Dr Sylvain Desforges, B.Sc., D.C., D.O., N.D., chiropraticien
Vous pouvez me contacter au:
Tél.: (450) 348-4477 ou (450) 562-3563
Courriel: admin@drdesforges.com
Web: www.drdesforges.com
FIGHT FOR CHIROPRACTIC IN BRAZIL HAS GLOBAL IMPORTANCE

As reported in the March 26 issue of this publication, in a new threat to the independence of chiropractic, physical therapists in Brazil, Peru and other countries in South America are lobbying governments for laws making chiropractic a specialty and part of the physical therapy profession.

In these countries, PTs are numerous and recognized by legislation. They see pioneering chiropractors and their patients pushing for recognition of the chiropractic profession. Their response is to claim that chiropractic is part of what they do. In Brazil, for example, there are 95,000 PTs and their licensing body, COFFITO, has supported new short-term postgraduate courses in chiropractic for PTs; started an advertising campaign in the media claiming chiropractic is a specialty of PT; and is fighting to undermine the legislative campaign of the 125 members of the Brazilian Chiropractors’ Association (ABQ).

The World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC), whose 87 member national associations include the ABQ, has commenced an international fundraising campaign to help the Brazilian chiropractors in their David-and-Goliath battle against the PTs – and to stop Brazil from becoming the first country in which a government decides chiropractic is not a separate and distinct profession. Any such decision would have obvious danger for the profession elsewhere in Latin America and internationally.

“The WFC urges all chiropractors and chiropractic organizations to support our fellow chiropractors and the profession in Brazil,” said WFC President Dr. Gerard Clum. “The ABQ has draft chiropractic legislation and the support of some senior legislators, but there is a major battle ahead and the WFC would like to raise $100,000 to help fund that battle.”

“Major thanks to the British Chiropractic Association and the Danish Chiropractors’ Association for early donations of $20,000 and $10,000 [respectively],” said Dr. Ricardo Fujikawa, a Palmer graduate who is ABQ president and represents the Latin American Region on the WFC Council. “This is exactly the type of generous support we need to succeed against COFFITO and the PTs.”

For more background information on the campaign for Brazil, and to make your donation to help, go to www.wfc.org and visit the newsroom. You will see what the Brazilians are doing to help themselves, and how donated monies are being collected by the WFC and then paid out to reimburse approved and verified costs. [Editor’s note: As mentioned, DC reported on this situation in the March 26 issue. Read “No Carnival for Brazilian Chiropractors” online at www.chiroweb.com/archives/25/07/14.html.]

Chiropractic has been growing rapidly in Brazil since the opening of two university-based chiropractic colleges in the late 1990s – Feevale Central University in Novo Hamburgo, in partnership with Palmer College; and the University of Anhembi Morumbi in Sao Paulo, in partnership with Western States Chiropractic College. The legislation to protect chiropractic and being promoted by the ABQ was approved by a third and final parliamentary Commission in late November 2006 and must now go back to the full house or Camara for final vote. It is being stalled by legislators working with the PT profession, while PTs are providing short courses in chiropractic to try to create a competing chiropractic profession.

It is important for chiropractors everywhere that the profession wins this battle. Make your donation now, and then tell someone else to do the same.

March 26, 2007

NO CARNIVAL FOR BRAZILIAN CHIROPRACTORS

With PTs pressing to make chiropractic a specialty of physiotherapy, the WFC is supporting the Brazilian Chiropractic Association’s fundraising campaign to promote chiropractic legislation.

By Tina Beychok, Associate Editor

The current struggle in Brazil to enact legislation legalizing the profession of chiropractic may well be an indicator of what is to come for chiropractors in other countries fighting for legal recognition. In fact, the current situation in Brazil is so important that the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) has taken the unusual step of supporting an international fundraising effort by one of its member associations – the Brazilian Chiropractors’ Association (ABQ), which represents approximately 125 chiropractors, most of whom are recent graduates.

At the heart of the battle is the right of Brazilian chiropractors to protect their title and their profession as a separate entity from physiotherapy. Currently, chiropractors in Brazil have no legal protection. The government-approved regulatory body that licenses and regulates physiotherapy, the Council of Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists (COFFITO), has ruled that chiropractic is a specialty of physiotherapy. As a result, several part-time courses have started up (with the support of COFFITO) that provide a certificate in “chiropractic” to physical therapists after as few as 100 to 300 hours over a series of weekends. Graduates of these courses have formed the Brazilian Physical Therapists Chiropractic Association, hoping to legalize chiropractic, but as a specialty of physiotherapy.

