ICA’s Core Role Message:  The International Chiropractors Association (ICA) promotes, protects, and perpetuates the core principle of chiropractic by ensuring that the public has the right to access chiropractic care focusing on the correction of the vertebral subluxation by safeguarding the privilege of licensed/credentialled chiropractors’ ability to practice chiropractic worldwide. 

An ICA Chiropractor Set the Course:  I was a preschooler when I had my first chiropractic adjustment.  I was fortunate that my first chiropractor was a vitalistic, subluxation focused, ICA member passionate about sharing the message of regular chiropractic care for what we now call whole person health. Dr. Bolen not only helped me recover from being thrown from a horse at age 6; a roller skating crash that left me with chronic headaches at 13, he was there with compassion and the chiropractic adjustment to address the subluxations of trauma after community natural disasters and family tragedy.  He helped shape my understanding of how healing works, which inspired and empowered me to continuously seek knowledge. It is the embodiment of the BJ quote – “You never know how far reaching something you may think, say, or do today will affect the lives of millions tomorrow.”

My life journey has taken me around the world to the shores of the Red Sea, River Neva, Jordan River, and Caribbean Sea, through the Ivory Tower of the National Institutes of Health and across the marble floors in the Halls of Congress, full circle to the International Chiropractors Association.  I have seen first-hand that the world needs you, — chiropractors who are trained and proficient in identifying vertebral subluxations and correcting them through the chiropractic adjustment. The world needs the ICA, the organization that will always fight for the profession, will always promote the truth about the profession, and will not sell out to medicalization.

Chiropractic Needs You in the ICA:  If you are an ICA member – thank you for being a part of the organization that was established 99 years ago to preserve and protect the profession.

 At Dr. Palmers’ direction, we transformed from the Chiropractic Health Bureau which helped get licensure in all 50 US states and territories to the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) so that we could expand the profession and establish the statutory authority in every nation on the planet for chiropractors to be lawfully able to practice.  We have a long way to go to achieve chiropractic being legal and available in every country.  If you are not yet a member of the ICA, I invite you to join.  Wherever you are on your chiropractic journey, ICA is here for you.  Every chiropractor and chiropractic student who cares about building the profession based on the science, art, and philosophy of the profession as the separate and distinct profession that it is needs to join and stay in the ICA to help us achieve our mission, vision and goals.  Sadly, too many chiropractors are sitting on the sidelines.  The ICA will also not tell you how to run your business, not judge your business model, instead we are here to promote and uplift, encourage you to be successful in your endeavors to promote chiropractic care and stay focused on the principle of subluxation detection and correction.  The ICA will advocate for you and provide opportunities for networking and premier post graduate education.

The chiropractic profession and those who seek chiropractic care benefit from the advance training specialties such as Upper Cervical, Pediatrics, Sports, and Chiropractic Biophysics. The ICA’s Councils and affiliates provide this important post graduate education training and have shown how chiropractors can collaborate with other health professions successfully for the benefit of the patient.  The world needs our experts in chiropractic philosophy to continue to share the message of the ‘why’ of chiropractic, so that the 3-legged stool (science-art-philosophy) does not become unbalanced.  The ICA Board completed a Strategic Plan https://www.chiropractic.org/about-us/strategic-plan-2025/  this year which includes our Core Chiropractic Principle and Core Role Message as well as our vision, mission and goals. 

Never Been a Better Time to Be a Chiropractor:  In 2025 we are seeing that the advocacy of the ICA and others in the chiropractic profession has reached the highest levels of the government.  The Make America Health Again Initiative has opened the opportunity for chiropractic to have major advances and for the ICA to help advance the profession.  The principles of vitalism and innate intelligence are threaded into these conversations.  And at the same time, we see some within the profession seeking to medicalize it through scope expansion into prescribing authority and invasive techniques such as injectables. (Some ignore that ‘injectables’ will also backdoor prescribing authority as all products introduced into the body through a needle– even water or ‘natural substances’ are by federal law prescription drugs.)  ICA will always work to protect the profession from being medicalized, that is our responsibility. 

To keep fighting the good fights, to keep advancing principled, vitalistic, subluxation focused chiropractic, the ICA needs full engagement by all in the profession who are like minded. 

Falls Church, VA:  September 22, 2025 – President Donald J. Trump was joined by Secretary of Health Kennedy and four leading HHS medical experts – the NIH Director, the CMS Administrator, the FDA Commissioner, and the Acting Assistant Secretary of Health.  The thrust of the extended press conference was that the epidemic increase in autism rates is not due to better diagnostics, nor an expanded definition, but rather is artificially induced. 

Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced that an all agency approach has been implemented, to gather the data from all sources of known and suspected causal factors in autism, as well as solutions.  The first evidence-based confirmed cause was announced (Acetaminophen) as well as the evidence-based solution (leucovorin) to be officially approved for autism.

President Trump started the press event by sharing that he has been concerned about the causes of autism since first meeting Secretary Kennedy some 20 years ago.  The President reiterated at least three times during the event his own opinions, calling for parents to spread their shots out, to split the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccines back up into single disease shots – citing his understanding this would reduce risks.  He also suggested that the Hepatis B vaccine should be delayed to 12 years of age because there is typically no reason to give an infant a vaccine for a sexually transmitted disease.  He also reiterated that pregnant women should avoid acetaminophen during pregnancy and that infants should also not be given acetaminophen.  President Trump stated that ending the autism epidemic during his administration is as important to him as ending the 7 wars he has helped end.  He recounted knowing several mothers of children who developed autism after their vaccines.  The President was not speaking out against vaccines, he was speaking about giving one vaccine at a time.  For families who heed the suggestion, there will be a delay and cooperation required by CDC to order these shots from the manufacturers who stopped making single antigen vaccines 25 years ago when this was initially suggested.   

Secretary Kennedy promised the American public that the agency was going to do a deep dive into existing data from all available sources and will make public what is known about all the potential causes of autism spectrum disorders. 

The last Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network study conducted through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided that among 8-year-olds in the United States, 1 in 31 are on the Autism Spectrum. Boys are three times more likely to be diagnosed on the spectrum than girls.   A cooperative effort with the Directors of NIH, FDA, and the CMS Administrator has been  evaluating existing data, peer reviewed information, and consultation with experts and parents.  The promise has been radical transparency and an accelerated sharing of information with the public.

Dorothy Fink, MD, Acting Assistant Secretary for Health and a women’s health scholar, noted the evidence is substantial to caution women not to take acetaminophen during pregnancy unless unavoidable, and if absolutely necessary to take as low a dose as possible for as short a duration as feasible.

FDA Commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary announced the agency has initiated the process for a label  change.  Given that evidence in recent years has suggested a correlation between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and subsequent diagnosis of conditions like autism and ADHD. Multiple large-scale cohort studies, including the Nurses’ Health Study II and the Boston Birth Cohort, find this association. Some studies have described that the risk may be most pronounced when acetaminophen is taken chronically throughout pregnancy.  FDA also reminded the public that aspirin and ibuprofen have well-documented adverse impacts on the fetus when taken by women during pregnancy.

NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D. announced the National Institutes of Health has launched the Autism Data Science Initiative (ADSI), a landmark research effort that will harness large-scale data resources to explore contributors to the causes and rising prevalence of autism spectrum disorder. More than $50 million in awards will support 13 pioneering projects that draw on genomic, epigenomic, metabolomic, proteomic, clinical, behavioral and autism services data. These projects will integrate, aggregate and analyze existing data resources, generate targeted new data and validate findings through independent replication hubs.  He stated, “By bringing together genetics, biology, and environmental exposures, we are opening the door to breakthroughs that will deepen our understanding of autism and improve lives.” 

A key feature of ADSI is the use of exposomics—the comprehensive study of environmental, medical, and lifestyle factors in combination with genetics and biology. Projects will investigate a wide range of influences, including environmental contaminants such as pesticides and air pollutants, maternal nutrition and diet, perinatal complications, psychosocial stress, and immune responses during pregnancy and early development.

Addressing Vertebral Subluxations in Autism Population:  Many families turn to doctors of chiropractic to help pick up the pieces when their child develops autism. ICA firmly believes that our chiropractors – those focused on identifying and eliminating vertebral subluxations are integral partners of the solution to this epidemic of suffering.

ICA Executive Director, Beth Clay, who formerly served as staff-lead on the Congressional investigation that identified the epidemic increase in autism stated, “Autism is a complex multifactorial condition with a spectrum of intensity.  The children on the front end of the epidemic, injured in the late 1980s are now middle-aged adults. It is imperative that the NIH include individuals of all ages and all levels of severity in their studies.  Autism is a chronic health condition that is unique to each individual and requires a comprehensive team effort of health care professionals working together. Regular evaluation for subluxations and chiropractic adjustments should become an integral component of a personalized, whole person, evidence-informed care protocol to be studied in real time for clinical benefit and daily quality of life improvement.”   

