Chiropractic Patient Education...

“So, what do you know for sure,” I asked Gene who had arrived to clean our windows.

“What I know for sure is that I only have nine teeth,” he replied with toothless grin.

“Wow, that’s not very many teeth,” I observed stating the obvious. “What happened?”

“I’ve had two really bad dentists.”

“What a string of bad luck,” I commiserated.

I suppose there is the possibility that this 56-year old had had two “bad” dentists in a row who were inclined to pull his teeth, but the more I thought about it, it occurred to me that his answer was simply a cover up; a rationalization and justification.

Continue reading "When Patients Blame You " »

What has been the defining moment in your life?

When you think back over the years of childhood, adolescence, college, courtship, marriage, family and practice, what event or circumstance prompted you to draw a line in the sand and make a personal vow? Do you know what it was?

This is helpful to know about oneself. It explains many things about our life's trajectory. Our preferences, avoidance's and gifts.

I often hear chiropractors say, "I didn't choose chiropractic. Chiropractic chose me."

Really? How exactly?

Instead, my guess is that delivering chiropractic care and helping relieve the suffering of others somehow advances, fulfills or redeems something deep in your soul. It would be healthy to know what that is. Spend some time this week mining your memories and exploring the motives of your career choice. Why not medicine? Or dentistry? Or physical therapy? Knowing this about ourselves is important. Perhaps essential.

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After you’ve been in as many hotel rooms as I have, you pretty much know what to expect. Electronic card opens the door. Closet. Bathroom. Bed. Television. Chest of drawers. Worktable. Sitting chair. Lamp. There seems to be about 4-5 floor plan permutations, but that’s pretty much it. And how much you pay for the room in which you spend most of your time with your eyes closed doesn’t seem to change that.

So I was surprised, even amused, when I checked into my hotel room Friday night in Sioux Falls to conduct a special Debrief for The Conversation and found something that broke the pattern. Next to the telephone (both of them) was an alcohol prep pad. Something one might use to sterilize an area of the body prior to giving an injection.

Since I’m a student of people’s health beliefs and attitudes, I couldn’t help myself when checking out yesterday, asking the twenty-something front desk clerk to explain.

Continue reading "Germs! Germs! Germs! " »