November 2008

Creating a wellness support system for your patients

by Dr. Jim Boysen

As chiropractors, we do a fantastic job of handling subluxations. But once patients leave our office, they tend to do the worst things for their health. They eat poorly, drink the wrong things, don't exercise and have no clue about what supplements they need. Does anybody other than me have this problem?

The health statistics in this country are staggering. We are number 72 out of 191 countries on our level of health. Two-thirds of the population is overweight or obese. Clearly, something needs to change.

Effective change involves answering three questions: 1. What are the basics of a good wellness program? 2. How do you make a wellness program effective? 3. How can you get the program to spread and generate income efficiently? If you can answer all three of these questions, you have the chance to help lots of people and make a substantial, stable income stream.

First, in identifying the basics of a good wellness program, I think we can all agree that if everyone were good at basic exercise, drinking more water, eating quality food and taking intelligent supplements, we'd have most of the health problem solved. Since that isn't the case, supplements take on a particularly important role. You'll want the supplier of intelligent supplements to come from a company that a) has a good track record for more than a decade, b) makes available massive amounts of product research, c) offers four-to-six products basic to wellness (no need to spend time trying to research 500 or more products like you find in many health food stores), and d) features a six-month satisfaction guarantee.

Next, to make a wellness program effective, the magic bullet is support. A customized plan needs to be created that incorporates the basics of water, exercise, good food and supplements and supports your customers to stay on track. We do this well and generate two referrals for every one in the program.

Finally, you want to get that to spread and generate income, so let's be honest. Neither you nor I can monitor the exercise, food, water and supplement habits of 500 customers and do a good job of it. But we can take excellent care of four-to-six people and have four partners do the same thing we did. Networking health is both the answer and the best use of your time. Spend just three-to-six hours a week doing it and start a sizable, stable income stream that will be there when you take vacations or retire from practice.

I believe chiropractors understand wellness better than any other health professionals and are in the best position to deliver it to the public. Acting now, while we have almost no competition, insures we get there first and best. Have you seen Wellmark's new health coaches?

Doctors interested in knowing more can request a business overview by going to www.creatingourfutures.net/10159. This professional business structure was developed by a group of bright individuals using great current research and a creative process to evolve it.

Dr. Jim Boysen is a wellness consultant and maintains a chiropractic office in Camanche, IA. He can be reached at 563-259-9411 or jcbdc953@yahoo.com.