November 2007

Who will be the heroes of the next generation?

by Dr. Kevin Pallis and Dr. Ed Plentz

Chiropractors everywhere often ask themselves, what can chiropractic do for me? There are Many DCs who live for self‑gain, only. These chiropractors don't ask questions about their responsibility to chiropractic but always want to know how much they can get out of it. Yet, some doctors DO ask how they can contribute to the chiropractic legacy. Of course, they want to be ultra‑successful. However, the difference is that they also want to make a difference in the lives of others. They are the heroes of the next generation.

The way a society looks at the next generation can tell you a lot about that society. If a new concept or profession is introduced to society and it doesn't have the next generation as its focus, it just won't last. It will be looked upon with resistance and skepticism. Highly evolved civilizations naturally honor and revere their children. All children deserve to be healthy. They deserve our best. When we, as a profession, have the highest good of the next generation in our hearts and minds, we will be elevated in our position and importance in society. Parents will champion our cause and make chiropractic a part of their lifestyle.

To focus only on pain relief and to wrap the whole profession around this concept is repeating the past. It's already been done. All the modalities, rehabilitation, and decompression are manufactured primarily for someone else. They are not made for the chiropractic profession. We buy them as secondary focuses of why they were invented and who they are to be used by. The chiropractic profession will not grow this way.

Such secondary focuses can only be used when a person is sick or in a therapeutic nature, not as a way of allowing health to express itself. There is nothing morally right or wrong with that. The critical question we must ask ourselves is how will these help the health of the next generation? While they're wonderful adjuncts to help people who've found themselves in a condition or a syndrome, they won't change the paradigm of health. Is the identity of chiropractic health or is it sickness?

When you honor the next generation, you have an interconnectedness with all people. Single musculoskeletal people are a thing of the past. Whole families can't wait to get their adjustments. Sure, you take care of injured people. The difference is that people are educated about health. It is then their responsibility to make the decision that's right for them and their family. They may choose not to participate in family care because of their unfamiliarity with the concept. However, you have provided them with an opportunity to discover what health is and how to express it.

When you have a purpose and a vision that not only includes but honors children, parents are naturally attracted to it. Have you ever known a couple who split up and the court orders the parents to pay so much for the upbringing of the child? The court can order the parent to pay money, but they can't force the parent to be emotionally involved or to love his or her child. Will the parent mail a monthly check or be an involved, loving parent? If you have a commitment towards your children, you honor that commitment. You don't complain and whine. You do it because you want to. Every generation has its opportunity to create the next generation. Our children are our mark on the world. We surely want to say we gave it our best, not that we just "got by."

Some chiropractors are very concerned with what others say about them. They find it difficult to stand up to the majority and to say what needs to be said, not necessarily what people want to hear. People in their community seem to be saying just fix my back, knock off all this kids and chiropractic talk, and we'll get along just fine for the next five or six visits. Public perception of chiropractic will continue to be last resort pain relief until the brave and courageous stand up for the next generation.

Ed and I just completed another book titled, "A Parent's Guide to Raising Healthy, Purposeful Children: The Owner's Manual Your Child Didn't Come With At Birth." We are amazed at how receptive parents and parent groups are for this new concept called health. Naturally, there are those who won't embrace new concepts. Yet, the majority of parents seem to be saying that health is a concept whose time has come ‑‑ and not a moment too soon.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. It is the only thing that ever has." (Margaret Mead).

(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.)