October 2006

Double your practice without even trying

by Dr. Dennis Nikitow

Before I tell you how to easily double your practice, you have to ask yourself several questions. How do you practice chiropractic? What patient outcomes are you looking to get? Why do you do what you do?

The first thing you must commit to is a subluxation wellness‑based practice. With this mindset you will focus on correcting the spine to its normal model. This means straight in the A‑P plane and three equal curves the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine in the lateral plane.

Enough clinical evidence and research is available to establish the necessity of spinal correction for maximum nerve integrity for optimum health potential. If the spine is out of alignment, function is lost. This mindset will direct your patient communication to focus on having people put a chiropractor on their health care team for their entire family.

The key is to relate subluxation as deviation from the normal spinal model to function and health not to symptoms alone. This is the reason people will want to have their kids checked regardless of symptoms.

After you've taken the patient's complaints, explain the chiropractic philosophy. As one viable descriptive tool, our offering on "The Damaging Effects of Subluxations" shows patients that the subluxation is silent, that it causes dis‑ease, and after enough damage and dysfunction occurs symptoms will occur. The point is, subluxations can be present for years with no symptoms. In fact, explain that most subluxations start in childhood, and don't show up as symptoms until adulthood.

Point to the research poster to give credibility to the philosophy.

During the exam, point out postural distortions and explain how they relate to the spine, nerve interference, and function. Focus heavily on Forward Head Posture (FHP) and its damaging effects to health. Explain its occurrence in childhood so people will begin to connect their posture to their problem and its occurrence early in their life. This will also get them thinking about their children.

When palpating their subluxations, tell them where the nerve goes and how their function can be affected. At the end of the exam voice your concern about their FHP.

If they have kids, they should be checked because kids don't only look like their parents from the outside, they also have their posture and spinal problems. Give them an FHP pamphlet to check them at home. Get them involved. By reading the pamphlet they will understand the damaging effects of FHP, and be more apt to bring their family in.

At the report of findings emphasize these same principles and tell them your policy is to check families for what the patients have, and you allow this as a professional courtesy. If your mindset is right, your communication will be right and the patient will begin to view chiropractic as essential to his or her family's wellness. When people start bringing in their families your practice will surely double or triple effortlessly.

If you have been focusing merely on back pain symptoms imagine the paradigm shift your practice will take on when you simply change your mindset and the mindset of your patients. You will not only double or triple your practice you will secure your practice future by having people put you on their health care team for wellness.

(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.)