Chiropractic Patient's-Point-of-View Blog tag:www.patientmedia.com,2010:/blog//5 2010-03-15T14:06:47Z Movable Type 3.33 Monday Morning Motivation tag:www.patientmedia.com,2010:/blog//5.430 2010-03-15T13:00:56Z 2010-03-15T14:06:47Z True success is about raising your standards. Settling, tolerating and accepting the status quo are treading-water strategies of the average; the mediocre. Raise your physical standards. Shed the extra 10 pounds. Get to bed earlier. Wake 15 minutes sooner. Exercise... Esteb Raise your physical standards. Shed the extra 10 pounds. Get to bed earlier. Wake 15 minutes sooner. Exercise five minutes longer. Get to the office 30 minutes earlier. Plan next year's vacations. Raise your intellectual standards. Shun all commercial radio, television and newspapers. Read the books you've neglected. Journal. Relisten to those motivational tapes. Raise your emotional standards. Stop all gossip. Drive the speed limit. Say, "I love you" to three people today. Introduce yourself to a stranger. Let someone else to be right. Raise your spiritual standards. Worship. Fast. Express your gratitude. Forgive others. Forgive yourself. Conduct random acts of kindness. Secretly give money to someone in need. As you hold yourself to higher standards, the new you attracts a new set of people, things and circumstances!]]> Crossing the Line tag:www.patientmedia.com,2010:/blog//5.429 2010-03-10T02:15:50Z 2010-03-10T02:22:18Z You’ve probably heard that “England and America are two countries separated by the same language.” Apparently, add chiropractic to the mix and you have an even greater separation. I mention this because on Monday, March 8, 2010 the General Chiropractic... Esteb You’ve probably heard that “England and America are two countries separated by the same language.” Apparently, add chiropractic to the mix and you have an even greater separation. I mention this because on Monday, March 8, 2010 the General Chiropractic Council (GCC), the governmental body ostensibly created to “protect patients” (apparently from chiropractors) and “set standards” (apparently for chiropractors), released their new leaflet (brochure), “What can I expect when I see a chiropractor?” Besides being a collector of chiropractic brochures going on 25 years, I’m keenly interested in what the GCC might have to say. Especially in light of the recent brouhaha regarding what is permissible for a chiropractor to publish on his or her practice website in the UK. I quickly found two serious, yet common errors on the second page. And they weren’t merely typographical errors.]]> Common Mistake #1: Offering Chiropractic Treatment The subhead on page two of the new GCC patient brochure reads: What is chiropractic treatment? Now, if this indiscretion were the only one, I’d probably look past it as I do countless times when speaking with some chiropractors who routinely use the word “treatment.” Many refer to their intervention as a “treatment” and the place in their practice where they do it as the “treatment” room. “And?” I can almost hear some chiropractors uttering. Treatment is the practice of medicine. Consult Dorland’s Medical Dictionary and you’ll find the first definition is “the management and care of a patient.” This isn’t how most chiropractors use the term. But the second definition is: “The combating of a disease or disorder.” Many chiropractors “treat” subluxations as if they were medical doctors “treating” cancer or failing gall bladder. Clearly medicine. And, as in medicine, the intervention is intended to fix or cure, in this case, the offending spinal condition. “And?” I hear the perplexed readers who are still with me asking. Chiropractic doesn’t fix anything. If there’s going to be any fixing, the recipient’s body will do it. Little or no credit is attributed to the intervention itself. This may be at odds with technique peddlers, but the hero in chiropractic is the recipient, not the miracle adjustment or, in the case of medicine, the miracle drug. Instead, the intent of the chiropractic intervention is to enhance the circumstances in which a patient’s inborn ability to self-heal can be more fully invoked. If a governing body makes this error, it’s easy to see how the governed might be confused, if not worried.

