ON Spinal Chat Leslie Hetherington, OCA staff

With a growing number of Canadians interested in self-care as we transition from the pandemic, Dr. Dwight Chapin, the OCA’s Chiropractor of the Year in 2018 wrote: "Take Good Care: 7 Wellness Rituals for Health, Strength and Hope." To bring evidence-based research to life, he engaged 21 influential Canadians, such as Jann Arden and Michael "Pinball" Clemons, to share their unique approaches to self-care. In this episode, Dr. Chapin discusses how they shaped this book, as well as how patients and chiropractors are using it to foster the self-care rituals to support improvements to their health and well-being.

In part two of this series on pain management, Dr. Demetry Assimakopoulos returns to provide a more in-depth view of the work chiropractors do at the Comprehensive Pain Program at the University Health Network (UHN) and the Pain and Wellness Centre in Vaughan.

Both these clinics were founded and led by Dr. Angela Mailis, a physiatrist, pain physician, clinical professor, and leading authority on the diagnosis and management of chronic pain. In Part 1, Dr. Mailis discussed her interdisciplinary approach for addressing pain, her experience and her work with chiropractors.

In this episode, Dr. Demetry will share a case study about a patient who was given the full-blown treatment at these clinics. To help you and other chiropractors hone an expertise in chronic pain management, he will also provide tips and useful resources, including must-read articles you can start with today.

Having led innovative interdisciplinary clinics focused on treating pain and preserving wellness for more than 40 years, Dr. Angela Mailis believes interprofessional collaboration is the best way to deliver pain management. In this part one episode of a two-part series we chat with Dr. Mailis, a physiatrist, specialist pain physician, clinical professor, and leading authority on the diagnosis and management of chronic pain. She’s joined by Dr. Demetry Assimakopoulos, OCA’s 2022 Dr. Michael Brickman Heart and Hands Award winner, who has worked collaboratively with Dr. Mailis since 2015. Together, they share their best practice approaches to pain management. Dr. Mailis also outlines her introduction to chiropractic care, the role chiropractors play in her clinic and what she seeks in the DCs she hires.

In part two of this series on OCA's advocacy work to advance the chiropractic profession, Caroline Pinto, Managing Principal, of Counsel Public Affairs, returns to outline OCA’s current strategy, objectives, and some of the activities it will undertake to support them. In this episode, we’ll also chat about OCA's Local Leaders Program and how OCA members can get involved and help drive results.

Advocating for you, our profession, and our patients is a key part of our work. But what does this mean in the context of a member-based organization like the OCA? In this two-part series on advocacy to advance the profession, we’ll define advocacy, outline OCA’s approach, achievements, strategy, and how you can get involved. Tune into this part one episode to hear what advocacy entails, including grassroots advocacy, at the OCA, and for our members. We’ll also chat about OCA’s approach and our progress to date.

While the diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions is not within a chiropractor’s scope of practice, Dr. Janet D’Arcy believes chiropractors like you can play an important role in identifying someone who may need assistance, helping them access practical resources and making appropriate referrals. In this episode, Dr. D’Arcy, a certified mental health first aid instructor and chiropractor, outlines how you can increase your mental health literacy and prepare to appropriately engage and support a patient, colleague, or family member in their time of need.