June 2009

Live -- and practice -- with courage

by Dr. Terry A. Rondberg

It doesn't matter whether you get your news via the internet, television, radio or newspapers, you can't avoid hearing how awful things are. Pictures of people wearing surgical masks to ward off the swine flu. Hourly reports on rising unemployment rates and the plummeting stock market. Global warming, pollution, deforestation, food contamination, terrorism, war. To cap things off in style, USA Today's top online story today was "Space weather warning: Sunspot cycle beginning to rise."

Do you sense a pattern here? Be afraid. Be very afraid.

At least, that's what the media would like us to think. The sky might not literally be falling, but pieces from some old satellite probably are, so take cover!

When we read the fear-inducing stories about the swine flu, we shake our heads in disbelief. The world is panicking because of a strain of flu that, as of May 1, had affected fewer than 2,500 out of the 6.77 billion people on earth. The disease was blamed for a total of 44 deaths during about a three-month period. It's true, as John Donne said, "any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind." Still, let's put that death toll in perspective. In March, the Journal of the American Medical Association, reported that medical misdiagnosis accounts for an estimated 40,000 to 80,000 hospital deaths per year. It seems like we're panicking about the wrong thing.

As chiropractors, we know better than to believe that drugs are the answer to this or any other disease, despite what the medical and drug industries tell the public. Want to bet there'll be a big push for mandatory flu vaccines once this "pandemic" runs its course?

When it comes to health issues, we clearly see through the lies and disinformation the media pushes on us in an attempt to sensationalize the news.

We need to be equally skeptical of other "bad" news and realize that publishers will sell (or think they'll sell) more newspapers if they scream "DISASTER STRIKES," rather than "WE'RE DOING OKAY." Since internet traffic soars whenever there's a link to a scary or gruesome story, it's unlikely many people will get excited over a TV news promo that says, "Things aren't as bad as we thought ... film at 10."

I'm not claiming there aren't challenges facing our world, our nation, and our profession. Yes, global warming really does exist and we have to work hard to protect our environment. It's true Pakistan has nuclear capabilities, but you don't have to build a bomb shelter. And while the economy is undergoing a major global correction and people are hurting, we're a far cry from the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Closer to home, you may be experiencing a drop in patient volume and income, but that's no cause to give up or give in to fear. Together, we'll get through this and come out stronger and more prosperous -- IF we use this time to re-evaluate our practice objectives and procedures.

Over the past few months, The Chiropractic Journal has run numerous articles with valuable advice on how to get through the "hard times." Our contributors have offered a wide range of suggestions about marketing, public education, staff motivation, and money management. They've tackled all the problems you encounter in your practice and offered specific recommendations on how to solve those problems.

The fact is, the bad economy is like a germ. We all know germs don't cause disease. Interference in our body's innate ability to effectively neutralize the germ action is the real cause. Likewise, the bad economy doesn't cause financial hardships in your practice. Something within your professional "body" -- your practice -- is interfering with your ability to stay healthy despite the economic "germ."

I personally think that fear is the biggest cause of that interference. When we make decisions based on our fear of something, we almost always end up making that "something" worse. For instance, if you're worried about decreasing revenue, you tend to cut spending. You drop your advertising, lay off staff members, and eliminate new patient orientations so you can cut back on office hours.

What happens? Less advertising, a staff shortage (and a decrease in staff morale since your fear is contagious) and a lack of patient education leads inevitably to fewer patients, which leads to ... you guessed it ... a further decrease in revenue.

Do you think the current economic situation will last for the rest of your life or do you think that the world will turn the corner and regain its financial stability? Are the decisions you're making now going to hurt you in the long run and make it harder for you to compete in "good times?"

Even the worst of the Great Depression lasted only a few years and was followed by a period of tremendous growth and prosperity. Chiropractic went through the same cycle back then. In fact, in 1929 (year of the Wall Street crash), William Alfred Budden, DC, bought a chiropractic college called "Pacific Chiropractic College" for $20,000 and struggled to keep it going during the depression. But he didn't give up and now that school is Western States Chiropractic College. Granted, considering how that school has often strayed from the chiropractic path, some may wish it had closed back then. But the point is, Dr. Budden persevered and came through the difficult times to reach even greater levels of success.

That's the lesson to be learned. If we believe in what we're doing and don't give in to fear, we WILL be fine. We won't go bankrupt, die of swine flu, or get hit on the head with falling space debris. Live and practice with courage and faith and all will be well!