I recently posted some thoughts on my blog in which I lamented the idea that starting a new profession or changing our name would not make a difference. I received some very good comments from a few of my faithful readers. They really did not say anything new, in fact what struck me about the comments was that I have heard them before and even voiced them myself a few times. The argument goes something like this: “Our problem is that our profession has been giving out the wrong message for all these years.” That’s undoubtedly correct but I’m not sure that beginning a new profession is the answer. I think that as an excuse for our present plight that argument may be akin to the “blame Bush syndrome.” True, most in our profession have been telling people that chiropractic is for bad backs and stiff necks. That has been part of the problem but on the other hand we’ve been in charge of the non-therapeutic ship since the 70’s. That’s 35+ years! Isn’t it time we stop blaming the “musculoskeletal problem- treaters” and start taking responsibility for where we are? Sure our image is a problem but that “problem” brings thousands of new people into non-therapeutic chiropractic offices every year. If we were properly educating them, changing their perception of chiropractic to ours, we would change that paradigm in a few short years. We sure would not be still complaining about the mixers messing up our vision of chiropractic after 35 years. In fact, I would venture to say that by now all the therapeutic chiropactors would have been retrained as physical therapists, would have left the profession entirely, or would have gotten smart and begun to practice non-therapeutic chiropractic.
I’m not pointing the finger at anyone. Heaven knows, I have not even changed the perception in my community. I’m not seeing half the people I could be and should be seeing and I have as many lame excuses as everyone else. In fact, I would venture to say that I have more than most. Sure the chiropractic environment we practice in is far from perfect. But it never has been perfect and chiropractors did pretty well in the past. We’re no longer called quacks! Blaming our plight on the environment is outside-in thinking as much as blaming hay fever on the pollen in the air. Sure, the bad back and stiff neck tag we have is an evironmental factor. I wish I could press a delete button and that image would disappear but it does not look like it is going to happen anytime soon. Spinology has been around almost as long a non-therapeutic chiropractic and they are not changing the world.
So what’s the answer? Well it’s not sitting around sucking our thumbs and feeling sorry for our plight (and I’m not saying the comments I received were suggesting that). It’s not even fighting against those (like the CCE) who would make us “bad back doctors” or third-rate medical doctors and I’m also not suggesting we do not resist their efforts to make the environment worse for non- therapeutic chiropractic. But I think the answer is two-fold:
1. Make sure we are presenting a message in our office that is congruent with our non-therapeutic philosophy. Too many of us are stuck in the no-man’s land of “chiropractic gets sick people well.”
2. Start utilizing the tools, the vehicles and the media available to us to get our message out. If we spent as much time on Facebook telling the world what an adustment is, what it does and doesn’t do, as we do arguing with each other as to what’s the best adjustment technique for xyz disease, we might start to make some progress.
Anyway, as Mike Huckabee says: “that’s my opinion, we invite yours.”
Right on.
I often have the Jehovah Witnesses (JW) leaving literature in my office waiting room. When pastors from other denomination see this literature they usually do two thing. First, they throw away the JW materials. I tell them that this is not cool. Second, they tell me very bad things about the JW and that I shouldn’t let the JWs leave their literature because it would adversely influence the unsuspecting patient. I tell them that they should simply leave their own literature from their denomination. Unfortunately, they never follow through with my suggestions. The JWs win largely on the apathy of the other denominations.
True tale. Thanks for your insights!
Andrew,
We tell our practice members that we do not allow anything but chiropractic literature in our office. (then of course make sure you do that). That way no one is offended, you do not run the risk of having literature you disagree with or even something anti chiropractic. People spend relatively little time in your office, they should be reading your literature. Check out our products on COTB or better yet write your own articles, newsletters, etc. Explain it objectively, you’re not making judgements, “it’s just our policy”. If you find something that’s been left, have your CA just unobtrusively remove it after they leave. We even remove newspapers that people leave behind.
About 95% of my patient base consists of illiterate, non-English speakers . We use wall posters with pictures and graphics to educate about chiropractic in this manner. The only one’s that are offended by the religious literature that is left are those with an over inflated ego … educated mind.
Thanks for your suggestions. They are duly noted.
I gotta get me some of those posters! I find that our non-english speaking PMs are good people, refer their family and friends but they rarely stay on as regular PMs after they feel better (or don’t feel better). If I had a base of only 5% from which to draw lifetime maintenance PMs who understand chiropractic, even people with inflated egos, I would not want to offend them. Perhaps with regular care they would become nicer people and not so easily offended. My thinking is that some people are going to be offended by my personality, some by my my manner, my strong opinions about chiropractic, my aftershave, my office decor, and whatever. If I can limit those things that offend people, the better off chiropractic will be. But that’s just me.