Dr. Joe Betz, ICA President stated, “The best available research on the topic has demonstrated an association between environmental factors, including acetaminophen use during pregnancy, and the development of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. It’s time for the American health care system to incorporate natural health care options including chiropractic care as the first approach and avoid the use of dangerous drugs.”

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April 11, 2025 (Falls Church, VA) Today, ICA leadership is all hands on deck primed to testify in person and online in opposition to HB 929, the draconian bill introduced by Representative (Dr.) Oblander to expand the scope of practice to include drug prescribing authorities. ICA”s CEO, Dr. Edwin Cordero will testify online while ICA Board Secretary, Dr. Hugo Michael Gibson, a Montana resident, will testify in person.

ICA’s testimony is attached to Dr. Cordero’s opening commments.

Dr. Edwin Corder, “Just Say No to HB 929!”

Falls Church, Virginia, March 31, 2025: The International Chiropractors Association is reaching out to legislators in Montana again to request they reject legislation that moves the chiropractic scope of practice into the realm of medicine. Since its inception, the profession has been focused on the identification and elimination of vertebral subluxations and allowing the body’s own innate healing process to function optimally. All but a tiny fringe element of the profession desire to keep chiropractic a non-prescribing profession. Montana health professionals and their patients would be better served by expanding the opportunity of Telehealth and professional collaboration in real time between chiropractors and medical doctors rather than expanding the scope of chiropractic to include drug prescribing. The path Representative Oblander is now making with his controversial legislation in a third attempt to expand chiropractic into the medical profession would create an increased risk to public safety through inadequately trained individuals prescribing drugs.

The ICA is concerned that the very language of the bill, most specifically provision lines 18-19 of page one, “ WHEREAS, there is widespread support from many health care providers in Montana to allow for doctors of chiropractic to have prescriptive authority;” has misrepresented the facts. It is our understanding that there is significant opposition by both the medical and pharmacy associations in Montana to this bill. (See Attached Fact Sheet) Further, the American Medical Association has an ongoing ‘Scope Creep’ initiative raising concerns nationwide about attempts to broaden other health professionals into the medical doctor scope.

Drug prescribing is not a simple ‘add on’ technique training. Drug prescribing is a key component of medical education throughout all the years of education and residency. It is not something that can or should be taught as a series of weekend seminars.

ICA’s new CEO, Dr. Edwin Cordero stated, “Please oppose House Bill 929. Three college presidents have previously submitted letters explaining the scope expansion into prescribing should be opposed. I would concur. As a former chiropractic college president, chiropractors graduate with the knowledge and skills to evaluate and correct subluxations; to offer health promoting lifestyle advise. They do not graduate with the training to become drug prescribers. The proficiency exams do not include evaluation of knowledge and skills on drug prescribing.”

A century ago, the ICA was established (Originally named the Chiropractic Health Bureau) to work with the states to establish licensure so that our doctors would no longer be jailed for ‘practicing medicine without out license’. During this process chiropractic was established as a distinct and drug-free profession. Chiropractic is now and should remain a profession without drug prescribing in its scope of practice.

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Montana Medical Association Opposition to HB 929

For Immediate Release

Contact: Beth Clay
Email: bclay@chiropractic.org

Just Say No to HB 929!

There was a slight amendment to the bill that was intended to sway members, but the continued engagement over the last 24 hours brought us victory.

This issue to expand scope in prescribing is popping in other states and we as community must work together protect the profession. Thank you one and all who participating in this activity. Montana is safe for now…

Montanans need to call their House Member today: https://www.legmt.gov/legislators/

The bill was introduced by Greg Oblander, DC a Montana chiropractor/legislator. The bill had the backing of the Montana Chiropractic Association, who had awarded Dr. Oblander the Chiropractor of the Year award in March 2024.

ICA Board Member, Dr. Hugo M. Gibson led the charge in Montana testifying at both the Chiropractic Board against the legislation; as well as in person at the House Business and Labor Committee. Both the Business and Labor Committee and the Appropriations Committee passed the bill out to the House Floor where it failed by a slim margin.

