelled to get involved. A fall down a stairway at work in December 1991 resulted in severe whiplash. After months of painful physiotherapy, she admitted, “My life was miserable. I couldn’t walk, sit, or lie down for any length of time – I just couldn’t settle. I was taking 18 – 20 painkillers a day and I couldn’t work.”

Finally, out of desperation, Davey agreed to seek help in March 1992 from Pointe Claire chiropractor, Charles Nathaniel, who had been helping her husband. Within a few months, she was feeling better and returned to work. Since then, she has gone for regular treatments approximately every three to four weeks.

“He (Charles Nathaniel) is a miracle worker. I’m in love with this man. If someone took him away, what would I do?” she stated.

Here’s the rub. The provincial government’s proposed changes threaten to remove a chiropractor’s right to diagnose patients and place it solely in the hands of physicians. This would mean anyone seeking the services of a chiropractor would first need a referral from a medical doctor.

And it’s this issue that rekindles a long-standing debate about medical profession control, continued scepticism about chiropractics and patient rights. Dr. Richard Giguere, president of the Quebec Association of Chiropractors and former president of the Canadian Chiropractic Association said, “We’re been diagnosing patients for the past 50 years. I don’t understand the logic (behind the proposed changes), unless it is for a control tool.”

He explained that Quebec has more than 1000 chiropractors and each one provides services to approximately 120 patients. The province’s only school of chiropractics, associated with the University of Quebec Trois Rivieres, offers students five years of training, the same number of years for a medical doctor, but more hours are spent studying the neurological, muscular and skeletal systems than doctors.

As for the fight ahead, Dr. Giguere said, “We are well organized and have good public and patient support and will go as far as we can. We’ve gained credibility over the years.”

Davey herself admitted she until she found relief from chiropractic treatment she too had been dubious. “I was a skeptic once too,” said Davey, “but now I’ve never been healthier.” Similar to the attack on the rights of the professional, she also felt her rights were at risk. “It is my right, if I choose to have chiropractic care instead of traditional medicine. I am paying for this service, not the government,” she said.

Although a number of other changes are also proposed, such as revoking the ordering of laboratory tests and ultrasounds, it is the diagnosis that strikes the deepest for those who practice chiropractics.

“The issue is this – if the bill goes through, it would alter chiropractics as we know it. It would seriously undermine the profession. If I can’t tell patients what I find when I touch them, then what am I allowed to do?” said Charles Nathaniel. “It’s like asking a weatherman to stick his head out the window, but then he can’t tell you what it’s like outside,” he added.

The controversial recommendations were part of a second report made by a ministry of justice working group created in February 2000 and chaired by former college of medicine president, Dr. Roch Bernier, to modernize the code for 25 health professional orders through Law 90.

In the group’s first report, changes were proposed for health professionals in the public sector. The second report addressed changes for private sector professionals including: acupuncturists, hearing aid specialists, chiropractors, dentists, denturists, dental hygienists, dental technicians, opticians, optometrists and podiatrists.

Davey vowed, “We’re going to keep fighting. We want people to be more aware, fight the negative media and we want doctors to accept that there is an alternative to physiotherapy. Chiros help more than they hurt. I feel privileged to be involved.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about the coalition of Quebec chiropractic patients can contact Louise Lemieux at telephone 450-542-5163. The group plans to raise funds to purchase ads in newspapers and magazines through the publishing of a book with the more than 300 letters of support and testimonials gathered to date from patients. “We believe we can bring hope to those who have given up and not tried chiropractic treatment yet,” said Lemieux. “We’re not against the whole medical profession, just those who are against chiropractors.”

Change seems to be in the air. Last week, Norman Jutras took over the post of minister of justice replacing Paul Begin.