The Practical Approach
“Philosophy is great, but in practice you have to be practical.” “Let’s be practical.” We must admit that there is no way you can make as much money in chiropractic practice being a straight chiropractor as you can being a mixer. If making as much money as you possibly can is your sole motive in practicing chiropractic, then straight chiropractic is not for you. Hopefully, there are very few chiropractors motivated solely by money. It is important to note that you can make plenty of money practicing straight chiropractic, probably as much as most people would want and definitely more than most people need. With that said, let us move on to some other practical reasons for practicing straight chiropractic.
First, it is the most enjoyable way to practice chiropractic. Most straight chiropractors take care of families of patients who are, for the most part, asymptomatic. They are taking care of people who feel good, are expressing a higher than average level of health, and are interested in maintaining that level. Every chiropractor, even the disease treater, has patients who are asymptomatic as well as symptomatic. Think about it. Which group is the most enjoyable to be taking care of? Which is the least enjoyable? Of course it is the group who is constantly complaining. It is not difficult to see that a practice of happy, healthy patients is preferable.
Straight chiropractic minimizes the hassles. A straight practice has a minimum amount of trouble with insurance companies, no problems with personal injury attorneys, filling out forms, writing narratives, waiting for insurance checks, and trying to train staff to do the work. It is a simple, relaxed way to practice. Ask some that have a practice made up of these things. They would love to get out and into a stress-free practice. They are not in that type of practice for the fun, they are in it for the money, and no amount of money can compensate for a stress-filled practice.
From a practical standpoint, there is much greater latitude in your type of practice as a straight. You can practice as many or as few hours as you want. By not emphasizing symptomatic relief, you are not faced with the emergency calls at all hours of the night and weekends. Since a straight practitioner does not need to spend as much time with a patient, (treating symptoms and disease is time-consuming) the chiropractor can serve the chiropractic needs of as many people as other types of chiropractors in much less time, or opt to see more patients than the average D.C.. Most straights end up seeing more patients, simply because practicing straight chiropractic is fun. It is an enjoyable activity. Most people, chiropractors included, do not really love their work, but straight chiropractors do. I sometimes think about the great joy and privilege I have in ministering to a very important physical need of people. On top of that I actually get paid for it!
The last, and perhaps the most important, reason for practicing straight chiropractic is that when you understand what chiropractic is and how important it is for people, you do not want to practice anything else. There are only so many hours in a day, and some are needed for sleep, eating, family, and relaxation. That leaves relatively little for educating people to the true concepts of life and health and providing the physical application of that concept. People do not know anything about health from the “above-down, inside-out” viewpoint. Every minute we spend doing something else detracts from someone understanding it. Straight chiropractic is the most focused method of practicing chiropractic and being focused is what contributes to a successful, fulfilling, and rewarding career and life. v7n2