While ICA is happy with the outcome, we are concerned that the vote was so close. The idea that so many legislators were ready to expand the Montana Scope to include drug prescribing with a list of drugs that included products with mandatory Black Box warnings from the FDA is a wake up call to the need for our entire community to engage and ensure legislators understand that chiropractic is and should remain a drug-free profession. The testimony ICA presented is available below:

International Chiropractors Association Names
Edwin Cordero, DC, FICA, as CEO

Falls Church, VA: Dr. Selina Sigafoose-Jackson, President of the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) announced today the appointment of Dr. Edwin Cordero as the ICA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective April 1, 2025, with his transition beginning March 17. Dr. Cordero succeeds Dr. Stephen P. Welsh, who has served as interim CEO since November 2024. Ms. Beth Clay, who served as both CEO and Executive Director since January 2020, remains in her role as Executive Director.

Ms. Clay stated, “As we enter our 99th year, the ICA needs a strong, proven chiropractic leader at the helm to facilitate our vision, mission, and goals. Dr. Edwin Cordero is that leader. I look forward to working with him and seeing the ICA and chiropractic flourish through our efforts.”

Dr. Selina Sigafoose-Jackson shared her excitement about Dr. Cordero’s appointment, saying, “I could not be prouder to be part of the team that recruited Dr. Edwin Cordero. We look forward to the proud passion and esteemed experience that Dr. Cordero will bring to this illustrious organization, and we anticipate witnessing the action and reaction that will come from Dr. Cordero’s organizational talents.”

Dr. Cordero expressed his vision for his new role, stating, “I am deeply honored to step into the role of Chief Executive Officer for the International Chiropractors Association. The ICA has a long and proud history of advancing the principles and mission of chiropractic, and I am excited to build upon that legacy. Together, with our dedicated members, leaders, and partners, we will continue to protect, promote, and elevate chiropractic globally, ensuring that our profession thrives for generations to come. I look forward to fostering innovation, strengthening relationships, and driving impactful growth that supports both our members and the communities we serve.”

With his extensive leadership experience, Dr. Cordero is poised to lead the ICA in its mission to support chiropractic professionals and advance the profession worldwide. His commitment to innovation, advocacy, and professional development will drive the ICA’s continued success and growth in the years to come. Dr. Cordero and his wife, Debbie, will be welcomed officially at the ICA’s 99th Annual Meeting in Clearwater Beach, Florida April 3-5. https://icaevents.org/2025con/

About Dr. Cordero: Edwin Cordero, DC, FICA, is a veteran of the United States Navy and a 1993 graduate of Life Chiropractic College. He is a Fellow of the ICA (FICA). A respected and proven leader, Dr. Cordero brings over 32 years of leadership experience to the ICA. He established and led a successful private practice in Boynton Beach, Florida, where he served his community for 20 years. During his time in practice, Dr. Cordero became known for his patient-centered approach, business acumen, and ability to develop strong, lasting relationships with both patients and his team. Dr. Cordero later served as President and CEO of Sherman College of Chiropractic, where his bold leadership and strategic vision transformed the institution. During his 10-year tenure, he led initiatives that expanded academic programs, increased enrollment, and strengthened the college’s national reputation, all while fostering a culture of service, accountability, and leadership development.

Following his successful 10-year tenure at Sherman College, Dr. Cordero served as CEO of MaxLiving, a prominent chiropractic organization with one hundred plus clinics in the United States and Puerto Rico. Dr. Cordero empowered chiropractors to build thriving, patient-centered practices, while maintaining a strong emphasis on health and business success. As the founder and CEO of Cordero Consulting Group, Dr. Cordero works with business owners, leadership teams, and healthcare professionals to help them scale their businesses, develop high-performing teams, and lead with clarity and confidence. His custom coaching programs focus on practical leadership strategies, business growth systems, and personal development tools, giving his clients the tools they need to achieve long-term success. In 2024, Dr. Cordero published, Against All Odds: How to Transform Setbacks into Success, where he shares his personal journey and leadership insights.

About the International Chiropractors Association (ICA): The International Chiropractors Association is a leading global organization that represents chiropractors and the chiropractic community. ICA promotes chiropractic as a safe, effective, and natural approach to health and wellness. Founded in 1926, the ICA’s mission is to protect and promote the chiropractic profession through advocacy, education, and innovation. The ICA’s most recent Strategic Plan, titled “Fulfilling the Lasting Purpose.” aligns with ICA’s broader 2024 theme, “Focus on Fundamentals – A Unified Voice and Vision,” emphasizing education, membership growth, and advocacy to protect and promote chiropractic. Grounded in its core principle—that the body has an innate ability to adapt and self-heal through an optimally functioning nervous system—ICA continues to advocate for chiropractic. The association’s efforts focus on removing barriers to access, ensuring fair compensation, and promoting chiropractic’s role in healthcare.

