The argument continues whether humans are responsible for climate changes, or that we’re simply experiencing a cyclical “slipping and checking” due to changes in the output of the sun or some other natural phenomenon entirely out of our control. As I see people choose sides (or simply ignore the conflict), I can’t help but see the similarities with chiropractic. (Naturally, I see virtually everything as a chiropractic metaphor!)
I see several connections.
1. Beliefs control the whole show. In the same way advocates who believe in global warming find it difficult to convince those who don’t, convincing those who fear germs or are afraid to have their neck adjusted is similarly difficult. Once you realize you can’t change someone else’s mind (only they can do that), you see that belief changing is an inside job. Like healing. You can create favorable conditions, but ultimately it’s out of your control.
2. Change requires obvious truth. If the docks in every coastal town were submerged a couple of inches to sufficiently prove the effects of the melting polar ice caps, global warming might be widely confirmed. In the same way, your prediction of a likely relapse should patients discontinue care once they feel better (or after the six visits metered out by their HMO), most will have to experience a relapse before they’ll actually believe you.
3. The distance between cause and effect. We have short life spans and even shorter memories. When the cause and its effect appear almost simultaneously, we easily see the connection. But when say, birth trauma shows up as obvious bone spurs and reduced cervical range of motion forty years later, the link is less obvious. Or when secondary metabolism produces a reaction a week after eating wheat or some other allergen, the causal link can almost escape detection.
Clearly, this isn’t a chiropractic problem. It’s part of the human condition. That should be comforting. Patient dropout isn’t because of something you forgot to say or do. Or because of something you said or didn’t say. It’s because they don’t believe you. And they’re not likely to you until they experience the relapse. Or Orlando becomes a seaport!