Years ago Thom Gelardi made the statement that the closer professions get in their objective the more they resemble each other. As I see the general appearance of chiropractic , I can see the problem that the chiropractic community faces today.
When gasoline was $.25 a gallon automobiles had an individual and distinctive look about them. But with the oil crisis in the 70’s almost all cars began to have the same objective, to get better gas mileage. The uniqueness of each automobile manufacturer began to disappear. They almost all became smaller, lighter (less safe) and aerodynamically similar, until today it is difficult to tell one car maker from another. The same is true in the healing arts. There is virtually no difference today between an osteopath, homeopath and an allopath, at least as far as their objective. Their objective is to treat, cure, alleviate, or prevent disease and its symptoms. (since often it is impossible to separate the symptoms from the disease). Why did chiropractors ever start to mix? Was it because correcting subluxations was not sufficient? No. I believe it was because chiropractors confused or mixed their objective or perhaps did not fully understand or appreciate their objective. I don’t think D.D. ever fully grasped it. Actually I don’t think B.J. fully did either or at least fully understood the important ramifications of achieving that objective. I don’t think any of us fully grasp or appreciate this wonderful thing called the chiropractic adjustment or conversely, the horrible and far reaching negative effects of the vertebral subluxation. If we did we would not be focusing our attention on, and promoting getting rid of bad backs, stiff necks, or merely getting sick people well. The only way we can begin to understand and appreciate what we have is to immerse ourselves in the philosophy as well as, or better than, B.J. did. Fortunately we have some advantages that B.J. did not have. Most of us are not trying to build a school, a profession, and write books at the same time, as well as his dozens of other activities. True we need to blaze new trails but not the ones that he left us, that he created. It is not necessary. We do have to remove the undergrowth that has accumulated on those trails over the last 120 years, roots, weeds and vines that have nearly obliterated the trail. That is part of his admonition of “guard it well”! The roots, weeds and vines are not prescription drugs or the CCE (not that they are okay). The real impediment to blazing new trails are the seeds of outside-in thinking that we have allowed into our thinking and allowed to grow. Perhaps we must first guard our thinking well before we are able to stand firm as guardians of the sacred trust.
Relating this answer to your car analogy, TODAY vs Yesterday, there are so many disease entities, syndromes, identified, advertised, by the100’s if not 1000’s by global (world wide) disease charities, advertising companies, medical blogs, physical and mental pharmaceuticals and therapies, medical and medical type specialties, Tests, DNA markers and disease associated tests, etc. There is so so so much information, specific to these entities, with so many people identified as suffering with specifically defined entities TODAY, its no wonder the Inductive, Empirical model sits within the Psyche of Everyone.
Even cars are brought into the shop, to be diagnosed, etc.
The model is Problem – Answer, Problem – Answer in every field. And then you combine The Insurance Model on top of that! Holy Cow!
The Therapeutic Model is Alive and Well (not Well), or Whatever.
Chiropractic? A Non-Therapeutic Model? What the hell is that?
New Age? No, not New Age?
ADIO viewpoint needs to grow within the Public’s Psyche. I think it’s a very tall order. It’s still growing within MY psyche. That’s a tall order too 😉