September 2005

The spirit of chiropractic lives!

by Dr. Kevin Pallis and Dr. Ed Plentz

What does it take to change an entire culture's attitude towards health? The answer is the same as it always has been ‑‑ spirit. When this spirit or what we call passion lives in your heart, anything can be accomplished. It's been said before that when you're changing a culture's attitude toward anything, you must focus on the youth. After all it's their generation to change.

How can we as wellness chiropractors, focus on youth when we're busy limiting ourselves to adult back pain? The answer is we can't.

Listen to the prophetic words of Dr. Martin Luther King. His declaration that "we have foolishly minimized the internal of our lives and maximized the external" accurately defines the collective modern condition of many African‑Americans and perhaps chiropractic as well. "We will not find peace in our generation," he said, "until we learn anew that a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he posseseth, but in those inner treasures for the spirit. Our hope for creative living lies in our ability to establish the spiritual ends of our lives in personal character and social justice. Without this spiritual and moral reawakening, we shall destroy ourselves in the misuse of our own instruments. Our generation cannot escape the question of our Lord: What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world of externals ‑‑ aeroplanes, electric lights, automobiles and color television ‑‑ and lose the internal ‑‑ his own soul?"

When your spirit soars as a wellness chiropractor, you don't seek the approval and acceptance from others, even sister and brother DCs who practice in the limited back pain vein. We trust in the understanding that it would be dangerous for us to live our lives trying to please allopathic adherents and letting them set the standards for our identity and well‑being. No, that feeling of self‑acceptance comes from within. It comes from that place deep inside us all that knows. Our spirit allows us to remain separate and distinct. Just because we choose to remain separate and distinct from allopathic ways doesn't mean we are in conflict with anyone. We don't have to bash someone else in an effort to make ourselves appear more important.

Traveling around the country, it's so wonderful and refreshing to see family wellness centers popping up everywhere. There's a buzz of energy and excitement inside their doors. There's a strength and conviction that comes with being a wellness chiropractor. Our spirit is not powerful solely because of our beliefs. It's powerful because of our ability to resist majority views of health care. We're proud to be authentic Renaissance DCs. We're proud of our heritage and looking forward an even prouder future. Being a family wellness chiropractor sets you apart from the majority of DCs and ushers you into a new era of adventure and social reform. Can you imagine what your parents would think if you told them you were going to change the world by adding healthier people? Many would shake their heads in disbelief.

Many DCs reading this will not understand fully the impact of this concept of spirit. When your spirit soars everything you touch seems more fun...and profitable. It seems like the phone is ringing off the hook. There are lots of happy patients and patients to be at your weekly New Patient Orientation. Whether patients have or don't have medical insurance that covers chiropractic, they still want to participate in your office with their families. When you attempt to imitate the accepted or the majority viewpoint in society, the price you'll pay is your spirit. When you're lacking the spirit of chiropractic and you think you need to add things to your practice to be a "real" doctor, or for financial survival, think again. Chiropractic stands alone. The spirit of chiropractic is unlimited. The chiropractor is the limiting factor.

Next time you think you need nutrition, herbs, massage, etc. to make a living, remember the spirit of chiropractic. You went to school for seven‑to‑nine years to be a chiropractor. BE a chiropractor. While there's nothing wrong with any of these services, they're not chiropractic. Would you get $150,000 in debt to become a nutritionist? Of course not. Your uniqueness is your ability to remove nerve interference and allow people to adapt better to their environments. When does this unique ability have its greatest impact? That's right, at birth. Then the next generation of healthy kids will interest their parents and their future children in remaining healthy for a lifetime, rather than being relegated to a lifetime of sickness and lack of human potential.

Enjoy the spirit of chiropractic by being a wellness chiropractor.

(The New Renaissance is a movement of passionate chiropractors dedicated to changing the world. The leader in patient education since 1977, the Mentor IV Coaching Program is a step‑by‑step navigational guide that embodies the very essence of The New Renaissance vision of healthier people creating a healthier world. Without patient education, your patients won't "get it." To learn more about The New Renaissance, contact world headquarters at 800‑525‑3879.)