About RCS ...

RCS was founded by two highly respected researchers, Robert Blanks, Ph.D. (a Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Florida Atlantic University and a past Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of California, Irvine) and  Matthew McCoy, DC (editor of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research and a founding member and current Vice President of the Council on Chiropractic Practice).

They recognized the need for valid, scientific research on the effect of subluxations on human health, and the potential impact of chiropractic in all aspects of well-being. Although doctors of chiropractic and their patients have reported a wide range of beneficial results from chiropractic care, most research had been limited to the role of spinal manipulation for back or neck pain.

Drs. Blanks and McCoy wanted to change that by recruiting at least 15,000 chiropractors in the United States and around the world to engage in the largest practice-based, health outcomes research project ever conducted.

RCS has undergone stringent review and examination by IRBs (Institutional Review Boards) in both the United States and Canada and has been awarded IRB approval in both countries. [Read more about the importance and meaning of IRB approval.]

RCS Research

The hub of the RCS research program is its sophisticated, web-based electronic data capture technology, which permits it to conduct large-scale, practice-based health outcomes research in full compliance with federal privacy regulations and human subjects protection issues.

This data is then analyzed by its International Scientific Advisory Panel, which includes highly respected and thoroughly qualified health care experts throughout the world. 

By combining patient data across many similarly trained and practicing chiropractors, RCS can achieve the desired goal of providing evidence-based documentation for the detection and correction of vertebral subluxation complex, evaluating optimal care parameters (frequency, total number of visits) for achieving optimal outcomes, and substantiate long-term benefits of chiropractic 

Volunteer recruitment

RCS follows standard guidelines for recruiting human subject volunteers for research projects. These guidelines are used by nearly all medical research centers and University research departments.

Volunteers are never charged for their involvement in the RCS Research and are under absolutely NO obligation to receive care as chiropractic patients.

Below are links to several guidelines similar to the one used by RCS for volunteer recruitment procedures:

The Mayo Clinic   (cached page)

University of Kentucky Clinical Research Organization

The Naval Medical Research Center

The University of Maryland School of Medicine

Yale University School of Medicine

Seattle Children's Hospital research institute -- includes templates for advertising flyers, display ads.

Massachusetts General Hospital   (cached page)

University of California, San Francisco --

University of Virginia

Publishing the research

It is important for other health care fields and the public to be informed about the research conducted by RCS. As data are compiled and analyzed, RCS will prepare written research papers for submission to key peer-reviewed scientific journals and will broadly publicize those papers through press releases and articles directed at the mainstream print and broadcast media.