Andrew, hopefully you see this and take advantage of a GREAT educational tool that Joe created called The Silent Movie. It’s a wordless 7-minute movie for non-English speaking people using photographs and drawings. It helps remove the language barrier by explaining chiropractic in a unique and understandable way! I use it daily and it’s a gem for sure!
https://chiropracticoutsidethebox.com/products/audio-and-video/the-silent-movie/
The flow of growth in any field is from blaming to naming. I agree with you Joseph that blaming is NOT the answer. Naming IS the answer. Perhaps it is now time to do an honest to goodness personal inventory of oneself and see whether or not we deeply understand chiropractic at our core and not only at the intellectual level.
A little while ago, Joe D. mentioned that we cannot fool people as we use touch as our portal of entry into their lives and I say lives and not only their health. It’s about OWNERSHIP! Do I “own” chiropractic philosophy, science and art? Do I really get it? Can I explain it in myriads of ways using all the tools necessary to get the job done, as you mentioned, Joseph?
You suggest “presenting a message that is congruent with our non-therapeutic philosophy”… how about “owning” it by LIVING it first? (We cannot fool people for very long). This type of self-study is not an easy task and not for the faint of heart. It requires painful honesty and a whole lot of integrity. It causes us to reconcile the opposites within ourselves by holding INSIDE a cauldron of contradictions that we must accept as part of our call to have been chosen to be an Objective Straight Chiropractor. We have a BIG job to do and it begins INSIDE and then we can let it OUT to the world.
This requires a tremendous amount to work and energy. It demands a constant checking of our slippings, a indomitable spirit of having a “beginner’s mind”. Of desiring to go deeper and deeper INSIDE to meet the contradictions of our lives and accept the AMAZING fact that chiropractic is transforming the world with or without our awareness of it… all the time, one moment at a time… Innate intelligence keeps on moving forward in all manners of life.
Let me ask a question> When was the last time you took a chiropractic philosophy book and re-read it? Or training yourself in the technique of your choice during off hours? Or learning some of the knowledge of the of science so you can relate the story over and over and over and over again with NEW wayS of telling it? Or simply keeping yourself company for a while to observe what’s going on INSIDE and OUTSIDE you without judgment just for the purpose of observing? This requires a burning fire INSIDE consuming your educated mind and humbly let it transform you into that which you were chosen and called to be: CHIROPRACTOR!
Claude,with that tremendous passion that you are speaking of for the chiropractic philosophy, you would think that everyone would at least be curious about what you are practicing!
I do not want to be redundant here, but again the “branding experts” are saying that people buy WHY YOU DO WHAT YOU DO. They say that truly great companys explain their WHY first. We need an exciting way to communicate “people reaching and living out their potential”.
I agree with you Claude that we must be the living, walking examples of what we are selling. I do believe people buy the messenger before they buy the message.
Without a doubt we need to use every opportunity and make every effort to tell people the chiropractic story which is the “WHAT” of chiropractic. But let’s take the advice of the marketing people and emphasize the WHY of what we do.
Terri, after 35 years of practice, I don’t think anymore “that everyone would at least be curious about what you are practicing”. Not even close. It goes to say that “the tremendous passion that you are speaking of for the chiropractic philosophy” is NOT what is transformative.
Bill Decken did a study on “branding” a few months ago with the FSCO newsletter. I get it. Volvo=Safety. Chysler=accessibility. Mayo Clinic=Scheduling. Chiropractic=Back. There you have it! Chiropractic is so branded.
Listen to this: In my community with Joe Strauss, Arno Burnier, Reggie, and many graduates of Sherman, we attempted to unbrand that which was already branded in the deep groove of the people living around here (we even started ADIO INSTITUTE and graduated 403). This means that over a 16 year period, our community was saturated with chiropractic PASSION and that’s where we are 35 years later. Humbling isn’t it?
So, what is it that transforms people? People transform people. Could it be that the transformation is happening, and we, in our zeal and impatience do not see that the transformation is happening?
It is my experience that more and more people come into my office for the first time “branding” me as BACK doctor. I keep telling the story over and over and over and over again… in as many ways as I can (and I can do it in many ways!) to ALL of them! Then I leave the rest up to life itself. That’s my little part and I will continue to be faithful to it.