It has been my experience that one of the keys to getting people to understand the big idea of chiropractic is to instill an awe and appreciation for how wonderful the human body is and for its ability to heal and be healthy by virtue of the expression of the innate intelligence of the body.
Much of the education that we receive as chiropractors is of little value to the practice of chiropractic. However, the anatomy and physiology is of tremendous value. Unfortunately, we learn it in the same reductionist way that the medical doctor does, with no understanding of how it all fits together, how all parts and functions compliment each other and are dependent upon each other, and how all are under the control of the innate intelligence of the body. Once people understand the beauty and the complexity of the organs and parts and the concept of the innate intelligence and how it creates, recreates, heals and maintains the organism, the simple logic of getting your spine checked for subluxation is a “slam dunk.” Sadly, our profession seems to be more interested in demonstrating how chiropractic can help a sick body rather than developing an appreciation for a fantastically designed and functioning organism. In our office, we try to get our practice members to understand on the first visit that the difference between therapeutic approaches and chiropractic is that they focus on what is wrong with the body, its diseases and symptoms. We focus on what is right with the body, the innate intelligence and how it can run and heal the body more effectively if interference to its expression is removed.
So how do we do that? Well we have some products like our Symphony Poster and Weekly Articles Volume I–VIII that help demonstrate more clearly how wonderful the human body is. However, there are lots of ways you can get the message across to people. It may take a little work on your part. You might have to go back to your anatomy and physiology and look at it differently, not just as a dry accumulation of facts, but as a dynamic, vibrant phenomena that can create awe and wonder in people. Let us know how it works out.