October 2005

The light's at the end of the tunnel

by Dr. Greg Loman

We are at a monumental time in chiropractic. We spent our last 108 years trying to convince, convert, and prove the validity of chiropractic. We are now in an environment where patients will start running to our offices if we would just open the doors.

If we would but open our eyes we would see the light at the end of the tunnel. The facts are screaming at us:

***  August 20, 2005 Merck loses Vioxx suit. The widow calls the $254.4 million award a "wake up call." Merck loses $5.2 billion in market value.

***  Water company Vitamin Water increases revenue from $3 million to $100 million in two years.

***  Medical school enrollment down.

***  Chiropractic college enrollment up. Forbes magazine predicts that by 2010 there will be 110,000 chiropractors, an increase of 50,000.

America's turning toward wellness and we are the only doctors practicing true wellness!

If we would change our self‑esteem and stop anticipating that our future will be consistent with our experiences of the past, we would rise up and take over the wellness revolution. The question is, are we going to continue to walk toward that light, or are we ready to take the baton and run toward it?

Research and history have shown that most historical changes have occurred with a small number of people. As you are reading this, do you consider yourself to be among the 80% of chiropractors who practice for themselves, or do you belong to that 20% with spirit deep inside and who truly want to be part of a movement that will change the history of health care?

After 15 years of practice, it has become very clear to me that the people who are walking into my office are dying for answers beyond their back pain. And while the community recognizes the pitfalls of medicine and most truly do not want to continue to be pressured into staying in the medical model, the issue I have seen to be the largest obstacle to creating the shift toward chiropractic is that the community doesn't recognize chiropractic and chiropractors as the solution to taking medications and having needless surgeries.

Today, it's imperative that we take a stand and commit to doubling our new patients. Commit to creating a movement in your practice that makes your office an education center for health and healing. If you are in the 20% ready to act, call me and I will help you begin to develop a larger practice that will ultimately save more lives.

(Dr. Greg Loman and Dr. Ben Lerner created Body by God and Teach the World about Chiropractic in an effort to change our culture and move the world towards the power of Chiropractic thinking. They are the authors of "One Minute Wellness: The Natural Health & Happiness System that Never Fails.")