Common Mistake #2: Limited to Bones and Muscles

The first sentence in the GCC leaflet following the use of the word treatment reads, “Chiropractors are concerned with the framework of bones and muscles that support the body (the ‘musculoskeletal system’).” Really? That sounds more like an exercise physiologist. Or a physical therapist. Remove the neurological implications of chiropractic and you have either an overpaid spinal therapist or an overeducated massage therapist! I can understand how an observer watching a chiropractor at work might reach the conclusion that chiropractic is about bones and muscles. But that would be like saying that “electricians concern themselves with wire insulation.” Are they mindful of insulation? Certainly. But they’re considerably more interested in the circuit. Same with chiropractors. Restrict chiropractic to bones and muscles and it becomes clear why a governing body might get nervous (pun intended) about chiropractors in the UK seeing newborns, infants or those with visceral or whole-body organic complaints. Why would a chiropractor invite parents with a colicky baby to consult their practice? Or a bed wetter? It just wouldn’t make sense. If, as a regulatory body, you look through a bone and muscle lens and see chiropractors who simply want to revive the integrity of nervous systems, regardless of the presence of an obvious or named disease, it’s easy to see how misunderstandings, even disciplinary actions could follow. By the way, are you curious to know who voted to establish this regulatory body with deep government pockets and the authority to reprimand chiropractors in the UK? Drum roll please… chiropractors! Yes, but order all the leaflets you want. They’re free.]]> What I'm Reading tag:www.patientmedia.com,2010:/blog//5.428 2010-03-08T23:02:45Z 2010-03-08T23:08:33Z I met the author of Killing Sacred Cows, Garrett Gunderson at the Chiropractic Leadership Alliance (CLA) Total Solution boot camp about two weeks ago. Then, I listened to his On Purpose interview and immediately bought his book. It profoundly resonated... Esteb I met the author of Killing Sacred Cows, Garrett Gunderson at the Chiropractic Leadership Alliance (CLA) Total Solution boot camp about two weeks ago. Then, I listened to his On Purpose interview and immediately bought his book. It profoundly resonated with me, and as a chiropractor, it probably will with you as well. If you’re living your Soul Purpose, why would you want to retire from chiropractic? Is there any basis for the belief that we should work at a job for 40 years, become economically stagnant (retire) and then die? And that’s just the start. If you or your spouse have an IRA, 401k or some other retirement fund, after reading this book you might see the folly of it, and like me, take the penalty and tax hit and shut it down. You and I are held in financial bondage by believing many of these myths. Such as “Money is Power,” “High Risk = High Returns” and even the classic, “A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned.” If you have any hope of not being a ward of the state in your old age, read this book!]]> Monday Morning Motivation tag:www.patientmedia.com,2010:/blog//5.427 2010-03-08T13:00:41Z 2010-03-08T13:13:01Z Leadership is the process of assuring others that the future will be better than the present. You become a leader of patients by helping them see a better tomorrow. How? Find out what patients really want. Sure, they want relief,... Esteb really want. Sure, they want relief, but what they really want is something far greater. Don't settle for the "first right answer." Dig. Whether it's a new career, a life partner or a sense of ease, it all begins by seeing it. Help them form a clear and vivid mental image of it. Remind them of how it could be. Help them see beyond the distractions of the urgent present and transport them to the possible future. Keep their focus on the goal. Leaders are actually servants, helping others get what they want. When you add value in this way, not only will you be handsomely rewarded, you'll have delivered the most powerful adjustment of all: hope.]]> Getting On Page One of Google tag:www.patientmedia.com,2010:/blog//5.426 2010-03-04T13:50:10Z 2010-03-04T13:57:55Z When we set up chiropractor websites through our sister company Perfect Patients, it doesn’t take long before the conversation turns to Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This is the art and science of getting a website to become visible to the... Esteb When we set up chiropractor websites through our sister company Perfect Patients, it doesn’t take long before the conversation turns to Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This is the art and science of getting a website to become visible to the major search engines and rank highly for the search terms someone might use to find a chiropractor on the Internet. There are probably as many or more misconceptions about SEO than myths about chiropractic! When you eliminate the smoke, mirrors and hyperbole surrounding SEO for chiropractors with websites, it’s a sobering game changer. Allow me to do so.]]> chiropractor marketing. He or she just wants to help people.

Reverse Engineering Google

The plea to “Get me on page one of Google” has been answered with a variety of techniques designed to artificially elevate a website’s listing. Many of these involved various levels of subterfuge that Google and the others have learned to detect. Things like packing the page with search terms in white text on a white background seen by the search engines, but not by humans. The list of these “black hat” techniques is endless. And when detected, Google simply bans the site from its index! In fact, it has gotten so bad that these days the most reliable experts believe that only about 20% (or less) of what’s actually on the website determines how Google ranks it! Said another way, what you or your webmaster do to your site, such as title tags, metatags, description tags, alt attributes, keyword density and even the words and pictures visitors see when visiting your site, are only 20% or less of what Google considers when deciding how to rank your site. If you want Google and the others to place you high in the listings, you must look at things from Google’s point of view.

