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A publication of the World Chiropractic Alliance

 

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September 2005

Keeping patients focused

by Dr. Dennis Nikitow

In DD Palmer's book "The Adjuster," DD said, "If you don't keep them focused you will lose them." This is one of the most important statements you will hear. Keeping patients focused is the philosophy of chiropractic, and how and why you correct their spine is a daily procedure. To help you, here are some important points to make sure you are always focusing patients with your dialogue.

Adjustment room dialogue

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 What do you want to do with your subluxations? (Leave them there to cause degeneration and nerve damage?)

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 What if you stay subluxated? What do you think will happen? How will you be in the next 5‑10 years? Do you think you'll be doing the things you like to do or suffering from damage and degeneration and arthritis?

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 If you cut a nerve to an organ, do you think it will live or die?

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 If you choke the nerve by a subluxation, do you think the organ will be healthier or more sick? (What about the next year, next five years, next ten years?)

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 Think of a scale. Your every day stress and bad postural habits are on one side and are well overloaded. I need to do adjustments to change the memory of that abnormal postural habit. You add stress to the one side of the scale daily, so I have to overload the correction side. That's why you need four adjustments per week, exercises, etc. to balance it out. Without enough adjustments, you stay where you're at.

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 If your wheel is out of alignment in your car, do you think the axle and bearing will start to wear out and grind faster than the other ones? Well, the same thing happens to the joints in your spine. They degenerate (wear out, grind, break down, get arthritic) and nerve damage results. How well do you think you'll function then? (Play golf, tennis, run, bike, etc.)

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 Subluxations are silent. You do not feel the nerve interference. You feel the tissue damage (dis‑ease) after enough has been created. This is different for everyone based on their symptom threshold.

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 Do you feel cancer, arthritis or heart disease building inside of you? People get these and don't know it. You don't feel subluxations either ‑ they are silent killers of the tissue cells. Therefore, you cannot gauge your health by your symptoms. If you want optimum health potential, you need to be subluxation free.

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 Do you want your nerve channels open or closed?

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 What if you cut off the water to a plant by stepping on the hose?

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 What if you put a rubber band on your finger and left it there? What will happen to your finger?

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 I'm not moving bones into place; I'm inputting nerve receptors in the joints that signal muscles to pull a certain way. The adjustment fires the fast nerve receptors, the exercises fire the slow nerve receptors, and the CTX fires more static receptors. When you do all consistently, you will get great changes.

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 Is this what you want?

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 It sounds like you have been under a lot of stress lately. How do you think your nerves respond to stress? Are you more tense? What do you think will happen to your subluxations? Will they get better or worse? When do you think you need the adjustments most?

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 It is real important you keep consistent with your adjustments. What do you think will happen if you miss adjustments?

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 Missing adjustments is like missing a brick in your foundation when you are building a house. The more you miss, the weaker the foundation. The more consistent you are, the more stable.

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 To change the nerve memory you need consistent input with adjustments and exercise.

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 Each adjustment is like a turn on the lug nut on your wheel. The more intense you turn it, the faster you get it stable. If you only turn it once per week and go out and run on the wheel, it has a better chance of shaking loose than if you turned it every day or three times per week.

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 You hired me to correct your problem. I'm just telling you what you need. If you want to correct the subluxations, you need to do it a certain way. Remember, this is not a program for symptom management; it is designed for structural correction.

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 If you want to go from here to California, you have to take a different road than to Florida.

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 If you use Chiropractic correctly, it will work well for you. Like using a fork ‑ you can't eat soup with it; but, when used correctly, it is a great tool.

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 If you miss an adjustment, get an extra one next week. You need about 24 adjustments within six weeks to make significant change. Intensity will prevent you from sliding backwards and will keep the momentum up.

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 You are more prone to injury if you are subluxated.

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 You always perform better when you are in alignment.

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 As long as you are committed to correcting your subluxations, we will work out a payment plan for you to suit your budget.

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 Regardless of what insurance pays or not, you still have a problem that needs to be fixed.

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 Insurance won't pay for it all; and, if you stop care when insurance stops paying, you will still be subluxated and will lose the progress you have made. That is an expense not an investment and you will still need your subluxations corrected sooner or later. Insurance doesn't pay the second time because it becomes a pre‑existing condition.

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 I noticed you haven't attended the workshop. There is important information you need pertaining to your care that we provide at the workshop. Make sure to schedule for this week.

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 You could get a symptom while you are improving. If you stretch a muscle, it gets sore, right? During correction, muscles stretch and change position, so you may get sore. A stretched muscle is dis‑eased or damaged tissue because the fibers are tearing or re‑healing in a new position. The symptom comes from the damaged tissue, but it's for the better.

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 I'm glad you are feeling better. How are your subluxations?

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 Remember, as the subluxations are correcting, life force is returning and cells are healing so symptoms usually go away before the subluxation is totally corrected.

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 Remember, symptoms come from dis‑ease (damage, dysfunction) so they can appear when you are getting better (stretch) or worse (more damage). Let me check you and see how your subluxations are doing. If they are better, we know we are on the right track and "change symptoms" are usually short lived.

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 Sometimes you can be sore after an adjustment. It is just like starting a new exercise program. Things are changing.

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 Do germs cause disease, or do diseased bodies allow germs to invade them?

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 Immunity is higher without subluxations.

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 We are not putting bones into place, we are inputting nerve receptors so the body(s innate can adapt to the inputs. The adjustment is an input to nerve receptors.

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 FHP is the most common postural problem there is and it is the most troublesome for your health. Take this brochure and educate your friends. Screen them yourself and have them come in.

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 Everything I tell you is backed up by Medical Research. Here are some pamphlets. Share them with your friends.

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 These pamphlets show medical research on how spinal misalignment (subluxations) affect your health ‑ not just back pain.

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 You're doing great because you are staying real consistent with your adjustments.

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 You're right on schedule.

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 Good job ‑ that adjustment went great.

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 You adjusted good today.

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 Are you telling your friends about Chiropractic? Tell them about our unique system of correction.

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 I've been blessed to learn this 3‑D system so I can help my patients.

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 What I really want people to know is that they need to maintain their spines. Since it has everything to do with your health, it needs to be maintained. Please educate people on this.

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 Maintaining your spine requires adjustments.

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 Maintaining your spine is for wellness.

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 Your kids don't only look like you from the outside!

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 Educate people on the two types of DC(s. Give them this pamphlet. If the DC did not show them before and after x‑rays, they may still be subluxated, but think they are fixed.

Adjustment room tips

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 Talk about other patients who have responded well (don't mention names).

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 Bring up research pertaining to subluxations.

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 Ask about friends and family.

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 Use posters to focus.

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 Always rebound conversations back to subluxation i.e. "I went fishing this weekend doctor. " Watch out for those big ones, they can really subluxate you."

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 Recommend pamphlets to read and pass on.

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 Always be enthusiastic!

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 Talk about philosophy.

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 Reiterate how corrective care works, the importance of consistency, why they come frequently.

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 What the adjustments are doing.

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 Maintenance as the main reason for chiropractic.

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 Criteria for end point.

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 Compliment those who are doing good and staying on schedule.

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 Ask where they work, get name of HR person to do Wellness Workshop at their company or office.

By using adjustment room dialogue to keep patients focused on how and why they do chiropractic care you will maximize patient compliance and increase patient retention.

(To learn about the Certainty System, Certainty Practice Products and Dr. Dennis Nikitow's upcoming seminar schedule, call 800‑544‑3884. Outside the US, 303‑721‑6202.)

 

 

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