It’s Election Day in the United States and it’s the usual showdown between conservatives and liberals. Some would assert that the difference between the two parties is a matter of great importance. Others, who are more cynical, see the choice as merely two shades of beige and the lesser of two evils.
I recently heard the terms liberal and conservative applied to the two major worldviews in chiropractic (mechanists and vitalists). As the terms were used, I surmised that conservative chiropractors are apparently those who limit their practice to the treatment of neuromuscular-skeletal complaints. And liberal chiropractors are those who think chiropractic can help virtually any health problem. This schism is what happens when politicians are in politics for power and chiropractors are in practice for prestige. Both overlook two factors far greater than the petty name-calling and the “I’m-right-and-you’re-wrong” division that handicaps this profession.
What Does an Adjustment Do?
Those who aren’t particularly rigorous with their language often don’t get the distinction between an adjustment and a manipulation. But it is revealed by your intention as you transfer energy from your body to the patient’s body. Are you attempting to impose (manipulation) your notion of normal, or are you attempting to release (adjustment) so the body can right itself? Do you trust the body (conservative) or are you wary and inclined to use whatever means possible (liberal) to compel your vision to manifest?
What Does a Patient Bring?
The fact is, what a patient brings to your table is far more important than what you do on the table! That’s what is to be celebrated when patients show improvement. And if they don’t show improvement, what else could be interfering with their inborn capacity to self-regulate and heal? Since conservatives are quick to trust the wisdom of a patient’s body, they are equally quick not to take credit for the patient’s return to health. Liberals are inclined to celebrate their insightful diagnosis and mechanistic-recipe-book intervention. By assuming more responsibility then is rightfully theirs (I’ll do this and you’ll get better), they place themselves and their practice at risk.
As for the election, vote! Just remember that in your office patients vote as well. But they vote with their feet.