The Other 80%

There’s an old adage, “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” When this was coined more than a dozen years ago, it simply meant that you could fake your online identity. Or misrepresent the truth. Exaggerate. Even lie. This creates a problem for search engines that see the millions of searchers looking for quality, accurate information as their real customer. In turn, what Google values more than the actual content on your website is its reputation and authority. In other words, is the website to be trusted and is the content authoritative? It’s a lot like that diploma on your wall. You can place it behind glass. You can surround it with an ornate gold leaf frame. And you can aim a spotlight at it. But by just looking at it, no one can tell whether its owner was the overachieving valedictorian or the goof-off who barely graduated. Same with your website. You may be an authority in your practice with the adoration of thousands of delighted patients, but on the Internet, you could be a dog. Google isn’t sure. In fact, Google is automatically suspicious. Especially if your website is relatively new. So, Google looks at a variety of indicators to judge your online authority and reputation. That’s the other 80% of the search engine equation.

Managing Your Online Reputation

Naturally, knowing exactly what Google uses to determine your online reputation and determine how authoritative your website is would be valuable information. Thankfully, my colleagues at our sister company, Perfect Patients, has this nailed. Some of it is widely known among SEO consultants. Other parts of the equation we’ve learned by studying, producing, failing, revising and celebrating the success of hundreds, even thousands of chiropractor websites. I’m not about to give away our hard-earned lessons and the proprietary techniques we use on behalf of our chiropractic website clients. But I would like to share a practical tip any chiropractor with a website can apply today.

Voting For Class President

You may remember the popularity contests back in high school for prom queen or class president. Tragically, the Internet works a bit like this. Google looks to see who else in the Internet community thinks your website is worth linking to, and takes note of it. Thankfully, unlike voting for class president where every vote is equal, Google carefully considers the quality of every inbound link (“vote”) to your site. Some links are worth more than others. High Quality Links – The best links are from chiropractic and other health-related sites that already have a high level of authority and reputation in the eyes of Google. These might include links from your state association website, alternative health care directories or listings from a site dedicated to your particular adjusting technique. Even a link from your chiropractic college roommate in another town can have value. Low Quality Links – A link from your brother-in-law’s carpet cleaning website won’t be as helpful, but get it if you can. Links from your Chamber of Commerce, the service club you belong to or some other local, non-healthcare sites should be welcomed, but aren’t as valuable in the eyes of Google. Worst Quality Links – On the Internet, the worst type of link is no link. And this is where many chiropractors falter, thinking that simply having a website, like buying a yellow page ad, is enough. It’s not. If you have any hope of ranking highly, you must convince Google of your authority and trustworthiness. And one way Google ascertains this is how many other sites link to yours. If being on page one is important to you, you simply must have inbound links to your website. Before get sucked up in the complexity of social media, Twitter, Facebook and like, or seduced by metatag-talking SEO consultants working for the online version of the yellow page directory, examine these overtures in light of how they will enhance your online authority and reputation. Be mindful of who you entrust it with. Because it takes years to acquire, but can be lost in a momentary lapse of judgment, greed or a temporary need for new patients.]]> Monday Morning Motivation tag:www.patientmedia.com,2010:/blog//5.424 2010-03-01T13:00:08Z 2010-03-01T23:32:00Z Professional caregivers of every ilk are at risk of burnout. While burnout tends to show up as a lethargic, low-energy physical malaise, it's actually an emotional issue. It's a sign your emotional "checking account" is overdrawn. This overdraft is often... Esteb burnout. While burnout tends to show up as a lethargic, low-energy physical malaise, it's actually an emotional issue. It's a sign your emotional "checking account" is overdrawn. This overdraft is often the result of investing yourself in situations in which you have little or no control. Such as, whether your intervention produces results quick enough to please patients. Or, whether patients will follow your recommendations. The lack of control, unrewarded effort and patients who want you to do all the work, create a dangerous, "if-they-don't-care-why-should-I" attitude. Patients aren't the problem. The real culprit is failing to establish clear boundaries. At your report, clarify where your responsibility ends and the patient's begins. Make sure they know that in many ways they control the outcome of their care more than you do. Even better, avoid the temptation of showing up as the heroic rescuer.]]