May 2004

Building a family wellness community within your practice

by Dr. Eric Plasker

When you walk into a busy chiropractic office, you notice what a microcosm of the larger community it is. Successful, busy chiropractic offices bring people together from all walks of life and the reason for this is that the quest for holistic health care crosses all socio economic, ethnic, religious and other backgrounds.

On any given day in a DC's office, it's not unusual to see a Democrat sitting next to a Republican, a Christian beside a Jew, or a Caucasian and African‑American engaged in conversation about chiropractic and a myriad of other topics. They can all see the value of lifetime chiropractic care and are actively seeking it out in their communities.

People who are well (and those who are in severe pain) also share a commonality when it comes to chiropractic, and the thread that unites them is your office and its vision of lifetime chiropractic care. Your technique and whether or not you file insurance is just a small part of the reason these patients are gathering in your office. The real motivator is that you're providing a solution to their holistic health care needs.

In today's naturalistic and holistic environment, people want to express their full potential without the interference of drugs or surgical procedures. They're interested in self healing, feeling better and expressing and living the life that their innate expression was designed for.

Whether it's static on your cell phone, your satellite dish, your radio or inside your own body, nobody wants to live a life filled with interference! Chiropractic can promise to remove that interference so that you can live your life to your highest potential!

Think about what happens at the moment of conception when two tiny cells come together to create life. Without interference, that life will grow and manifest itself into perfection. You can't help but marvel at its possibility.

Imagine if people from everywhere (regardless of their race, religion or nationality) understood the value of chiropractic through regular care and the possibilities that could occur in a life free from interference.

What if we needed a minimal number of (or NO) drugs to keep our bodies functioning throughout a lifetime? Do you think the human race would break athletic records and that its creativity could soar under these conditions? Wouldn't relationships be more open and healthy? Wouldn't our children do better in school without the need for medication? This is the possibility with chiropractic! This is what is bringing people into chiropractic practices across the globe.

The busiest and most successful practices in the world have at their core chiropractors who understand this concept and can communicate it to their communities. In fact, if you're reading this column, you're either one of these chiropractors or you want to be. In The Family Practice, we love witnessing the transformation that DCs experience as they grow in their ability to create a community in their practice. As you grow, you'll realize that one way to break through any invisible ceiling is to create this type of community.

Make it your goal ‑‑ beginning right now ‑‑ to create a community of patients who'll keep their appointments, pay on time, and take care of each other as your practice grows. Creating a community around this principle will eliminate many of your practice pressures and free you and your staff to serve at your highest capacity.

(Eric Plasker, DC, is founder of The Family Practice ‑‑ where chiropractors are uniting to lead family health care. Nationally recognized as a speaker, educator, and author, he is best known for rallying chiropractors around the Lifetime Care For Everyone ‑‑ LCfE ‑‑ and Family Practice visions in the chiropractic profession. For seminar, coaching, training, or product information, call The Family Practice toll free at 866-532-3327, ext. 118. Or visit the Family Practice website at www.thefamilypractice.net to find out more about building a first class family practice.)