One of the ABQ’s (and the WFC’s) biggest fears is that if chiropractic is only legally recognized as a specialty of physiotherapy, the trend may spread to other countries. A chiropractic specialty course is currently being developed in Chile by a physiotherapist, and PTs in Spain, Portugal and Egypt have been encouraged to push for chiropractic as a specialty in their own countries.

In an effort to protect chiropractic, the ABQ has prepared a draft law, which it hopes to present to the full Brazilian legislature in the near future. Unfortunately, it is facing stiff opposition from COFFITO, which has taken out ads in the major Brazilian newspaper, Globo, that state: “In attempting to create a new profession, the legislators are in fact trying to seize rights which have been awarded to the physiotherapist profession since 1969, rights which define and which are the foundation of Brazilian Physiotherapy. There is no social justification in transforming knowledge areas (specializations) into a new profession.”

The ABQ is campaigning to show that not only are graduates and teachers of the chiropractic specialty courses unqualified, but that the course itself also fails to meet minimum World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. As part of this effort, the ABQ has been involved in a lawsuit against one of the course teachers, who allegedly has a fraudulent chiropractic diploma from a school in the United States.

ABQ members have formed an independent Legislative Commission, coordinated by Dr. Sira Borges, a former president of the association. The commission, which includes representation from each state in Brazil, has received funding thus far from individual chiropractors and both of the chiropractic schools in the country, Feevale University in Novo Hamburgo and the University Anhembi Morumbi in Sao Paulo. The ongoing legislative campaign is headed by Dr. Evergisto Lopes Souto, a chiropractor who volunteered his services and moved to the capital, Brasilia, to direct legislative efforts.

However, with the ABQ and the Legislative Commission lacking sufficient funds, international help is required to fund this vital campaign. They approached the WFC and asked for the organization’s support of an international appeal. The WFC Executive approved such support on Jan. 30, 2007.

Gerry Clum, DC, president of the WFC, in an appeal to members to donate funds to the ABQ, summarized the current situation in Brazil: “We are faced with a new challenge in Brazil. Instead of the traditional opposition of a medical lobby, seeking no recognition of chiropractic, chiropractic is faced with opposition from a physical therapy lobby seeking laws that would define chiropractic as a specialty of PT – a dangerous first internationally.”

The WFC suggests large member associations and associate members donate at least $10,000 to $15,000, distributed over a two- to three-year period if necessary. Other chiropractic organizations and individual chiropractors are asked to donate as much as they can. According to the WFC, the initial fundraising target is US$75,000, which compares favorably to the US$50,000 raised for the British Chiropractic Association’s legislative campaign in the mid-1990s.

Donations will be collected by the WFC and held in trust for the Legislative Commission, with funds only paid out on invoices approved by the WFC Executive. For questions about donations, e-mail Khalid Salim, WFC administration manager, at ksalim@wfc.org, or contact the federation by calling (416) 484-9978. The WFC has created a donation form for the fundraising campaign; Dynamic Chiropractic has posted a printable version of the form online at www.chiroweb.com/brazildonations.pdf.

August 15, 2006

BRAZIL: AN INTERNATIONAL CHIROPRACTIC SENSATION

Country Prepares for First Large-Scale Chiropractic Congress

As Brazil settles down after a powerful showing at the World Cup games in Germany, the country gears up for another major event – the first large-scale international chiropractic congress in the nation's history (I Congresso Brasileiro de Quiropraxia). It is estimated that there will be more than 500 participants from all over this immense country, the Americas and beyond in Curitiba, Brazil for the Sept. 12-16, 2006 event. Prominent international speakers will be presenting, including David Chapman-Smith, secretary-general of the World Federation of Chiropractic; Ian McLean, DC, DACBR; Thomas Hyde, DC; Jeanne Ohm, DC; and others. This promises to be an informative and, as only Brazilians know how, an extremely festive event. (By the way, Curitiba is well-situated for a side trip to the breathtaking and mammoth Iguazu waterfalls.)

In the United States, it is easy to take an event of this size for granted. While the chiropractic profession has been growing in the U.S. for more than 110 years, in Brazil, this remarkable growth has occurred in only 15 years. Dr. Sira Borges graduated from Palmer College in 1990 and returned to her native Brazil. At that time, she was able to locate only three Brazilians practicing chiropractic. A Brazilian Chiropractic Association was formed in 1992 and she became the first president. From those meager beginnings, the profession has exploded to include more than 840 members (either practicing or enrolled in a chiropractic college). During this brief 15-year period, two Brazilian universities have created chiropractic programs with significant support from U.S.-accredited chiropractic colleges (current combined enrollment: 700).

