A “chiropractic columnist” just published an article about the status of the trust that the public has for chiropractors. I will save comment on the thrust of the article for another time but he mentioned something in passing that I think is worthy of commentary now. He had had a new patient that day who had previously gone to two different chiropractors. While one of her two previous experiences was a good one, in his judgement, that is, the chiropractor got rid of her pain, she stopped going and did not return because he (the previous chiropractor) wanted her to keep coming, meaning as the writer of the article said, ” the good chiropractor (the one who got rid of her pain)….needed you more than you needed him.” Here is a supposedly knowledgeable chiropractic journalist and he still doesn’t get it. Chiropractic is not about how you feel. If that woman had gone to an M.D. and he said “you have a blockage in your artery going to the heart” and she said, ” but I feel fine” and the doctor replied, “you need a bypass” would she have it done? Most likely, yes. If she went to the dentist and he said, “you have a cavity that needs attention and she said, “but it doesn’t hurt yet” would she have the cavity addressed? So the first mistake this supposed authority on chiropractic made was reinforcing the idea in his new patient that how you feel is relative to chiropractic care. That’s not only not good chiropractic, but it’s not even good medical practice. That is, or should be, taught in first semester chiropractic school. He apparently missed class that day.
We complain about how bad the health situation is in this country and then we continue to reinforce the bad medical misconception that symptoms are the important indication of whether you are healthy.
Recently we have been discussing on this blog the idea of asking PMs questions. This would have been the perfect time for the chiropractor to ask the question of the NPM, “why do you think that the chiropractor wanted you to keep on coming?” If the previous chiropractor was doing the educational apect of his job, she would have responded, “because he believes that chiropractic care, correcting these vertebral suluxations, is important even if you have no symptoms.” That would have opened up the lines of communication and would have been the opportunity for a teaching moment. If the previous chiropractor was not doing a good job of educating the PM, even her worst answer would have been, “I don’t know!” Not only did our chiropractic columnist miss the opportunity by his omission, he reinforced the medical lie. It would have been better if the chiropractic writer had said nothing but instead, he inferred, no, in his comment, he flat out said that the previous chiropractor was not rendering a professsional judgment as to her need for chiropractic care but was actually just trying to get more money out of her. The conclusion the woman had to come to is chiropractors cannot be trusted. He was impugning the character of the previous chiropractor and undermining the entire philosophy and character of every chiropractor that says if you have a subluxation, it needs to be corrected regardless of the presence or absence of symptoms. He personally may only choose to take care of the subluxations that are found coincidental with symptoms but that is not what chiropractic is about, not what most chiropractors and common sense says. It’s bad enough if the medical profession says we cannot be trusted but when we start telling the public that is the case, we are in trouble and can never expect to rise higher on the trust scale than the used car salesman. This chiropractic writer should be banished from ever publishing another article on chiropractic or he should be required to make a legitimate case for only taking care of subluxations when and if they cause the symptoms of a medical problem.
Joe: Sadly this is the state of the Chiropractic profession and the cause of the symptoms has been going on for decades……and we are in the minority as seen right here…..Educating may work in my office but I don’t think that will ever be the remedy 4 the profession as a whole. Any Thots?
Richie,
Before moving forward with thots regarding “educating” people, I have this question that I asked you on the blog before:
In one of your earlier post you wrote: “My observation is the Chiropractic profession diagnoses and treat symptoms and diseases, does nutritional counseling, weight programs, cellulite treatments, permanent make up, manipulation of the spine, extremities, and joints, manipulation under anesthesia, acupuncture, electric stims lift…” –
– Let us inquire, together without condemnation, WHY this is so and HOW the profession got to be that way. Principle 17 is about cause and effect. The question is: WHAT caused the profession to become as you described above?
It’s sad that the idiot columnist thinks this way! While I do not read that paper – I throw it away when it comes – I would love to know who the columnist is. Can you share? After all, it’s in public domain now. Educating IS the remedy for the profession as a whole, Richie. But will only work with mass effort. The trick will always be getting other DCs to agree with making the effort. I agree…the columnist should be banned!! Better yet……maybe if enough of us UNSUBSCRIBE to getting the Journal, there won’t be any need for them to print the damn thing. No readers – no advertisers. I’ll start today by calling and cancelling my subscription to it…..who else will follow?