> Are You a Patient Pleaser? tag:www.patientmedia.com,2010:/blog//5.425 2010-02-28T21:11:30Z 2010-02-28T21:19:26Z “Hi, my name is Steven and I’m a patient pleaser.” “Hi Steven.” No, there isn’t a 12-Step Program for patient pleasers, but if there were, plenty of chiropractors would be attending. Apparently, when you choose a profession like chiropractic that... Esteb “Hi, my name is Steven and I’m a patient pleaser.” “Hi Steven.” No, there isn’t a 12-Step Program for patient pleasers, but if there were, plenty of chiropractors would be attending. Apparently, when you choose a profession like chiropractic that doesn’t fit into the accepted mainstream model, you have two choices. Either dumb down chiropractic and round off the sharp edges to make it something more palatable, or morph yourself into something you think will get patients to like you. Both are common strategies that produce unhelpful and counterproductive results. Perverting chiropractic or contorting your personality in the hopes of being more attractive, acceptable or influential is the ultimate sellout. Eventually it makes you feel dark inside. It requires massive amounts of energy to sustain and turns practice into a joyless routine of fixing spines and biting your tongue. If you find yourself in one or both of these circumstances, you may find the following observations helpful. ]]> Strategy One – Compromising Chiropractic Many chiropractors will diminish chiropractic, reducing it to a mere mechanical intervention to alleviate the pain caused by joint fixation for several motives: Be the hero. Since most patients bring their experience with medical doctors with them, the path of least resistance is to show up as a doctor who fixes spines. Restoring biomechanical integrity to the spine can often reduce pain syndromes without drugs or surgery. Patients are appreciative. You get the accolades. At least until you encounter patients for which you doctoring doesn’t seem to work. Oops. Avoid confrontation. Reducing chiropractic to a spinal specialty and choosing not to explain the patient’s responsibilities is understandable. Most patients have been taught to assume a passive role when consulting health professionals. Uncovering and confronting patients about their unhealthy habits or lifestyle choices can be difficult or awkward. Especially if you’re not walking the talk. Ouch. Ignorance. If you attended one of the colleges that teach a purely mechanistic, cookbook approach to chiropractic, you may be unaware of the philosophical and metaphysical implications and chiropractic principles on which your adjustments are based. Yes, you can thrust along the spine at opportune places and produce patient-pleasing results, but you miss the richness and significance of what you’re doing. Worse, it makes it impossible to understand how other practitioners can see 50-100 or more patients a day without breaking a sweat.

Strategy Two – Chiropractor Compromise

Another way many chiropractors blunt their impact and reduce their influence is to assume a chameleon-like personality, morphing into something different based upon what they think each patient wants. Being friends. If you try to get your social needs met at the office, you probably fall prey to this one. Apparently, the thinking goes like this: If I can befriend the patient, they will like me. If they like me, they’ll more likely do what I ask. If they do what I ask, they’re get results and really like me. Whether this is the result of some emotional bruising left over from high school, it’s hard to know. But it’s just not true. Look around. The people we most deeply respect are those who often take unpopular stands, exhibit high standards and convict us to be our best. Be friendly, but not friends. The firewall proxy. Your computer has one of these to keep viruses, malware and other nasties from corrupting its operation. Similarly, when you show up as the “doctor,” “healer” or “health coach” you’re acting. Playing a role. It’s a brilliant defense mechanism that can protect you when patients reject your recommendations or abandon you without a word. Only problem is, you’re not that good of an actor. So you need consultants to feed you your “lines.” Patient relationships take on an inauthentic artificiality that are devoid of intimacy or influence. If, after a bit of introspection, you find yourself amongst one or more of these descriptions, fear not. You can change today. Sure, it may prompt a few patients to reject you when you come out of the closet, share your deepest convictions and reveal your true personality. That’s a small (and temporary) price to pay to reclaim your life spirit. Contrast that with the benefits: More energy. Without having to act or filter every word you utter, you’ll have more energy and enthusiasm with which to deliver your care. The result? Your practice grows. Authentic relationships. Without the persona, you can finally attract your tribe of like-minded individuals. Abandon the lie that you’re unlikeable! The result? Your practice grows. Longer lasting relationships. When you share the complete story about chiropractic, getting beyond the pain relief aspects, more and more patients see the lifestyle advantages and adopt schedules of periodic checkups. The result? Your practice grows. No longer angry with patients. Nothing produces