December 2008

What is sacred can never be forgotten

by Dr. Kevin Pallis and Dr. Ed Plentz

When did you last give thanks to the person who helped you get into the wonderful and exciting world of chiropractic? Maybe it was a DC in the field who uttered those immortal words "why don't you think about being a chiropractor?" Maybe it was one of your parents or a friend's parent you admired who happened to be a chiropractor. Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our daily activities we forget who and what is sacred to us. When something is sacred to us it can never be forgotten. If we choose to forget the sacred, the consequences are dire.

If we forget to acknowledge relationships, they tend to become forgettable. If we forget to tell each of our children how special they are, they grow up thinking they're just a face in a crowd. And if we forget to acknowledge chiropractic, our excitement and pride at being a chiropractor fades. Remember when you first graduated? The excitement, the pride of being a DC, explaining for the 1,000th time what chiropractic was? Where did that spirit go? If we allow our passion for chiropractic to fade, our pride and excitement at being a DC fades as well.

The real question you need to ask yourself is whether chiropractic is sacred to you or just a way to earn a great income. If chiropractic is sacred, then you'll make a series of suppositions. Chiropractic is a lifestyle of health, as opposed to treatment for sickness only. Chiropractic is a lifestyle of excellence and the expression of the human spirit. And chiropractic is not age dependent. Right here is the difference between brother and sister DCs. The very thing that unites us is often also the very thing that divides us. Yet, politics... technique... association allegiances... various positions... are all subject to measurement by these seemingly simple suppositions.

What kind of message do we give society if we aren't geared toward health for all family members? What kind of a profession would allow politics or insurance coverage to determine who gets cared for? Yet, in chiropractic today there is much talk of insurance, finances, economy... but not enough about children. What many DCs don't know is that some parents will do whatever it takes when it comes to the health of their children. Their children are sacred to them, so they will not let them down but continue searching for help with their health. We've been producing patient education products, seminars and coaching for more than three decades, solely to give DCs who believe chiropractic is sacred the tools, patient education, and procedures to change the paradigm of health in their communities.

When parents who feel their children are sacred meet up with a chiropractor who feels the same way they do about children a partnership is forged. This is no mediocre relationship. This is a relationship that is outside of insurance coverage, outside of the economy. The parents will find a way to receive care in your office. This relationship is based on mutual concern, trust and is long-term. This sacred relationship flies in the face of traditional dogma that actually teaches DCs to release practice members based on symptoms, age, or insurance coverage. When was the last time you or your family was released from dental care?

If we feel passionately about chiropractic, then we must commit to communicating what chiropractic is -- to everybody. Less than one percent of all active DCs have a weekly 'Health Awareness Seminar.' This is a sure-fire way of knowing that chiropractic is not sacred in their offices. PowerPoint presentations, low back talk lectures, product-selling ventures don't cut it. They are all watered-down versions of a fading chiropractic spirit. The first procedure that gets discontinued when a DC's love of chiropractic diminishes is the Health Awareness Seminar. If your love for chiropractic is fading, your love and compassion for people is fading as well.

How much value would society have for a profession that's passionately concerned about the health and well-being of all of its members, not just adults ones with a lower back sprain? Think of the size of this larger audience. We hear so much in our profession of "how do I get new patients?" The answer is, by communicating what you know in your heart to everybody. So many DCs that we coach never had the training, confidence and belief in adjusting children. But they did have the urgency to want to learn how. Just like parents who will do whatever it takes for their children, these DCs find a way to honor chiropractic…because it's sacred.

(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.)