TESTIMONY BEFORE THE OHIO HOUSE HEALTH COMMITTEE
Keith S. Ungar, DC
Past President of Tri- County Chiropractic Association
Past Member of Board of
Directors NOAC
November 18, 2015
Chairwoman Gonzales and members of the committee, I am Dr. Keith Ungar. I have been in practice for 31 years as a chiropractor with offices in Akron and Independence, Ohio andI hold both chiropractic and acupuncture licenses. I stand before you today to testify in support of House Bill 276, legislation sponsored by Representative Kirk Schuring that will clarify the ability for patients in the State of Ohio to continue to have access to nutritional therapy, non-prescription medication, and certain medical goods and devices from a chiropractor.
I am here to discuss the training, expertise and passion of the practitioners in our profession. Simply, we became chiropractors because we want to help people get well. I treat my patients structurally and I also treat their metabolic and neurological conditions through nutritional and healthy lifestyle recommendations in accordance with my training and education. House Bill 276 will allow me and every other equally-trained chiropractor to continue to do the same. Even more importantly, it would allow the people of Ohio to be able to continue to choose among several options for their healthcare and among several types of practitioners to help them with the treatment method of their choice.
In my office, I routinely see patients who have not reached their desired outcomes in their traditional medical treatment. Chiropractors work with patients every day to help them reach their desired outcomes through a nutritional approach, which includes talking with patients about healthy dietary and lifestyle changes. Patients are often referred to us by their medical doctor and often we are working with their medical doctors as a team to promote good health.
Through our educational requirements and training, we assist patients in achieving proper wellness. Our Chiropractic education consists of a minimum of three years of pre-professional college with emphasis in the biological sciences. Upon admission to a chiropractic college, the chiropractic student will complete over 4000 hours of education over a minimum of four academic years. Major courses included in our field of study include Physiology,Biochemistry,Nutrition, Clinical Nutrition, and Endocrinology. In addition to what is learned in school, chiropractors spend many weekends a year furthering their education and training to keep up with the current research on effective healing methods.
Madame Chair and members of the committee, I would appreciate your support of this legislation, that will help Ohioans to achieve their health goals.
I would be happy to answer any questions.
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