resentment like having to compromise who we are. When you honor yourself and recognize each patient’s free will to accept or reject your recommendations, there’s less need to take their choices personally. The result? Your practice grows. Partnerships emerge. When you tell the complete chiropractic story, you don’t have to carry patients. It becomes more of a partnership. Patients assume responsibility for what is theirs. You focus on what is yours. The result? Your practice grows. An inordinate need to be liked keeps your practice small, easy to manage and frankly, insignificant. It’s a form of poor social health that interferes with your ability to be an influencer and an effective change agent. It’s exactly what the enemies, doubters, skeptics and naysayers of chiropractic are hoping will continue to constrain you. Reminds me of the admonition we’ve all heard during the airplane safety demo. “Put on your mask before helping others, and continue using until advised by a crewmember.” In other words, you need a spine before you can possibly help others with theirs.]]> Monday Morning Motivation tag:www.patientmedia.com,2010:/blog//5.423 2010-02-22T13:00:15Z 2010-02-22T12:26:42Z Is your practice a cult? One characteristic of a cult is the attempt to control what its members say and do. Such as... No talk about symptoms. How to you expect to change what symptoms mean to patients if they're... Esteb No talk about symptoms. How to you expect to change what symptoms mean to patients if they're not allowed to talk about them? Wellness is superior to relief. How will patients believe the benefits of regular checkups if they don't start care, stop care and experience a relapse or two? Drugs are bad. Every cult needs an enemy and medicine is a convenient target. Drugs aren't the enemy. Beliefs about symptom treating are. These and others suggest a profound mistrust of patients. Hijacking their free will, even if justified in a patient's best interest, is parental and potentially exploitive. Such practices require a constant replenishing of new patients as the limitations of their power is revealed by patients who discontinue care without notice and rarely refer others.]]> I Just Fix 'em Too Good tag:www.patientmedia.com,2010:/blog//5.422 2010-02-17T16:06:02Z 2010-02-17T16:10:50Z Is it possible to rehabilitate and retrain the supporting muscles and soft tissues of the spine in patients over the age of 30 with the dozen visits or so doled out by an insurance company? Symptomatic improvement? Probably. Lasting soft... Esteb Is it possible to rehabilitate and retrain the supporting muscles and soft tissues of the spine in patients over the age of 30 with the dozen visits or so doled out by an insurance company? Symptomatic improvement? Probably. Lasting soft tissue changes? Unlikely. This means their symptoms are almost certain to resurface months or years after discontinuing their care. Usually from some new physical, emotional or chemical stressor. When it happens, will they return to your practice for follow up care? Or cozy up to the new chiropractor in town? Or give up on chiropractic all together? It depends upon several issues that many chiropractors have overlooked.]]> Guilt about letting you down. Many chiropractors become so invested in the patient’s recovery that patients feel like they’re disappointing the doctor when they’ve had enough. Returning, invites what they imagine as a smug and condescending, “Didn’t I tell you that you needed more adjustments?” Instead, it’s easier to consult a different chiropractor. Since there are so many of them around these days. Problem solved. Chiropractic doesn’t work. When their symptoms return, many patients reach the conclusion that chiropractic is just a temporary, stopgap solution. An elaborate massage. This is when many proceed down the pecking order to the next untried practitioner, maybe choosing acupuncture or something else that seems promising. Patients think you dislike them. After almost daily recall contact when trying to end their relationship, months and even years pass without even a postcard from you. Many patients assume you’ve disowned them. And return the favor. Cultivating patient relationships, especially during the dormant phase of their care, is essential if you have any hope of seeing future reactivations. Most of these barriers could be avoided by acknowledging that without purposeful communications around this subject, most chiropractic patients, especially first timers, believe you “fixed them” and that their problem is permanently resolved. If you do discuss the lifestyle implications of periodic checkups, many patients aren’t inclined to believe you until they actually experience a relapse. In both cases, proof of your assertion arrives when your influence has waned. What they do about their relapse is often dictated by the taste left in their mouth when trying to extricate themselves from your practice. In other words, make it easier for patients to leave your practice if you have any hope of seeing them return. Since virtually every patient has heard that once you see a chiropractor “you have to go for the rest of your life,” this issue can’t be ignored. And it’s better done at the beginning of the relationship, than later when they’re trying to find the door. At the consultation: “Finally, have you heard the chiropractic myth that once you go