There is absolutely no precedent internationally for such rapid growth in a country with virtually no prior chiropractic history. Equally laudable is the concerted effort by Brazilian chiropractors to set the highest standards for chiropractic, both professionally and academically. One of the most exciting recent developments is the Ministry of Education's approval (a long and arduous process) of both academic programs. This approval now provides powerful legitimacy to this new profession and will help in its struggle for governmental recognition. Current federal legislative efforts are underway to gain full professional, licensed status. Many battles have yet to be won, and the physical therapy profession is currently fighting hard to make spinal adjusting their exclusive domain.

Dr. Ricardo Fujikawa, president of the Brazilian Chiropractic Association and a Palmer graduate, invites the international community to be a part of this historic event. Anyone interested in information regarding the first Brazilian Chiropractic Congress (I Congresso Brasileiro de Quiropraxia) may inquire at: www.quiropraxia.org.br/congresso (this site is in Portuguese only). Inquiries in English can be made to the travel agency coordinating accommodations: cris@macrisviagens.com.br, or to Dr. Sira Borges:
siraborges@hotmail.com.

Submitted by Brent McNabb, DC, at the request of Dr. Siri Borgas and David Chapman-Smith.

June 26, 2000

THE SPIRIT OF DON QUIXOTE THRIVES IN BRAZIL

As Brazil, the giant of the southern hemisphere, finished celebrating Carnaval with its characteristic wild abandon, this exotic land of Rio and the rain forest readied for another event worthy of such celebration - the graduation of the first Brazilian chiropractic class on April 8, 2000.

This is an important historical occasion for chiropractic and its effects will be felt for generations to come. This event will eventually impact all of Latin America. As chiropractic care and education has historically been the domain of the world's highly industrialized nations, Brazil could well become the leader and role model for the profession for the developing world, an area in which chiropractic services are sorely needed.

The groundwork for this program has been an amazing quixotic tale involving "foolish" chiropractic visionaries willing to toil for the impossible. It's a tale that would make D.D., B.J. and David Palmer proud. Three primary "foolish visionaries" have made this possible against great odds and have inspired two major universities to be a part of their "folly." These pioneers are Angela Kolberg, former health sciences director at Feevale University in Novo Hamburgo, Brazil; Garry Krakos,DC, director of international programs at Palmer College; and Sira Borges,DC, MD, president of the Brazilian Chiropractic Association.

Four years ago, Angela Kolberg was impressed by the research appearing in the journals on chiropractic and spinal adjusting. As chiropractic was virtually nonexistent in Brazil, she felt compelled to investigate the possibilty of creating a professional training program at her university. Little did she know, at the time, of the whirlwind of events she would set into motion with her burning curiosity. She contacted Brazilian chiropractor Marino Schueler of Porto Alegre, a graduate of Cleveland College. He gave her background on the profession in Brazil and the name of the president of the Brazilian Chiropractic Association, Sira Borges. As a Palmer graduate, Dr. Borges immediately put professor Kolberg in touch with Dr. Krakos at Palmer. The circle was then complete and the chemistry perfect for miracles to happen.

Professor Kolberg recalls several critical times when the whole program was close to collapsing. "Any reasonable person would have given up. But I knew in my heart that this was the right thing to do, and somehow giving up was unimaginable."

Palmer University had never been involved in curriculum development in another country. There was no infrastructure to support such a project. To all who know Dr. Krakos, his drive and excitement for chiropractic is an inspiration. He was the spark and the driving and sustaining force that resulted in one of Palmer's most innovative and far-reaching programs. The herculean task of designing a chiropractic curriculum in another country, flying Palmer faculty back and forth to Brazil, arranging for documents, travel and lodging arrangements, and the myriad of an unending host of logistics, was staggering.

Dr. Borges, a 1990 Palmer graduate, had helped set the stage for this event by creating considerable visibility for chiropractic in her country. In a relatively short time, she had lectured extensively throughout Brazil and had appeared many times on Brazilian television and radio programs. As the world's fifth largest country, the need for chiropractors was great. Dr. Borges had long been convinced that a Brazilian chiropractic program would have to be the next step. "I was very clear after speaking with Angela Kolberg that this was the moment for that next step." Knowing both cultures and academic realities, Dr. Borges provided the critical link between the two schools.

