FROM THE EDITOR
Michael Thomas, D.C.
Welcome!
This issue of NUCCA NEWS marks the first time that the
"NEWS" has been distributed separately from The Upper Cervical
Monograph. It is our hope that we will be able to communicate more
frequently and more fully with the "loose-knit" band of NUCCA
doctors who comprise our widespread population.
It also marked a moment to acknowledge the immense contribution of our longtime Executive Director and researcher, Daniel Seemann, Ph.D. An Interview with Dan begins on page 2.
We now have a new Board of Directors. Previously appointed to the Board in January due to vacancies, were Dr. John Dunn, Dr. Patrick Foran and Dr. Steven MacDonald. Elected by popular mandate in San Francisco were Dr. Robert Goodman, Dr. Robert Brooks, Dr. Richard Cockwill, Dr. Keith Denton, and Dr. Marshall Dickholtz, Jr Dr. Marshall Dickholtz, Sr. remains on the Board. The new Officers voted by the Board are Dr. Robert Goodman, President; Dr. Robert Brooks, Vice President Dr. John Dunn, Secretary,- and Dr. Keith Denton, Treasurer More highlights of the Spring Seminar are on page 4.
Jim Palmer's thought provoking welcome to the seminar participants is reproduced here on page 6.
Dr. Marshall Dickholtz, Jr. made a heartening presentation on the NUCCA certification process in San Francisco and here in these pages, he further discusses the evolving approach to certification and the benefits to patients, doctors, and NUCCA. You will find Marshall's article on page 7.
To begin this inaugural voyage of NUCCA NEWS, we have a message from our new President, Dr. Robert Goodman on page 2.
We want NUCCA NEWS to give a voice to our community. If you are opening a practice, selling some equipment or just have some news we ought to read about, send us an e-mail message. If You have a photograph you want to include and you don't know how to send it over the internet, send it by snail mail.
My e-mail address is: nuccadoc@alltel.net [1]
My office address is: Michael Thomas, D.C.
10252 S. U.S. Hwy 44 1, Suite 1
Belleview, FL 34420
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Dear NUCCA Members:
I will assume that you are as excited as I am with the changes that have
begun within our organization. Our survey for the last seminar is going
out to all those who attended. Please take some time to tell us
what you liked and how we can improve it.
I recently came across a letter I had written to the NUCCA Board of
Directors in 1992. 1 called it the new doctor's perspective of the
immediate tasks that our organization needs to address. The list was the
same that it is today: public awareness campaign enhanced research
activities and publication stronger presence in Chiropractic Colleges and
opportunities for graduating doctors greater communication with the other
upper cervical techniques and the Chiropractic field in general organized
strategies to accomplish these tasks, approved by the Board of Directors,
delegated to committees and carried out by our entire membership
We can do this through cooperative effort. In my practice, I tell a new
patient that the first spinal correction creates a change. After that
comes the stabilization period. The compliance to the doctor's
recommendations can create a permanent result.
NUCCA is experiencing change. Our task truly lies in the process of
stabilization and Completion to create the results we all dream about.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert J. Goodman
An Interview with Daniel Seemann, Ph.D.
Honoree of the Ralph R. Gregory Award
by: Michael Thomas, D.C.
In San Francisco, Dan Seemann found himself being applauded by NUCCA doctors who had gathered together from all over the United States and Canada. It brought a tear to his eye. In his hands he held a bronze likeness of his old friend and associate, Dr. Ralph Gregory. This was only the second time that the award had been given out. The Ralph R. Gregory Award signifies a lifelong achievement in advancement of the scientific approach to chiropractic, based on contributions in research, publications, public speaking, teaching and or financial largesse. For Dr. Seemann, twenty seven years of memories came to the surface.
