Dr. Richard Cockwill has practiced as an upper cervical chiropractor for 40 years. He was a National Upper Cervical Chiropractors Association member and served on the board for six years. He was also a member of the Academy of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Organizations for 10 years and the president for five. He is a founding member of the Council on Upper Cervical Care (International Chiropractors Association diplomat program). Upper cervical chiropractic is his passion and his life. So, when more than a year ago, the College of Chiropractors of British Columbia (BC’s regulatory body) told him he could no longer perform non red flag x-rays and biomechanical or vector analysis it shook his practice and world.
“I continued to do my work and take upper cervical x-rays on new patients, as I have for the past 40 years. I violated the ban. The regulatory body told me to stop.”
Dr. Richard did not stop. “I continued to x-ray my patients for their health and safety.”
A letter was sent to Dr. Richard to inform him that he was under investigation and that the college was flying someone to the Island to go through his office. “I told them, ‘You don’t need to send anyone. I am x-raying my patients for their health and safety.’ But they still sent someone.
“They found I was in contravention of the ban. But if I paid a $250 fine and stopped performing upper cervical x-rays that would be the end of it. Well, I said ‘no.’”
Dr. Richard is now required to appear in front of the disciplinary committee. He was warned he would lose his license if he continued to perform upper cervical X-rays.
Dr. Richard is a OneChiropractic contributor. He contacted our founder and CEO Bharon Hoag to ask for help.
“Faced with losing my license and the ability to offer upper cervical work, my life’s work, I felt I had to fight for myself and the profession.
“Bharon stepped up and said, ‘don’t worry we’ll fight this together.’
“Having Bharon, OneChiropractic, and the Chiropractic Defense Council behind me with expertise and finances to pay for legal expenses has been invaluable. I wouldn’t have been able to do it on my own.”
The college has yet to set a date for the hearing. Dr. Richard has fought his case for more than a year.
“My case will be the first of many if it continues to stand.
“If it was not for Bharon standing up for us, I don’t know if we could have done it. We would be helpless in this fight.
“All the other provincial bodies in Canada will look at this case as a template for, ‘we can do this too.’ We must stand up to this attack, or it will spread across Canada and even affect the States.”
