[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 66 (Tuesday, May 24, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 24, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
 RECOGNITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL CHIROPRACTORS ASSOCIATION AND MAY AS 
                           GOOD POSTURE MONTH

                                 ______


                         HON. MARTIN OLAV SABO

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 24, 1994

  Mr. SABO. Mr. Speaker, I have been advised by Dr. Sid E. Williams, 
chairman of the board of the International Chiropractors Association, 
that the month of May has been designated by that prestigious 
organization as ``Good Posture Month.'' The promotion of good posture 
through regular spinal adjustments, exercise and posture training is a 
major goal of the chiropractic profession.
  According to Dr. Williams, good posture is both a contributor to, and 
a positive indication of, good health. Dr. Williams explained that when 
a person has good posture, it gives him a feeling of self confidence. 
He is also able to present himself to others with greater authority.
  A star athlete in his youth and a member of Georgia Tech's 
championship 1953 Orange Bowl team, Dr. Williams speaks with authority. 
His first encounter with chiropractic was when he sought and found 
relief after many months of pain which had been seriously interfering 
with his posture as well as his ability to run and leap. With this very 
positive introduction to the chiropractic science, the young Sid 
Williams and his bride, Nell, both elected to enroll at Palmer College 
of Chiropractic to earn their professional degree.
  After building a large and successful chiropractic practice in the 
Greater Atlanta area, Dr. Williams launched his dream to establish a 
professional college true to the principles of chiropractic. Beginning 
in 1974 with little more than a warehouse and high hopes, Dr. Williams 
has guided Life College to its current status as the world's largest 
college of chiropractic. In addition to the doctorate in Chiropractic 
and master's degree in Sports Health Science, Life College also offers 
bachelor degrees in Nutrition and Business Administration. It is fully 
accredited and on its way to achieving university status as it adds a 
Ph.D. and other degrees currently under development.
  Even today in his mid-sixties, Dr. Williams takes pride in his own 
posture and good health as he stands tall to promote Life College 
through television ads. Dr. Williams is very proud of Life College's 
120-acre wooded campus which features an Olypmic-standard 5-mile 
training track now being used by runners from all over the world. The 
campus also features a state of the art sports health science center 
for monitoring the runners' progress, along with modern classrooms, 
labs and equipment. He is also justifiably proud of Life's championship 
teams in basketball, rugby, soccer, ice hockey, cross country, and 
track.
  Dr. Williams explained that in spite of the rigors of long hours of 
classroom lectures and after-hours study, his students are able to 
excel in academics and sports in large part because of the close 
relationship between chiropractic care and good posture. He said, ``We 
give our athletes a leading edge over their opponents with care from a 
competent sports chiropractor both during training and at the sporting 
event itself. Most injuries are corrected immediately to allow the body 
to begin healing as rapidly as possible. As a result, permanent 
disabilities are rare.''
  Dr. Williams also explained that the special relationship between 
good posture and chiropractic care comes from the fact that both deal 
primarily with the spinal column. The chiropractor uses his hands to 
adjust the spine to assure that all misalignments are corrected to 
remove harmful interference of nerve function, thereby relieving the 
patient of pain, numbness and dysfunction. In the long run, a 
misaligned spine can contribute to a great variety of diseases, most of 
which can be prevented through regular chiropractic care. The skilled 
doctor of chiropractic locates and removes nerve interference through 
the correction of spinal subluxation by means of his precise 
chiropractic adjustment.
  Dr. Williams pointed out that poor posture not only causes chronic 
fatigue as a result of the inefficient uses it makes of the body's 
energy, but it also predisposes the individual to major health problems 
later in life. Research has shown, according to Dr. Williams, that a 
healthy, properly aligned spine better enables the body to combat 
disease and various other assaults. Impaired nerves, on the other hand, 
can weaken internal organs and subject them to dysfunction and disease.
  As chairman of the board of the International Chiropractors 
Association, as well as founder and president of Life College, Dr. 
Williams is a dedicated proponent of and spokesman for chiropractic and 
healthful living. For many years, he has promoted good mental and 
physical health through his Dynamic Essentials lectures. ``Good posture 
should be encouraged very early in life,'' he said, ``and I would like 
to see every child have the benefits of regular chiropractic care to 
help them produce the very best body and mind possible. All too often, 
injuries to the spine sustained during birth or the first few months of 
life disrupt natural growth and function and needlessly burden the 
person with a lifelong handicap.''
  Mr. Speaker, I have also heard from other reliable sources about the 
benefits of chiropractic and how it promotes beautiful posture and a 
healthy lifestyle without the invasive use of drugs or surgery. In view 
of the overwhelming evidence of the great value of chiropractic to the 
millions of patients who take advantage of its availability, I would 
like to urge my colleagues to join me in giving wholehearted support to 
this proven healthcare profession, especially as we consider what to do 
to help solve America's health care crises in an adequate and 
affordable manner.
  I know my colleagues will want to join me in congratulating Dr. 
Williams in his success at founding a school of chiropractic care and 
promoting its benefits.