Some time back an associate editor for a nationalpublication wrote an article concerning straight chiropracticeducation. While this writer has never impressed me withpresenting intelligent arguments he reached an all-time lwith this particular article. The concept that he attemptedto present was that since a certain number of graduates ofstraight chiropractic colleges are going to mix when they gointo practice the schools owe it to the students to teac them how to be competent mixers along with their straigh philosophy. Then they will at least be competent should theychoose the mixing road. Apparently he mistakenly believesthat a mixing school education and a straight chiropractic education are the same except that the straight chooses to do less when he gets out of school. I am sure he assumes that a graduate of a mixing school merely has to willfully refrain from doing certain things when he gets into practice and he is qualified and competent to practice straight. The writer never having received a straight chiropractic college education has no idea what he missed.
What don’t you receive in a mixing school necessary to practice straight chiropractic?
1. You do not get a vitalistic viewpoint of the human body. The concept that the body is more than a combination of chemical actions accuring in a mechanistic manner is unique to straight chiropractic education. This vitalistic phenomena which we call innate intelligence permeates every aspect of the straight chiropractic education. Innate intelligence is not taught as an anachronistic historical phenomena or joked about in straight schools. It is the foundation and essence of the education.
2. You do not have an emphasis on the importance of the adjustment. In a straight chiropractic college the adjustment is all you do, it is the sum total of your
professional technical relationship with the patient. It is emphasized as being important. It is not just a tool along with various modolites to relieve the musciloskeletal symptons of a patient, it is the tool by which an individual whatever state they are in is able to express a little more of what they were intended to be. You cannot emphasize anything other than the adjustment without deemphasizing the adjustment.
3. You do not receive the constant reminder that the body heals itself. In a straight school the continual emphasis is that the doctor\healer is resident within the patient. In a mixing school everything points to the D.C. as being the doctor/healer. He is replacing the medical god as the one who gets the sick person well with his education and training, which the college has convinced the student is equal to or superior to that of the medical physician. In a straight school the emphasis is on the inborn wisdom of the body doing the healing and the educated of the doctor merely delivering intelligent force and then staying out of the way.
4. An ADIO viewpoint of life. You cannot have an above-down, inside-out viewpoint of life and see the value to treating symptoms, diagnosing diseases or practicing other than straight chiropractic. They are outside approaches and are inconsistent with the philosophy. In a straight school your philosophy and the practical application of it must be consistent. Because this philosophy dictates your actions. In a mixing school expediency dictates actions. You cannot spend three years learning one of the above and then expect to go out and practice differently.
5. A mission to the world. In a straight school chiropractic is not taught as a business. It is not a means of earning a good living. It is not a way of reaching the prestige and income level of a medical doctor without internships and residencies. It is taught as a service, one that is vital to every man, woman and child on the face of the planet. The emphasis is on giving, serving, and loving humanity, not in seeing what the insurance company will pay or how much can be gotten from the patient before he/she balks.
6. An enthusiasm for chiropractic. When you understand the uniqueness of your service you are enthused. It is difficult to get excited about sprains and strains. It is hard to develop an enthusiasm for trying to compete with the medical community to see if you can treat a disease or condition faster, safer or at a lower cost. But it’s not hard to get excited about participating in a movement that will change how people view health and life. So be a part of a group of people who are as B.J. said, “adding millions of years to millions of lives.” That’s exciting.
7. A pride in your profession. Straight chiropractic college makes you proud to be a chiropractor. The emphasis is on how different we are than medicine. Those who have pride in what they are do not go around looking and acting like someone or something else. They have no desire to mimic another profession because they are secure and comfortable with themselves and what they are doing. The actions of graduates of most chiropractic colleges indicate a lack of security and hence pride in being a chiropractor.
There are other factors also. In a straight school you are forced to learn to be a good technician. That is all you do so you are encouraged to be competent and more time is spent developing those skills. The emphasis on communicating chiropractic and teaching you how to communicate it is greater in a straight school. If what you do is different you must be able to explain its benefits. Those two factors can easily be taught to non-straight school graduates however. The seven above cannot be taught as easily. The bottom line is that if you graduate from a mixing school you will be just as incompetent to practice straight chiropractic as you would be if you graduated from a straight school and expected to practice mixing chiropractic. Either way there must be additional training and education, one is technical skills the other is your way of thinking. That is why more straight graduates become mixers than mixer graduates become straight. It is easier to change your technical skills, to learn other techniques and procedures then to change the way you think. Becoming a straight necessitates a change in most peoples thinking. For most people it takes a straight chiropractic college education to do that. There is no substitute or alternative. Granted there are exceptions to the rule. I have met them. But they are few and far between. Tolearn to be a straight chiropractor takes more education, more training and is much more difficult than learning to be a mixer. Perhaps that is why too few are up to the challenge. v8n3
You hit the nail on the head, thank you.