January 2004

Chiropractic's lost identity

by Dr. Kevin Pallis and Dr. Ed Plentz

The way many D.C.s practice chiropractic today would be totally foreign to the discoverer of chiropractic, D.D. Palmer. How did chiropractic go from a vision driven, miracle way of life to a financial driven, sprain and strain, what's‑in‑it‑for‑me profession?

Before you flip the page to look for something more pertinent to your practice, think again. It's your practice, society, and our profession that's at stake.

In 1895, the somewhat eclectic D.D. Palmer stumbled upon the principles that would later be called chiropractic. They were ‑‑ and are ‑‑ unique, by being universal in nature. This means they stand the test of time.

Universal laws remain true even as opinions, political pressure, peer acceptance, etc. all come and go. This is much like gravity. No matter what your opinion about gravity might be, it's still gravity. If you read the 33 principles, there is neither mention of sprains or strains, nor the amelioration of symptoms of any kind.

In other words, chiropractic could have been discovered any time in history and the principles would be the same. They don't need updating, they don't need modernizing. The principles were not limited in materials, technology, or thought in 1895, and they aren't in any other time in history either.

Similar to gravity, even if chiropractic had not been discovered and explained, it still would be what it is. Before 1895, there was a universal intelligence and an innate intelligence, regardless of whether it was believed or scientifically substantiated. Even if you tried to outlaw the 33 principles by manmade laws, they are still self‑evident.

Fast forward to the 1970s when chiropractors who offered three types of care and had a complete system of office procedures educating each patient about chiropractic had huge practices.

In Renaissance we coached and developed some of the largest practices in the world ‑‑ hundreds of patients a day and millions of dollars each year! Family wellness care was at the heart and soul of these practices. People thought nothing about driving an hour each way for their family's weekly adjustments. The motto of these practices was "chiropractic today for a better world tomorrow."

In the '80s, someone new took the stage (hint‑‑ they profit from you participating in the medical model of fixing sprains and strains once they happen). This new kid on the block had a philosophy along the lines of, "Why go through all the work and effort to see all of those people? All you really need to do is fill out a couple pieces of paperwork, put down codes like a 'real' doctor, see fewer people, and you'll make more money. Besides, if you limit your scope of practice to sprains and strains of the lower back, you will be better accepted by society and medical doctors."

A new paradigm was born that preyed on a human frailty called "greed." It was based on societal acceptance and financial cravings, on marketing and insurance coverage, not universal laws.

The money that could be made by diagnosing and treating patients like "real" doctors was just too good to turn down and many D.C.s jumped aboard this new vessel called insurance.

Educating patients about chiropractic was abandoned. Pain‑related, financially driven practices were born, spreading like wildfire across the U.S. The greatest number of chiropractic millionaires were made during this period, and the true identity of chiropractic teetered on the verge of extinction.

When the '90s arrived, insurance companies got smart. They started to reel in the D.C.s who had taken the bait and been hooked. The goose that laid the golden eggs stopped laying them. IMEs, paperwork, visit limitations, pre‑approval, and PPOs started to pop up everywhere, causing D.C.s to panic.

Instead of running in the other direction, many desperate doctors dug their heels in even further. They competed to get on "provider lists" that would reimburse D.C.s as little as six dollars an adjustment. Their income levels, lifestyles, and self‑esteem plummeted.

Even though most didn't realize it then, they were killing the identity of the 33 principles of chiropractic every time they treated a patient for aches and pains within the medical paradigm. Every time you fail to educate a patient about the three types of care and wellness, you allow them to perpetuate the lost identity of chiropractic. The lost identity has relegated chiropractic to a practice of back crackers of last resort who afford patients, at most, a few visits.

Now, enter the 21st century...

In Part 2, we'll discuss how to get chiropractic's identity back ‑‑ before it's too late!

(The New Renaissance ‑‑ the next generation of office procedure, chiropractic mindset for success, and patient education for today's chiropractor ‑‑ is a complete system of practice based on science and philosophy working on the doctor from inside out. To learn more about The New Renaissance, and the Mentor IV Practice Development Program that takes 24 years of the pioneering experience of Renaissance procedures and combines it with the practical daily activities of doctors in the field, contact Dr. Kevin Pallis at 781/255‑7080, Dr. Ed Plentz at 517/592‑8208, or the New Renaissance world headquarters 800/525‑3879.)