Low Tech Health in a High Tech World
by William D. Esteb
Is chiropractic too low tech for today's scientific-high-tech oriented individual? Perhaps. Not only from our early childhood when we are introduced to the medical model of health, but everyday, we often look outside our bodies for the keys to health and happiness. It starts in the morning when we crave the first cup of coffee and sugary Danish to get us going and continues until evening with a drink to "relax us." When you take up the anti-medicine cause, realize you're also taking on the anti-coffee, anti-sugar, anti-alcohol, and anti-anything that is used as a "drug."
Yet crusading against anything is usually a waste of time. More success is usually found crusading "for" something. Campaigning for sexual equality is likely to have more impact than fighting against sexual harassment. Helping people to read will have more effect than a drive to obliterate illiteracy. One is directional and resourceful, the other is whiny and judgmental. If chiropractic is to assume its rightful place and become more accepted by the baby boom population, we must concentrate on being for chiropractic and not merely against medicine. Yet without much of the technology that has made palliative approaches seem "real" and "scientific," chiropractic must consider new ways to communicate its unique and unduplicated approach to today's health-conscious generation.
If you've ventured into any of B.J. Palmer's green books, you'll get a glimpse of a mid-twentieth century awe of the body. To recognize that we each have the inborn potential to be healthy (proper function) if there isn't any interference (subluxation) is a low-tech idea that had considerable more appeal before the wonder drugs and exotic surgical interventions we see today. To discover that each of us has "it" and that all we need to do is unlock "it" through normalizing spinal biomechanics may be too simplistic for many today. Where are the gadgets? Where are the dials? Where are the effortless injections? Where is the "better world through chemistry" that we've been taught about?
Making low-tech chiropractic attractive to a generation that sent a man safely to the moon and back again is the real challenge facing the advancement of the profession. Some say "fight fire with fire" and have crusaded for more chiropractic research. Certainly this is a worthy cause, yet the fundamental question isn't, "Does chiropractic work?" Chiropractic has been working since the beginning. And results are not enough either. With its enviable success record over the last 100 years, there should be lines in front of every chiropractic office. Clearly, incredible, non-invasive, affordable, conservative results are not enough.
Obviously the necessary mind-shift has to start with the doctor and his or her own lifestyle and be exhibited by the staff before patients will take chiropractic as seriously as we do. Yet, you'd be surprised how many doctors have their own children vaccinated ("Just to be sure"). Or drink coffee ("It's my only vice"). Or only get adjusted a couple times a year ("I'm too busy"). Or worse, still smoke ("I just can't seem to quit").
When the doctor sells out, even a little, it's reflected in the type of staff he or she surrounds themselves with. How many countless offices employ staff members who, even after a couple years on the job, still haven't been adjusted? Sure, the rationalizations come easy. "It's too hard to find someone around here" or "I don't want to confront my staff" or "It's just a job and they won't be around long anyway."
By the time this "we're-not-really-that-serious-about-chiropractic" message is received by patients, chiropractic is positioned as merely a natural form of aspirin one considers as a last resort before surgery.
Breaking through this ingrained mind-set that a typical new patient brings to your office is pivotal in growing patients that ultimately adopt a chiropractic lifestyle. Here are some conversation starters that might help patients get in touch with the marvelous body they are residing in and see chiropractic in a powerful new way:
The ultimate drug factory. Share with your patients the incredible system their body has to manufacture adrenalin, digestive enzymes, and hormones in the correct strength and quantity and deliver them quickly and perfectly where they are needed. Give your patients the awareness to ask themselves why someone would need antacids for their stomach or cough medicine in response to the commercials they see on TV.
Getting replacement parts. This is a great topic to discuss if the subject of cancer comes up in conversation in the adjusting room. Explain to patients how quickly different parts of their body are being replaced with new cells. We each have a new stomach lining in a matter of hours. New liver tissue in a matter of months. New bones in a matter of years. Ask them what they think controls this cell replication process. Ask them what might cause these cells to create a mutant replacement.
Is it dead or alive? What's the difference between tissue that is alive and tissue that is dead? Most patients have never thought about this one. We take for granted that we're alive, but have rarely thought about what separates us from those just departed. Help patients honor their body and appreciate the role of the nervous system in its maintenance.
How to catch a cold. Most patients would rather not have a "common cold" yet have never thought about why they don't automatically get one when exposed to someone who does. Ask your patients what they could do to purposely catch a cold or any other disease. Show the connection to the nervous system.
The parable of the deadly dinner. My favorite is Dr. Riekeman's story of someone who has eaten a poorly prepared meal and finds themselves throwing up several hours later. Ask your patients (or staff!) if the person throwing up is sick or well. Then ask them the possible consequences of taking a drug to prevent throwing up! Emphasize the role of proper function (controlled by the nervous system) in the regaining and maintenance of good health.
Would you rather feel good or be healthy? This is a wonderful conversation starter for certain patients. Most people weaned on a medical model of health would prefer to feel good. Or, at least get through life with as little pain as possible. Remind patients of what the first symptom of heart disease or hypertension usually is. Your discussion naturally returns to the role of the nervous system in maintaining proper function. Help your patients understand why chiropractic doctors are so interested in the spine (the movable covering of the nervous system most often the source of interference).
Your first cells. Ask your patients what they think the first differentiated cells in their body were when they were growing in the womb. Many patients will think it was their heart because of the tremendous emphasis our culture has placed on this circulatory muscle. Show pictures of early embryonic development in the photography of Lennart Nilsson. Help patients see the importance of organization and nervous system control.
It's unlikely you'll get enough patients to attend chiropractic college like you did so they can fully appreciate chiropractic. The best offices (run by the best communicators) recognize their role as teachers and give their patients the equivalent of Cliff Notes so they can better understand what you do--so they'll do what you do.
Sadly, even your best patients probably still "believe" in medicine. Help them discover there is no Santa Claus. Explain that doctors can't heal the body. Show them why outside solutions that merely treat the symptoms don't work and are probably counterproductive. Better yet, let them know they are Santa Claus!
Buy the book
My Report of Findings
Originally published in 1993
240 Pages
US $24.95
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