to a chiropractor you have to go for the rest of your life? Well, I want you to know that it’s not true. You don’t have to do anything. But let me explain how that got started. Many patients are inclined to stop their chiropractic care as soon as they feel better. Which is before the supporting muscles and soft tissues have been retrained to lasting, healthier patterns. So what happens? A month or two later, or even years later, when they experience some form of stress, their symptoms return. ‘Chiropractic doesn’t work!’ they think. Not true. It’s just that they discontinued their care before the healing was complete. I know that continuing to see us when your symptoms are gone may seem a bit strange. No problem. When you’ve had enough, just let us know. We’ll celebrate your progress and remind you that should your symptoms return, your records will be here, along with our genuine concern for you and that we’d love to have you back and give it another go.” Many chiropractors, especially those with thousands of inactive file folders (but a chronic need for more new patients), are tempted to conclude that their intervention permanently resolved the patient’s problem. After all, few patients ever return for a second helping.]]> Monday Morning Motivation tag:www.patientmedia.com,2010:/blog//5.421 2010-02-15T12:47:38Z 2010-02-17T16:05:13Z Chiropractic supports a multitude of practice management and consulting firms. Before you purchase these services, clarify what you actually need. Consultant. Don't have a paperwork system? Need help with patient flow or office layout? Don't know what you don't know?... Esteb Consultant. Don't have a paperwork system? Need help with patient flow or office layout? Don't know what you don't know? You may need a practice consultant. Coach. Do you lack discipline? Do you know what to do, but need someone to nag you to take courageous action steps? You probably need a coach. Accountability partner. If you want to use peer pressure to motivate action, perhaps something as simple as a monthly breakfast meeting with a local colleague or mastermind group will do the job. Mentor. This is someone who holds similar values as you and is living them in a way that you aspire to express yourself. Their association with or knowledge of chiropractic may not be essential. Don't buy a hammer if what you need is a wrench! ]]> You’ll See It When You Believe It tag:www.patientmedia.com,2010:/blog//5.420 2010-02-10T14:33:50Z 2010-02-10T14:40:29Z Apparently the “Tastes great!” “Less filling!” debate within chiropractic rages on, pitting the evidence-based-scientific-give-me-proof-med-heads against the anachronistic-paleochiropractic-subluxationophiles. (I didn’t make those up. They’re terms extracted from an actual email exchange between chiropractors!) Each points an accusatory finger at the other,... Esteb Apparently the “Tastes great!” “Less filling!” debate within chiropractic rages on, pitting the evidence-based-scientific-give-me-proof-med-heads against the anachronistic-paleochiropractic-subluxationophiles. (I didn’t make those up. They’re terms extracted from an actual email exchange between chiropractors!) Each points an accusatory finger at the other, assigning blame for what ails the profession, their practice or the sacred cow of “public perception” about chiropractic. What’s so amusing, and at the same time tragic, is that neither party in this isometric, how-many-chiropractic-angels-can-fit-on-the-head-of-a-pin argument is capable of convincing the other. Neither can win. However, both can lose, if nothing more than the time wasted while having this self-indulgent exchange. Actually, this debate has little to do with chiropractic.]]> mechanists and the vitalists I’ve addressed elsewhere. This is a spiritual battle. Oops! Is there such thing as spirit? After all, we can’t seem to measure the spirit with instrumentation or the five senses, perform double blind clinical trials or publish the results in peer-reviewed journals. Even with the best Hollywood props from a Ghostbusters movie, the spirit, that invisible force that animates the world, that certain something that vacates with the physical death of the body, refuses to be measured. Does this mean the spirit doesn’t exist? At the risk of being overly simplistic, it boils down to one’s worldview. Do you believe you were fashioned by a creative, omniscient God who spoke you and this world into being? Or do you believe that you and your ancestors were created by a random lightening strike on some primordial pond scum and with enough time, ignoring the Law of Entropy, became increasingly organized? Start here. Choose one. Both require that you believe something. (If you want to be politically correct and live a life filled with contradiction, you can choose to believe both stories!) Your reality will pretty much fall in step with your belief. If you don’t believe tension to the nervous system along the spine can have whole body effects, you’ll never see asthma or fertility cases. If you believe that birth is a natural process and couldn’t possibly produce spinal and nerve dysfunction manifesting as colic, parents of newborns will shun your practice. Because you don’t believe it, you don’t see it. It reminds me of the famous Henry Ford quip. “If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” Closer to home, a chiropractor friend attended