First, I need to know which publication it was in? Help….I am in the mood to do something really, really good for our profession today.
Forget it…I found the article. I will be off Dynamic Chiropractic’s mailing list within a few minutes. DONE!
Claude: Yes ultimately the cause is education…and the schools took on the medical model yrs ago and Chiropractic Philosophy 101 was watered down and unrecognizable, however this is only the tip of the iceberg…..I had Reggie 4 1st quarter Philosophy & Terminology and right within those classes a percentage of students blew it off and thot it was b/s, and really how many of your classmates were and are practicing principled Chiropractic let alone OSC, and we went to Sherman before insurance $$$. Very frustrating……
Richie,
Very well, I get it! Let us inquire further. WHY did the schools took on the medical model years ago?
Because it was the path of least resistance accepted by the public and initially I guess you could charge mo money…..and be a real Dr.
and they did not own the Philosophy.
Richie,
Investigating further, WHY do human beings accept the medical model with all of its conflicts and failures, and over priced services, and law suits, and unhappy patients, and all the rest of it?
Claude: I believe humans accept the medical model out of fear.
Richie,
Following your train of thoughts, “humans accept the medical model out of fear”. Then, the schools, years ago, accepted the medical model because of that same medical model has been “accepted by the public” WHO chose to accept it out of fear. And then, chiropractors, initially, “could charge mo money… and be real Dr.” –
-Did I get it right?
You got it! but do you agree?
Richie,
Agreements and disagreements have to do with words, concepts and theories. It doesn’t have anything to do with truth. Truth is never expressed in words. Truth is “sighted” suddenly, as a result of an attitude… and you may be disagreeing with me and you might sight the truth. Yet, it has to be an attitude of openness , of willingness to discover something NEW and that’s what is important, not your disagreeing with me or agreeing with me. After all most of what is mentioned on this blog are theories. No theory adequately covers reality. Now, all I can tell you is not the truth, all I can tell you is the obstacles to the truth. Those, I can describe. I cannot describe the truth, no one can. All I can do is give you a description of your falsehoods, so that you can drop them. All I can do for you, is challenge you belief and your belief system that makes you frustrated, as you mentioned before. All I can do, is to point out your errors and your faulty reasoning (if any). All I can do for you is help you unlearn. Like Robert Fulgrum’s book, “All I ever needed to know, I learned in kindergarten”. Learning is to inquire into everything you’ve been taught and question it deeply. Then be willing to unlearn it and listen to the NEW. –
– You said: “You got it! but do you agree?” –
– Let us investigate further and deeper, TOGETHER without condemnation. WHAT is the content of the fear, that you mentioned above?
When we as chiropractors stick to the ‘body’ side of the equation that understands that all livings things have but one purpose, and that is to strive to survive; and as chiropractors, our objective is to provide the body with a better circumstance to strive; with a service that no other profession professes to do; which is to address vertebral subluxation; we as chiropractors win that discussion. Once we imply, suggest, state, etc. that our impact will be on the other side of the equation, a particular ‘part or system’ of the body as a result of our service, we can never win that discussion.
Bob,
– Do you think it is a matter of “winning” that discussion or having an open, ongoing and engaging conversation? It seems to me when one wins at any game, particularly the game of life, that game is over. For transformation of thinking to take place, is it not preferable to have an perpetual engaging conversation and explore, TOGETHER, what is going on INSIDE and OUTSIDE ourselves, as a result of WHO we choose to BE in relationships with the philosophy? Very much like what this blog IS doing?
the content of the fear… the fear of the unknown, lack of knowledge of the body, fear of taking responsibility for ones health, and ultimately the fear of death.
– Let us inquire further, together without condemnation, in order to get to and ask the real question. –
– WHAT are Human Beings looking for in the medical model, when it is they WHO choose the medical model, out of the fear of the unknown, lack of knowledge of the body, fear of taking responsibilities for one’s health and ultimately the fear of death?
– in other words, while, it is those same Human Beings WHO accept the medical model with all of its conflicts and failures, and over priced services, and medical malpractice, and law suits, and iatrogenic diseases, and medication side effects that even make patients less healthy and cause death, and all the unhappy patients, and all the rest of it… WHAT are human Beings looking for?
To feel good (or better than they do), to be pain free, and to think they have the outside-in quick-fix.