Because of the groundwork laid by these remarkable chiropractic pioneers and a host of others who provided the critical support to make it happen, 24 Brazilian chiropractic students received their degrees on April 8, 2000. The students in this program were working health professionals who completed their degree at great personal cost. The sacrifice and commitment on the part of these first students was remarkable. In August of last year, the entire class came to Palmer in Davenport, Iowa, to see the Fountainhead first hand. It was a powerful and emotional time for these students, their student counterparts and Palmer faculty, who were deeply touched by their personal experience with the program.

We are blessed with a phenomenal healing art and exceptional colleagues who go beyond the confines of their own practices and work responsibilities to accomplish extraordinary feats for chiropractic. We give thanks to these exceptional individuals and acknowledge them for their selfless contributions.

Professor Angela Kolberg was among those first 24 Brazilian chiropractic students to receive their diplomas on April 8, 2000. Congratulations to all involved.

Authors' note: There are a few positions open for practice in Brazil. Interested doctors need to be fluent in Portuguese or Spanish. Doctors married to a Brazilian national will find greater ease in resolving visa issues. Any doctors interested in making at least year-long commitment to practicing in Brazil should contact Dr. Sira Borges via e-mail at: siraborges@hotmail.com .

BRAZILIAN DCs FIGHTING FOR INCREASED RECOGNITION

Total population of country: 170 million
Official language: Portuguese
Graduates of recognized chiropractic colleges: 10

The Health Care System in Brazil

The Brazilian health care system encompasses two large and integrated spheres of public and private health care institutions. Health care for most of the Brazilian population is provided by a large network of state-owned hospitals, clinics and health care centers. Most programs of immunization, public health and disease prevention/control are also provided by the state.

Public hospitals and clinics work in generally precarious condidtions, mainly due to the enormous demand from the population and continuous budget constraints. However, the system is still able to keep up with the demand reasonably well. Public health care also provides for most of the research and training of health care professionals.

The second sphere of health care is the private sector. Here there are mainly two types of institutions providing health care: private insurance and oconvnioo. Health care insurance allows the insured to freely choose their health care, and refunds all or part of the expense. Individuals with oconvnioo may see any health care professional specifically registered in the institution, free of charge. Hospital stays and surgeries must be made at locations previously appointed by the oconvnioo. Most people who can afford private health care prefer to do so.

There is no coverage for chiropractic by government or private insurance. Most chiropractic practices work exclusively as a cash practice. Those who receive some health insurance coverage do so under another health care license.


Legal Status of Chiropractic

Chiropractic is not a legally recognized health care profession. Members of the Brazilian Chiropractic Association practice in one of three different ways:

 

 

At the present, there is no proposed legislation for the practice of chiropractic in Brazil. The approval of legislation for chiropractic would require the following steps:

 

 

It is the understanding of the Brazilian Chiropractic Association that the chiropractic profession in Brazil is not yet mature enough for such an undertaking. Their present strategies therefore are:

 


Education

On February, 1998, an association between Palmer College of Chiropractic and the Foundation of Superior Studies of Novo Hamburgo (FEEVALE) concluded their agreement for the establishment of a first university-level chiropractic course in Brazil. This is a postgraduate, two-year, 1,500-hour course for health care professionals with a valid health care license and whose former curriculum complies with predefined criteria set by the Palmer/FEEVALE agreement.

The course is now underway and clinical internship will soon begin under the supervision of Palmer faculty member Dr. Langhans. Graduation date is scheduled for April 8, 2000, in conjunction with the next meeting of the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) in Brazil. Twenty-five students are expected to graduate.

In order to graduate, each student will present a monograph on a subject related to chiropractic, thus providing a significant increase in chiropractic research papers in the Portuguese language.

Public Education

The largest public education campaign on chiropractic has been organized by the Federation of Superior Studies of Novo Hamburgo (FEEVALE) in southern Brazil during their campaign to launch the aforementioned chiropractic course. This campaign included a series of radio, television and newspaper interviews and articles, including a statewide television show sponsored by FEEVALE.

Other Professions and Interprofessional Associations

There is no other health care profession save chiropractic that provides formal training on joint manipulation in Brazil. There is a group of MDs that make restricted use of joint manipulation following the Maitland method, learned mainly through courses abroad. Physical therapists with special training on osteopathy make ample use of joint mobilization.


Major Events in Last Three Years:

 

Dr Sylvain Desforges, B.Sc., D.C., D.O., N.D., chiropraticien
Vous pouvez me contacter au:
Tél.: (450) 348-4477 ou (450) 562-3563
Courriel: admin@drdesforges.com
Web: www.drdesforges.com