a Sunday evening service at his church in which spiritual healings were to take place. It was fascinating to watch until up hobbled a woman that he had been unsuccessfully treating for low back pain. Within minutes she was bounding off the stage with delighted improvement. That can change you. It did him. Or he could have chosen to dismiss it, believing it a fluke, a coincidence, a placebo or something else to keep his precious notion of the world intact. My experience has been that those who need “proof” rarely get enough of it or of sufficient quality to satisfy them. “The sample wasn’t large enough.” “I don’t respect the journal it was published in.” “They didn’t have a control group.” “The study was merely a meta analysis.” “The researchers were biased.” “The lead author was a chiropractor.” And on and on. Convenient. To keep your construct of the world intact (and congruent with the creator/pond scum belief), you can choose to ignore the messy emotional and spiritual realms when dealing with a person’s health. However, prepare a good excuse for explaining why a patient with a gorgeous cervical curve, complaining of headaches, doesn’t get improvement from your thrusting, toggling or twisting. Or why back pain patients exhaust their insurance benefits as you ineffectually pound on L4-L5, conveniently neglecting to uncover that the patient hates their job and feels unsupported at home. Patients aren’t mechanisms or collections of parts. Isolating the spine from their lives, their worldview and their emotional reality so you can heroically treat their joint fixation, their spinal lesion, their subluxation, their pain syndrome or whatever you call your particular bogyman, is the practice of medicine. For which chiropractors are not licensed. Neutering chiropractic, by removing the spiritual and metaphysical elements because it’s “unscientific,” may be seem sophisticated, progressive; even enlightened. In the process, it has blinded some of the brightest, most highly educated in the profession. At least, that's what I believe. What do you believe?]]> Monday Morning Motivation tag:www.patientmedia.com,2010:/blog//5.419 2010-02-08T13:36:46Z 2010-02-08T13:38:37Z Do you care too much? With a tip of the hat to comedian Jeff Foxworthy of "You-might-be-a-redneck-if..." fame, you might care too much if you... ...feel a twinge of anger when patients miss an appointment or disregard your recommendations. ...adjust... Esteb Do you care too much? With a tip of the hat to comedian Jeff Foxworthy of "You-might-be-a-redneck-if..." fame, you might care too much if you... ...feel a twinge of anger when patients miss an appointment or disregard your recommendations. ...adjust a new patient on the first visit because you hope it will validate you or your subsequent recommendations. ...become defensive when a patient mentions they're unhappy with the pace of their recovery. ...assume that when patients discontinue care unexpectedly it's because of something you forgot to say or do. ...permit patients to run up large balances because you're uncomfortable asking to be paid. And it's not only what you say. It can be a raised eyebrow, a judgmental tone or imposing an expectation beyond the patient's limited level of commitment. Care, but don't care too much. It's the "social" part of "...optimum physical, mental and social well-being" of healthy chiropractors. What I'm Reading tag:www.patientmedia.com,2010:/blog//5.418 2010-02-04T22:42:50Z 2010-02-06T15:35:12Z Yes, I freely confess. I’m a Seth Godin junkie. So it was great delight that I saw his newest book on my visit to the bookstore on my way home from my chiropractor Tuesday. Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? does not... Esteb Yes, I freely confess. I’m a Seth Godin junkie. So it was great delight that I saw his newest book on my visit to the bookstore on my way home from my chiropractor Tuesday. Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? does not disappoint. And while I’m only on page 39, Seth (I think since I’ve devoured every book he’s written, I’ve earned the right to call him by his first name) has done it again by picking up on a nuance others overlook and teasing it out for everyone’s benefit. Naturally, if you’re the one moving the freight, sweating over a hot adjusting table all day, then you’re indispensable. But how do you attract and train your staff to “own” their job and rise to the many opportunities of a paraprofessional? I predict you’ll find some helpful answers between the covers.]]> Spine Mechanic? tag:www.patientmedia.com,2010:/blog//5.417 2010-02-03T17:17:31Z 2010-02-03T17:25:23Z Enormous amounts of energy are consumed in an attempt to get patients to do the “right” things to promote healing, advance their health and improve their well-being. Many professional caregivers seem bent on saving patients from themselves. Others seem resigned... Esteb Enormous amounts of energy are consumed in an attempt to get patients to do the “right” things to promote healing, advance their health and improve their well-being. Many professional caregivers seem bent on saving patients from themselves. Others seem resigned to the apparent fruitlessness of the effort and apply their ministrations with a detachment almost bordering on indifference. Can you change the priority that patients place on their health? Without looking through a spiritual lens, you might see the task before you as merely using the right videos to educate patients or delivering a persuasive rof. Certainly these can be helpful, but there is something else at work here that you might want to consider. And it may dramatically change how you communicate with patients.]]