 |
Dan has always been an athlete. He played in several sports in high school and went on to play for the most success I basketball team to ever come out of Columbia. He married Rosemary Lynch who was the sweetheart of Sigma Chi at Columbia. He served his country as an officer in Korea and now holds the rank of colonel USMCR (Ret.). His doctoral dissertation examined the effects of autocratic and democratic leadership style as measured by galvanic skin resistance on the study participants. Dan began teaching at the University of Toledo in 1962. He became Director of Student Activities in 1967, returned to the classroom in 1976, and finally retired as a professor emeritus in 1989. Fate intervened in the form of a back problem. Dan went to an orthopedist who told him he had a short leg. The M.D. put a lift in his shoe. This didn't sit well with Dan, because as he put it, "I like to play basketball...". One of his friends, John Savage, told him about "a guy tip in Monroe". Dan remembered his first visit:
DS: I met Ruth (Dr. Gregory's wife and office manager) outside in the waiting room and she looked at me with some distress (apparently at his obvious pain!). I went into the back and we hit it off pretty good right off the bat because I questioned everything he did-which he liked. As I look back over the years I can truly say that Ralph was intellectually honest. We got into many discussions and this interested me. He (Gregory) found out about my research background and so he asked me if I would write a paper. That's how we got started. He liked the paper. It was about the need to get 80% proportional reductions to get patients well. It's ironic that this remains a sensitive issue among doctors today. I stayed on and wrote a few more papers and then he (Gregory) asked me to be a research consultant- I think that was in 1971 or so. I became the executive director (of NUCCA) in 1976. 1 wrote quite a few papers in that time period, and I found as everybody else did, that to learn the work, it takes a lot of talking and study. We became friends, socially. Ruth and Rose hit it off well, I remember spending many nights in their living room, talking. We would go out to "Joe's" for dinner. Ruth was always concerned about other chiropractors taking up Ralph's time. They would come into town and want to know if they could get adjusted. It was a never ending and often a lost battle for Ruth. There were hard feelings after Grostic died and the group split. It took quite a few years for them to share all that with me. It left both of them a bit gun-shy about working in a group setting. The big thing that Ralph wanted was for it to not be a one man organization. That is why the organization became NUCCA and not 'Gregory'.
NN: What are the highlights for you in terms of
research?
DS: I have written almost fifty articles, somewhere in
there. The Anatometer was kinda my idea. We had talked many times about
the leg check being so subjective, In the late 70's we knew there was
alot of pelvic distortion involved. I had an idea that we could stand
the person on two boxes and then use a screw mechanism to place
something on their hips and raise or lower one leg to even the hips. One
thing led to another We found that standing under the influence of
gravity brought the transverse plane of the pelvis into play, Then we
found the fixed point. I don't know how many darned things we found on
that Anatometer just by serendipity. It was a lot of fun and I went up
to the office a couple times a week at that point. I almost always
worked with Ralph on Friday afternoons.
NN: Thanks for the Anatometer!
DS: Somewhere in the 80's, I thought about putting those transducers on the Anatometer to get the weight differential and that was a nice addition too. I think we ran over three hundred cases through the study on pelvic distortion in 1978 and I don't think anybody could believe the data, but it there was a decent reduction, the transverse and frontal planes would go to zero. We didn't know why, but it seemed to be just as if you measured zero laterality on the nasium. We put about five years into that one. I don't know if a lot of guys know about this one, but if you read the literature, I wrote a paper on how posterior rotations occur and that was purely theoretical. I love to visualize how these structures work. Short axes resulted in anterior rotation and long axes resulted in posterior rotations. One of the funniest tongue in cheek papers I wrote was "Will Innate Be Your Fate?" I don't think a lot of people ever got that paper. I believe in a greater intelligence, but I wouldn't put all My trust in getting that
last half an inch into place by "innate".NN: That was the crux of the reason Grostic and Gregory went into this work in the first place. They didn't trust that you could toggle somebody and trust innate to wiggle it into normal position.
DS: One thing that has come out of my research in the last couple of years is that by drilling a hole in the center of the circles on the relatoscope and matching up the condylar circle, the (enter appears to mark the center of gravity in the skull. This can be very helpful in head placement. Another contribution was the basic types. I didn't know what I was doing, but I laid them all out it lot Ralph and he came out with the four basic types. Al Berti is still not sure about the fourth basic type and is still looking into skull anomalies as a possible cause.
NN:
Where do you see NUCCA going in the future?
DS: We've got to go to a democratic type of
organization where there are a whole spectrum of folks involved. If
everybody steps tip it
will create the kind of organization we've always wanted. We had a lot
of enthusiasm and excitement in Sari Francisco. Now we'll find out it we
can sustain it. With
the best of leaders, when the job is done, the people will say they did
it themselves.
NN: Thank you, Dr Seemann.
NUCCA IN
SAN FRANCISCO!
 |
We came from far and wide
to San Francisco to see how we could help the organization that has given
us so much. It was a pivotal moment. After almost 30 years, NUCCA found
itself without much of the leadership that has guided it for decades. Many
of us met together on Thursday evening to discuss some of the deeper
issues that have brought NUCCA to this juncture. What began that evening
and continued throughout the seminar was many, many voices coming to the
fore. We have a depth in this group that has never been mined before. The
combined wisdom, intellect and enthusiasm that we embody as a group, is
truly remarkable. The best part was that across the board, we all stood up
and volunteered our time, energy and voice. Each doctor is needed as never
before
and never before did so many volunteer to stand election for the board. As
the weekend unfolded, the sense of being a real, part of NUCCA became more
concrete.