We, together without condemnation, have already established that human beings are accepting the medical model out of the fear of the unknown, the fear of taking responsibilities for one’s health, the fear of death. Do you think that to feel good (or better than they do), to be pain free, and to think they have the outside-in quick-fix, remove those fears?
I do not think that to feel good (or better than they do) or to be pain free removes the deep seated fears, however, most human beings do not think further than just getting through life with the least amount of pain & suffering & will do whatever is quickest & easiest to get rid of what is bothering them.It is much easier to just take something for whatever ails you rather than to think through WHY you may have the problem because that may mean you have to change something in your lifestyle that you do not want to face.
Also, I believe most people know the negatives of dealing with medicine, but it still beats the alternative of taking responsibility for their life & health.
Straight,
– If it does not remove deep seated fears, then it is an ILLLUSION! For human beings WHO choose to NOT think further than just getting through life with the least amount of pain and suffering, the avoidance of taking responsibility for their life and health is, in itself, a response to the fear of pain and suffering. Then, those same human beings accept the medical model which maintains the pattern of ILLUSIONS in motion. So, human beings find security or comfort in ILLUSIONS!!! –
– Now comes the big part. Since the public accepts the medical model of ILLUSIONS, the chiropractic profession accepts the medical model based on THAT acceptance of those ILLUSIONS by the public! Therefore, the chiropractic profession keeps the cycle of ILLUSIONS in motion for human beings.
– The question is: WHO do YOU choose to BE in relationship to the profession?
– .
… By the way, the question is for EVERY member of the chiropractic profession, myself included. 😉
I choose to break the cycle of the ILLUSIONS by voicing the Truth and hopefully getting others to question, investigate, and learn (very lofty ideas and sentiments) and most will not get it but I must keep telling the Truth. On my own personal level I have looked behind the curtain and can never go back (the great and powerful OZ has been dethroned in my LIFE)
Richie,
Thank you. It is you WHO chose to participate on this thread and, in TRUTH, demonstrate to the readers on this blog, HOW to choose what is right, not expedient and wash your mind of all compromise, REGARDLESS of the results. That’s HOW it is done at ANY level on LIFE’s journey. So it is with “owning” the philosophy. Thank YOU!!! 🙂
With respect to “win’ or ‘not win;’ that I put forth the other day, it was NOT with regards to win or lose. It was to create an understanding of Chiropractic that holds up to scrutiny as opposed to a leaky bucket argument [as in the Conservative mixer who’s METHOD is to ADJUST-SUBLUATION for the OBJECTIVE of addressing medical conditions] NOTE: OSC has a METHOD of “ADJUSTING” for the OBJECTIVE of “addressing Vertebral Subluxation.”
Bob,
Thanks for the clarification. 😉
Hey Y’all
Classical conditioning shows we all seek pleasure and avoid pain. Bruce Lipton states, “A cell cannot be in growth and defense at the same time”. I contend the same is true of an individual or a society. If we look at our society in general and our profession in particular it seems we have always been on the defensive, or avoiding pain. If indeed chiropractic is about increasing (coordinated) function which it is, and normal function promotes pleasure which it does, then this world in general and this profession in particular needs more chiropractic. Yes this profession needs an adjustment, political as well as scholastic. I do believe dialogs like this one are a beginning because the individual chiropracTOR is ChiropracTIC’s adjuster.
If normal function promoted pleasure, then everyone would be jumping on the bandwagon & we would have no problem getting the
BIG IDEA across. Unfortunate, but true…. growth,continual transformation, & stretching one’s understanding always involves some discomfort.
Good thought!
Dead Men Feel No Pain, pain is part of life & living…I always tell this to my PMs when they bring up symptoms….”Your not quite dead yet are you?”
Hey Straight, Richie,
Let me clarify. My point was not that pain was unnecessary or avoidable. The idea was, it is difficult if not impossible to focus on growth when you are locked in survival mode. With the 2 chiropractors in the lead statement, one is in growth mode (teaching and offering subluxation care) the other the columnist, functions in a defense mode (belittling and symptom chasing). The patient will attach to whomever she resonates with. If she is in defense, non-symptomatic visits won’t make sense/cents to her.
It’s like dad used to say, “Boy, when you’re up to your a** in alligators, it’s hard to remember you’re there to drain the swamp”