> and ground forces, these tools work better when you’re aware of the spiritual dynamics that are at work. By the way, this isn’t about religion (man’s attempt to connect with God) but about the spirit (the unseen power that animates the world). If political correctness has caused you to overlook the spiritual dimensions of the healing process, you may find the following observations discomforting. However, I encourage you to consider... Each patient is granted free will. Careful that you don’t swerve into judgment when patients make poor choices, or at least ones you wouldn’t make. Everyone has been given the freedom to tend to their soul package as he or she sees fit. From the self-abuser to the health “nut” who reveres his body as a living idol. Since it was their Maker equipped them with this faculty, careful that you don’t hijack it for your own purpose—whether to look good, get credit or be the hero. Know your limitations. Thinking you’re responsible for what patients do is a serious boundary breach. You can only be responsible for what you are able to respond to. Thus, you have an obligation to offer a care plan, supportive home care procedures and suggest lifestyle changes. But you are powerless to enforce your recommendations. Using your limited social authority (doctor’s orders) or emotional leverage (shame, guilt or threatened abandonment) to coerce certain behaviors, justified in the best interests of the patient, will cost you. What patient education can’t do. The decisions we make about our health are rarely the result of some left-brain rational decision! Instead, we embrace new health care habits because a recent death of a loved one has reminded us of our own mortality. A divorce has prompted us to improve our appearance and be more attractive. A DUI arrest has embarrassed us to clean up our act. These pivotal moments are outside your control and far more powerful motivators of change than virtually any so-called patient education overture. Instead, patient education is designed to give your intervention context and supply a new meaning to the symptoms their experiencing. You’re up against a powerful foe. If patients don’t know who they are. If patients are disconnected from their bodies. If patients see themselves as mere mechanisms with a limited number of cellular replications. If patients see life as something to get through, rather than an opportunity. If patients buy into the outside-in cultural hypnosis promulgated by the media, your efforts to enlighten will miss the mark and merely annoy them. If you have any hope of profoundly influencing patients beyond ameliorating their symptoms, then you’re in the belief-changing business. Yet, patients rarely enter your practice thinking they have a flawed worldview, much less interested in a new one! Show up curious. It’s counter-intuitive, especially for the most evangelistic chiropractor, brimming with philosophical enthusiasm. But injecting your chiropractic gushings into the unguarded ears of patients rarely produces the desired effect. Instead, hold your cards closer to your chest. Don’t be so quick to reveal the “punch line” that healing is an inside job. Instead, show up curious about the beliefs patients have formed. Help them live more consciously. Encourage them to be fully present to their bodies so it doesn’t have to scream so loudly to get their attention. When you’re curious, you open up possibilities and patients are more likely to lower their guard. Then you have the opportunity to help move them, at least incrementally, closer to the truth. Give it time. Patients aren’t learning how to bake a cake or memorize the major battles of the Civil War. In fact, they enter your practice with the assumption they won’t have to learn anything. Many see their only responsibility is to show up so you can “fix” them. And why not? That’s how virtually every other encounter with a health care provider has played out in the past. Imagining that you can prompt a patient to jettison their mechanistic, linear, symptom-treating, germ-fearing, drug-taking beliefs over the course of 12, facedown visits is fantasy. When these spiritual beings having a physical experience show up in your practice, try to look past the obvious that can be detected with the five senses. Consider the spiritual implications of their problem and how you show up to either fix or release, nag or inspire, take credit or assign blame, be responsible or simply be a resource. When you do, you’ll witness your own personal transformation from spine mechanic to healing agent. What do you think?]]> Monday Morning Motivation tag:www.patientmedia.com,2010:/blog//5.416 2010-02-01T13:00:33Z 2010-02-01T13:21:18Z Are you a clingy chiropractor? One way some chiropractors keep their practices small is to overly concern themselves with getting patients to like them. This is often motivated by two unhelpful beliefs: 1. If patients like me they will more... Esteb your compass, not theirs. Absolutely be friendly. But be careful that you don't cross the line between being friendly and being friends.]]>