COVER STORY / CULTURAL IMMERSION
L
ike a new language or a
new modality, culturally
sensitive care is often learned
best through immersion
and practice. Chiropractic
is spreading throughout the world, and
those chiropractors who have had the
opportunity to volunteer or work abroad
have returned with new perspectives on
holistic patient-centred care. In this article,
four chiropractors share what they have
learned while working abroad.
Dr. Claude Bourassa and his wife
Carolle have travelled extensively, offering
chiropractic services in over 100 countries
in Southeast Asia, South and Central
America, the Middle East and Africa. Dr.
Becky Carpenter practices in Toronto and
worked for 6 weeks with World Spine Care
(WSC) in Botswana. Dr. Ismat Kanga
also worked with WSC in Botswana for
7 weeks and now practices in Mumbai,
India. Dr. Andrew Wilson is a board
member of Global Peace Network and
worked in Tanzania as a Clinic Manager
and Chiropractor in the summer and
fall of 2014. Dr. Stefan Eberspaecher has
practiced in Brisbane, Australia and is now
in Moca, Dominican Republic, setting up
a permanent World Spine Care clinic with
Dr. Patricia Tavares.
Permission for Manual Therapy
W
hile chiropractors’ ability
to treat patients in regions
without reliable electricity is
a great advantage, receiving permission to
touch a patient can be complex. “There is
no substitute for patience,” Dr. Bourassa
said while reflecting on his time in subSaharan Africa. He found that it could take
Dr. Wilso
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WINTER 2015
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several hours or days before he was allowed
to touch clan members. He notes that this
is especially true when elders (a term which
may include anyone over 50) and other
high-status individuals are involved.
Gender may also dictate rules
around how a practitioner may touch a
patient. Dr. Kanga has often found in her
Mumbai clinic that some patients are more
comfortable being treated by a doctor of
the same gender. “In these cases,” she says,
“it is sometimes preferable to refer them to
another practitioner.”
When a same-gender practitioner
is not ava