With the last vestiges of professional differences
between the straight and mixing community gone (save the
national organization), it is important that we as a
profession understand a little more about each other.
The straight chiropractic community has a rather unusual
attitude toward mixing chiropractic. We recognize that we
must live with mixers and have more and more professional
relationships with them. We often espouse a live and let
live attitude toward mixing, while deep in our heart of
hearts we have to admit, if it was within our power to outlaw
mixing (at least within the chiropractic profession), we
would do so. Few, if any of us, would fight or donate to a
cause to preserve the right of mixers to practice their model
of chiropractic. Perhaps, that is why mixers often think
that we straights believe them to be bad people, not worthy
of associating with us and not worthy of the title
chiropractor. Perhaps, that is why they fear us so much and
are constantly trying to force us to teach our students and
to practice like them. They have a difficult time
understanding why we have this animosity toward them or what
is so bad about mixing. When we give them reasons like
“that’s not what chiropractic is all about” or “B.J. defined
chiropractic and you’re changing it,” they are further
perplexed. These do not seem like really valid reasons to
them. Oh we can give other reasons. Straight chiropractic
is much more rewarding. But that’s subjective. It is safer
than mixing from a malpractice standpoint. But if people
want to live dangerously, who are we to try to force them not
to. Straight chiropractic is much more logical and rational.
But again, who are we to force people to practice based on
logic and reason. Mixing chiropractic does have the
potential to be more lucrative than straight chiropractic.
There is no doubt about that. It will become more and more
difficult to be successful as a mixer in the not too distant
future. But those that can manage it will make more money
than a successful straight.
Let’s put aside all these arguments, however, and focus
on what’s really so bad about mixing.
The act of mixing; diagnosing, treating diseases or
their symptoms and the use of modalities is a very small,
very unimportant aspect of mixing. The real harmful aspect
is not chiropractors doing something they are really not
adequately trained to do. No, the real danger is the
thinking that precipitates such actions. That outside in
thinking is what has produced medicine and its shortcomings
(see Callousness of Medicine).
The mixer system, thinking in a therapeutic model,
deprives the chiropractor of having:
1. Standards. There is no system to the practice of
mixing chiropractic. Within our profession we have technique
systems that integrate the adjusting procedures with a
rationale for them. We have practice building systems,
procedures with a rationale behind them (although most often
they are rationalization for ways to take patient’s money).
But we do not have an overriding system for the practice of
mixing chiropractic. Why does the mixer do what he does?
The straight chiropractor has a body of principles and
concepts called the philosophy that provides the basis for
his practice. Without standards (guidelines, parameters,
limitations) your practice will degenerate into just about
anything. This is what we have seen in mixing chiropractic.
For some it has degenerated into medicine. Even many mixers
are repulsed at that idea. For some, it has resulted in the
most bizarre procedures. You cannot help but degenerate into
medicine or outlandish procedures when you have no systematic
standards. Some of those procedures, when exposed on network
television, even embarrass most of the mixers.
2. Effectiveness. Treating disease is not something
that gives to the practitioner’s life a tremendous amount of
meaning, purpose and definition. Any life focused on the
negative has to be negative and minimally effective. Disease
is a negative.
3. Coordination. Mixing chiropractic gives one very
little control over his or her life. Success is dependent
upon results obtained in treating the disease. Payment is
usually dependent upon the whims of insurance companies or
other third party pay. That is a very frustrating business.
The straight is dependent on nothing but his/her hands and
philosophy. (See How Easily We Forget?) Chiropractic to the
mixer becomes a job rather than a life. Think about mixing
functions that you have attended in the past. Very
professional but little enthusiasm, zeal, excitement about
what you are doing with your life. Mixing chiropractic is
about making a living (usually any way you can). Straight
chiropractic is about making a life.
4. Performance. There is no production in mixing.
What is the end product, a person who feels better? A person
whose disease has been temporarily alleviated? A person
without a disease. (What has filled that void when the
disease was gotten rid of?) The straight, on the other hand,
produces life. Every time an adjustment is given,
intelligence (innate) is better expressed through the matter
in which it resides. That is life, that is what the straight
is doing.
What’s so bad about mixing? Using modalities is not
what makes mixing chiropractic look more like medicine than
chiropractic. What is bad is that like medicine it works
without a philosophy, without a system of thought. When that
happens, any practice, procedure or idea will degenerate.
Thought is lost, emotion replaces it (the good feeling of
making people temporarily feel good). However, even that is
fleeting and usually lost to the frustration of not
making others feel better. Then that happens reason is set
aside and either the materialism or callous soullessness of
medicine replaces it. Perhaps we, as straights, need to
consider not what mixers are doing to this great profession
or to the name chiropractic. Maybe we ought not even think
about what they are doing to an unsuspecting public. But
perhaps we should consider what they are doing to themselves.
Blissfully doing their thing, all the while destroying the
very thing that could give their practice and life meaning
and purpose. Perhaps, we need to have more compassion for
them, desire more to show the beauty and the reward of what
we do. The worst thing that mixing does is not done to
chiropractic or to the patient. The worst thing is what the
mixer does to himself, his integrity, and to that which can
create true reward in life. Our argument should not be with
the mixer but with mixing. It leaves its practitioner a
hollow shell, with nothing to show for his life’s work but
temporary relief for a relatively few people and I suppose
possibly a variety of material things. v12n1