We had approximately 80 total participants, 25 of which were students from
Palmer-Davenport, Life-West, and Life. Registration was conducted by Dr.
Teresa Palmer. We were welcomed by Dr. Wayne Clark, Dr. Dan Seemann, and
James Palmer, Professor, University of Toledo (Jim's talk is reproduced in
this issue of NUCCA NEWS.) Instructors included Dr. Marshall Dickholtz,
Sr., Dr. Steve MacDonald, Dr. Larry Schrock, Dr. John Dunn, Dr. Glenn
Cripe, and Dr.Gordon Hasick. Group discussions were led by Dr. Steele, Dr.
Holtby, Dr. Foran and Dr. Shepherd. Dr. Robert Brooks gave an informative
practice management presentation on Sunday afternoon.
 |
A new offering at the conference was the videotaping of the performance of the adjustment along with adjustive instruction by certified doctors. This proved quite popular and helpful and promises to become a integral part of the seminar process.
The Banquet was well attended and emceed by Dr. Marshall Dickholtz, Jr. Presentations were made to several doctors in recognition of achievement and longevity in the NUCCA work. The Bronze Award (10 years) was presented to Dr. Robert Gilbert, Dr. Robert Goodman, Dr. Michael Thomas, and Dr. Gary Thomson. Silver Awards (15 years) were presented to Dr. G. Miguel Gracey, Dr. Larry Schrock, Dr. Kathy Doyle, Dr. Michael Zabelin, and Dr. Daniel Fedeli. Gold Awards (20 years) were presented to Dr. Amerigo Biollo, Dr. Steve MacDonald, Dr. John Dunn, Dr. Robert Brooks, and Dr. R.L. Wiedeman. Platinum Awards (25 years) were presented to Dr. John Davis, Dr. Thomas Eliott, and Dr. Wayne Clark. Diamond Awards (30 years) were presented to Dr. Dwain Ingram and Dr. Patrick Foran.
 |
The Ralph R. Gregory
Achievement Award was presented to Dr. Daniel Seemann. An interview with
Dr. Seemann is present in this issue.
Dr. Gordon Hasick made a stirring presentation which included video from
his "C- I Productions" company. He presented a vision of
possibility that we can all take with us into the millenium.
The conference was a wonderful gathering together of talent, intellect,
commitment and persistence. We will need to work closely together in the
coming months and years to bring this potential to fruition and truly
bring the NUCCA work to the world.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Text of San Francisco Welcome
James Palmer, M.S.
 |
I am honored to have this opportunity to address this assembly of competent Upper Cervical doctors and friends of NUCCA. You are here today because of your professional goal of becoming a better doctor and because you realize that NUCCA is at a unique moment in time as an organization. Your attendance and more importantly your involvement testifies to your profession that you do not wish to forfeit the significant gains that NUCCA has made or to close the book on the historically rich position that NUCCA has within Upper Cervical Chiropractic in particular and chiropractic in general.
Yesterday you focused on
the strengths of your wonderful
leaders;
they have served you exceedingly well. Today you focus on the
relationships that exist among one another. Tomorrow you will nurture
existing relationships and
will build new ones-all resulting in change. Certainly a new day is here.
It is up to all of us,
We think because we understand ONE must understand TWO, because one and one makes two. But we must also understand the AND. It is my belief that the primary organizational value of NUCCA is no longer in the strengths of its leaders but, instead is in the expanding and dynamic set of relationships and connections is that each one of us has within the organization It is these dynamic connections and relationships which are the fundamental essence - evolving life form if you will - of Dr. Gregory's creation The personal respect as seen by our actions towards one another is our innate.
NUCCA's culture, vision and values are changing and will continue to change as you change. Twentieth century Physics explains that there is no objective reality out there waiting to reveal its secrets. There are no recipes or formulas, no checklists or advice that describes reality. There what we create through our engagement with others and with events. Has not each on of us questioned what we do when we have heard that adjusting from the other side works too? Everything is always new and different and unique to each of us. It is my hypothesis that better connectiveness will lead to higher order ideas which ultimately yield potentially more creative possibilities allowing us to be born over and over. I challenge you to prove the validity of my hypothesis.