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For Immediate Release March 5, 2025 Media Contact: bclay@chiropractic.org

January 22, 2025: Given that H.R. 538/S.106 the Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act of 2025 contains the exact same text as the last three legislative sessions, the ICA once again finds itself unable to endorse these bills. As a result, the ICA will be offering legislators a bill that provides a comprehensive solution to Medicare, including the Opt-Out Provision that is essential for eliminating disparities and discrimination against Medicare beneficiaries who seek chiropractic care.

The International Chiropractors Association (ICA) is in consensus with the entire US-based chiropractic community that Medicare needs to be fixed. For too long the vestiges of restraint of trade discrimination have lingered in the Social Security Act laws through which Medicare is administered.

ICA’s Essential Elements Required of Any Medicare Legislation

1. Maintain the current mandate for coverage of the adjustment to correct a subluxation.
2. Preserve the subluxation reference in the definition.
3. Remove the restrictive language used to limit reimbursement to the adjustment “only.”
4. Ensure that radiographic (x-ray) imaging and exams are covered services.
5. Maintain economic neutrality by removing barriers to reimbursements for existing covered services only.
6. Establish equitability in reimbursement rates to other physician level providers.
7. Eliminate discrimination that denies chiropractic patients the ability to privately contract and chiropractors the ability to opt out of the Medicare system if they so choose.

ICA legislative experts all agree that any Medicare legislation should be clear, specific, and give CMS specific instruction with deadlines for implementation. We do not believe it is in the best interest of chiropractors and their patients to leave the details up to CMS to develop, even with a friendly Director at CMS who will take office in 2025. Further, if a bill were passed into law that leaves the details up to CMS, a multi-year rulemaking will be required; and there will be no guarantees at the end of the process of what will be covered.

Below is a chart that shows the differences between the two approaches.

As we engage with our legislators in Washington, it is important for ICA members and those across the profession who desire a full and certain solution to the issues in Medicare to engage with your senators and representatives to express your support for the bill we are bringing to them for introduction and passage. The road to introduction and passage into law is long.

If you have any questions or would like to help, please email our Executive Director, Beth Clay, at bclay@chiropractic.org.

November 14, 2024 (Falls Church, VA) Today, President-elect Donald J. Trump made it official that he was nominating Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to serve as the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Secretary-designee Kennedy has spent his entire career championing the health of the nation through education, advocacy, research and when needed litigation.

Among his many accomplishments are protecting the environment with Riverkeeper and the Natural Resources Defense Council His work at Riverkeeper succeeded in setting long-term environmental legal standards. Kennedy won legal battles against large corporate polluters. He became an adjunct professor of environmental law at Pace University School of Law in 1986 and founded the Pace’s Environmental Litigation Clinic which he co-directed for a decade.

It would be in the Pace Law Review that the landmark paper, “Unanswered Questions from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: A Review of Compensated Cases of Vaccine-Induced Brain Injury” (https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1681&context=pelr) would be published in 2011.

Kennedy became laser focused on the autism epidemic while giving lectures on the dangers of mercury in fish, he was repeatedly approached by the mothers of children born healthy who regressed into autism after suffering adverse reactions from childhood vaccines, including their concern about the mercury-based preservative, thimerosal, being used in vaccines including the Hepatitis B vaccine given at birth. Kennedy’s approach to the issue was the same as it always, looking at the science. He assembled a team who gathered all the science and reviewed the issues with him. This resulted in the publication of the book, Thimerosal: Let the Science Speak
The Evidence Supporting the Immediate Removal of Mercury—a Known Neurotoxin—from Vaccines.

After establishing and leading the nonprofit Children’s Health Defense, last year Kennedy stepped back from the organization to throw his hat in the ring to be President. Becoming the embodiment of his uncle John F. Kennedy’s famous quote, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country!”, Kennedy reached out to President Trump to form an alliance to focus on the crisis of chronic disease in the United States, and suspended his campaign to focus on the Make American Healthy Again (MAHA) Initiative.

ICA President, Dr. Selina Sigafoose Jackson, who is currently in Brazil promoting the protection of chiropractic as a separate and distinct profession stated, “Many ICA members have been supporters of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s philanthropic activities and are all in on the MAHA Initiative. The Mission, Vision, and Values of the ICA align with the stated goals of the MAHA Initiative. We stand ready to provide policy proposals and experts to serve as advisors to the incoming Administration and to Secretary Kennedy upon his swearing in.”