Abbreviation ICA Website www.chiropractic.org | Formation 1938 | |
Location Arlington, Virginia, United States President Michael S. McLean, DC United States | ||
The International Chiropractor's Association (ICA) founded by B.J. Palmer in 1938 in Davenport, Iowa, USA. Palmer served as it President until his death in 1961.
Contents
- Merger attempt
- Membership
- Councils
- Continuing education programs
- Veterans Affairs representation
- References
Due to a view of the profession's scope, which the majority of chiropractors find parochial, in that they advocate for the treatment "by hands only" (non therapeutic) of the subluxation, and have traditionally been opposed to what the mainstream profession considers to be "full scope" chiropractic, its membership has continued to decline. Today, its membership is estimated at about one fifth that of the rival American Chiropractic Association.
Merger attempt
In the mid-1980s there was a major campaign for ACA members to join the ICA, in order to cast votes for a merger of the two agencies. The idea was twofold: a, to free up the name, "International" Chiropractor's Association, so that a new organization could be formed to represent the profession at the World level, and b, to have for the first time, one united voice for the profession in the United States. The attempt failed and the profession reached a consensus in London, in 1987, to create the World Federation of Chiropractic.
Membership
Its name is a misnomer, as the ICA does not count any national chiropractic associations having status with the World Health Organization as members. The ICA, along with the American Chiropractic Association, is listed as a national chiropractic association representing the United States at the World Federation of Chiropractic, with representation on the Executive council. It has individual members all over the world who pay dues, and in that sense they remain "international", in the same way as the much larger American Chiropractic Association.
Councils
The ICA, through its various Councils, promotes continuing education for DCs, and has at least one Council (sport) which does, and most that do not, compete with those of the larger ACA. Their Councils include:
The Council on Fitness and Sport Health Science, which was previously called the ICA Sports Council, was a charter member of the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic.
Continuing education programs
The ICA provides continuing education courses which are accredited for continuing education units (CEUs) by the various state licensing boards.
Veterans Affairs representation
In 2002, the ICA was represented by Michael S. McLean, member of the ICA Board of Directors, on the United States Department of Veterans Affairs "Chiropractic Advisory Committee."