November 2003

Children and chiropractic

by Dr. David Singer

Would you like to treat more of the children in your community and have them benefit from chiropractic? Many doctors I present this question to respond with some hesitation. Yes, of course we would all like to see more children benefit from the care we offer. But some colleagues have expressed some uneasiness in treating children.

Even if you are not aiming for a pediatric practice where you specialize in treating children, you should at least be comfortable with promoting to and treating children.

Let's take a look at this subject, but not from a clinical point of view.

Most of us know how to adjust a child. Yet, there's another contributing factor, which causes some doctors to hesitate in reaching out to the children of their communities. First, how do you promote your services to a child? The answer is, you don't. You promote to the parent(s). There are many ways to do this, which I will tell you about, but there is something even more basic that needs to be addressed which, in my opinion, is why some chiropractors are uneasy treating children.

What generally happens when you walk into a treatment room to a waiting child? The child's parent is there. You begin communicating to the parent. Why? Because you know how to communicate to the parent. The child is your patient, but it's easier to talk to the parent! The parent understands what you're doing, or else the child would not be there for an adjustment. So, how do you communicate to the child?

When you enter the room to treat a child, you should first address the child. Acknowledge the parent, of course, but first address the child. Even if that child is three months old. Children are remarkably perceptive. Most are not acknowledged for their presence, especially by doctors in a treatment room. The parent does all the talking for them, tells the doctor what he or she feels is wrong and answers all the doctor's questions.

How would you like to be the subject of a treatment and not even be consulted on the matter, and spoken about in the third person like you weren't even in the room? I realize that many young children and all babies cannot effectively communicate yet with words, but they certainly do see and hear you and they understand more than most people realize.

Believe it or not, the child will respond better to any treatment if there is a preceding communication between you and that child. Why? If you explain to the child what you are doing in clear, simple terms, he or she will have a better understanding of the result you are trying to achieve and be more relaxed. If you ignore the child, he or she, no matter how young, will not be happy about it. Would you try to adjust one of your adult patients who was not happy?

If you are uncomfortable treating a child, the reason is that you have probably failed to properly communicate with that child.

I'm not saying this has to be a long and involved dissertation. Just an acknowledgment of the child's presence, and a short, simple explanation of what you are going to do is really more effective than you might imagine.

Here are some ideas to help you treat more children in your practice:

***  Hold "Family Days" and "Kids Days." These encourage existing patients to bring their children in for free spinal screenings.

***  Play videos in your waiting area specifically relating to the benefits of chiropractic for children.

***  Conduct ADD/ADHD Workshops. We offer a slide presentation at my office called "A Drug‑Free Approach to Treating Attention Deficit Disorder and Hyperactivity." Whether you use this tool or not, I encourage you to get out into your community to make you services known in this critical area of our children's health.

Children are incredibly sensitive, intuitive and aware. Don't be afraid to communicate to them directly. They will understand a great deal. And remember, children are men and women who have not yet reached maturity. Treat them as such and you will reap the rewards of helping the children of your community with chiropractic.

(Dr. David Singer is the CEO of David Singer Enterprises ‑‑ www.davidsingerenterprises.com ‑‑ a company offering an honest and ethical approach to building a practice through one‑on‑one consulting programs, products and practice expansion seminars. Dr. Singer teaches lectures on the natural solutions to health issues mentioned in this column, among others. For information on workshops and how you can present these programs to groups and organizations in your area, call Robert at 800/326‑1797. To receive "The Purpose Fax Newsletter," Dr. Singer's free fax info letter containing practice‑building tips and health research, call 800/326‑1797, ext 227. Leave your name, address, phone number and fax number to receive a copy approximately every six weeks. You must have a dedicated fax line, as this fax newsletter is sent automatically via computer.)