We shall all adapt to and successfully live with some chaos and unpredictability as long as we operate within parameters that are well ordered and predictable. If our innate is sufficiently strong we shall respond to disorder and uncertainty with renewed vigor and sense of purpose.
Do we need some chaos and unpredictability? The answer is "yes. To paraphrase Albert (Einstein), no problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it. And do we not have some apparently recalcitrant problems to solve?
Elements of the organization will recombine and reconfigure because you are reconnecting and speaking truthfully to one another without fear for self or for your fraternal organization. Unless you are disconnected you will know what to do and how to collectively set the optimum vector leading to the next higher level.
This weekend you will pick a leadership team. What will be your criteria for selection? Is it because someone was wronged? Is it because they have contributed so much of themselves to the profession? Is it because of some personal relationship? Is it
Thank you.
NUCCA Certification
by Marshall Dickholtz, Jr., D.C.
At the beginning of the May convention, all attending doctors filled
out a survey regarding the certification program. Questions included,
"what do you think is missing from the program?", "what
holds you back from participating?", and "do you think it is
possible to complete the program?". Doctors that have completed the
program and are already certified, were asked the same questions. In
addition, they were also asked what the greatest benefit of the
certification program was for them now that they had completed it.
Results of the Survey revealed as much about the perception of benefits as
it (lid the perceived stumbling blocks. Many doctors looking at
certification have erroneously believed they must be able to adjust and
reduce subluxations at the certification level prior to beginning the
program. On the contrary, the purpose of this program is to bring
participants along, working together to improve all aspects of practice
until consistent certification level work is achieved. Doctors believed
that in the past there was a lack of adequate support to help them learn
from their errors. This lack of support often led to stagnation,
frustration and apathy. We found that what doctors were looking for was a
structure that helps keep them motivated. They wanted to see that if they
started the process, they could successfully complete the program. And,
considering its impact on the very way they view their own abilities to
consistently reduce subluxations within their practice, certification is
seen by many as a highly personal as well as professional issue. Based on
these results, the certification committee is now redesigning this
valuable program so it can immediately become a more effective learning
tool.
When the doctors who have already passed the certification program
answered the question about their biggest benefit, the answers confirmed
what I
 |
had already believed. The
program can and has produced doctors who are able to practice at the level
of competence defined by certification. They commented on how it changed
who they see themselves to be in every area of their life,- that it
increased their confidence, honed their skills, raised the standard of
care rendered in their office, did produced healthier patients. They also
learned how to become their own coach.
These types of comments help confirm how this program can truly be the
fulfillment of a chiropractic education in the area of reducing the C-1
subluxation. It Provides the doctor with the skills necessary to
understand how to adjust a particular misalignment. The doctor will
understand the biomechanics and predominant factors that need to be
addressed with a high degree of predictability. Unfortunately this is a
level of chiropractic education that the chiropractic colleges are
currently unable to provide. I expect that the certification process will
continue to evolve over time. Here is a list of the new changes that are
available to doctors now participating in the program:
In parts I arid 2, a doctor can choose to take the written exam first, or
begin by submitting the x- rays required for that specific part. They must
complete the entire part before moving on to the next one- There is no
longer a requirement for a doctor to be in practice for three years before
beginning the process. There is also no required time that must elapse
prior to being certified. However, you must be a licensed practitioner.
Written exams can be taken twice in the same seminar with a review of the
test in between. A certificate of completion will be presented to the
doctor at the end of each part. Doctors will be listed in the NUCCA
directory acknowledging their specific level of accomplishment.
As the current chairman of the Certification board, x- rays for part I and
part 2 will be submitted to me and be reviewed by either myself or Dr M.
Dickholtz, Sr. X-rays for part 3 are to be submitted to Dr. Teresa Palmer
and she will send the five sets to be reviewed by five individual
certified doctors. This will help insure the participants experience of
fairness.
The written exams are also being reviewed for accuracy and clarity. It is
also a goal to have a certification manual. Any doctor who would like to
step up and help produce it is welcomed to contact
I feel it is an exciting time. Approximately two dozen doctors committed
to be active in the program at the last seminar Though their path may
contain numerous challenges, I know that if they stick with the program,
follow it through, and listen for feedback as their access to growth, they
will surely come out on the other side being the doctor they always
believed they could be. In the future, our patients won't have to ask the
now too common question, "how come there are so few certified NUCCA
doctors?".