March 26, 2021 (Falls Church, VA) On March 11, the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) responded to the request for input from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Health (NCCIH) of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) on their draft Strategic Plan which is a five year plan focused on whole person health research. ICA began our comments with the following:

The ICA, founded in 1926 by Dr. B.J. Palmer, is the world’s oldest international chiropractic professional organization. We represent chiropractors, students, chiropractic assistants, educators, and laypersons world-wide. The ICA is dedicated to the growth and development of the chiropractic profession as a unique, separate, distinct drug-less health care profession. For 95 years, the ICA has advocated and, when necessary, litigated to support the chiropractic profession and quality patient care. With the support of ICA’s dedicated members and leaders globally, chiropractic is a formally recognized and respected health care choice. In 2021, we continue our focus on removing the barriers to access that deny patients access to the healthcare provider of their choice.

ICA is focused on improving and expanding the body of clinical and basic science research; in practice-based outcomes research; and in advancing the knowledge base of the whole person effect of regular chiropractic care. This is accomplished through direct funding, advocacy, and collaboration. ICA believes strongly that every individual who chooses to seek non-pharmacological based health care should be able to access their health approach of choice. The ICA also believes that every U.S. federal program should include all credentialed health professionals and provide fair and reasonable access and compensation. Chiropractic is a portal of entry, essential health care service and should be treated as such in all federal programs.

The ICA also called upon the NCCIH to provide greater opportunities for each of the chiropractic colleges in the United States to benefit from development resources to advance and expand their research capacity and expressed a desire for NCCIH to work with ICA, the ABCA, and others in the profession to identify mechanisms and pathways to promote greater diversity in our profession.

Upon the delivery of our submission, Dr. Stephen P. Welsh, ICA Interim Chairman of the Board stated. “The ICA is dedicated to advancing the research in chiropractic. One pathway to advance research is to continually engage with the top federal agency responsible for advancing research in chiropractic and other alternative systems of healing.”