The Ghettoization of chiropractic

 

Ghett · o · ize

 

/get-oh-ahyz/ verb: ghettoized, ghettoizing

 

1. to place or collect in a ghetto

 

According to society and the medical community, Chiropractic is a limited musculoskeletal back fixer of last choice. It’s been ghettoized. Chiropractic has been forced into a limited sprain and strain profession; what an injustice to our planet, people, and profession. You can almost see the Chiropractic heroes of old turning in their graves.

 

The worst part is that we are the ones who created the public’s image of Chiropractic, all in name of acceptance; trying to be all things to all people.

 

How many times have you been in situations that you should have said something and you chose to be silent? There’s a famous saying that goes, “The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality.” The creation and the solution of this tragic problem are the same; do you have the courage to stand up and create a new Chiropractic culture, or will you allow society to tell you who and what to be?

 

Chiropractic Training

Our Chiropractic College training did not include communication skills, patient education and office procedures designed for your patients to “get it”. Your patients define who and what you are by their expectations and acceptance. As a direct result, most DCs have a huge gap in their ability to attract and keep patients. Without these tools to break through society’s low image of Chiropractic, you will be relegated by default to becoming a salesman, hawking symptomatic relief only. What about wellness? What about children’s health? Every patient who enters and leaves our offices without being educated on the true identity of Chiropractic will perpetuate the back-cracking myth for the rest of their lives. It’s the ghettoization of Chiropractic in action.

 

As a Coaching Group

As a coaching group, it our job to ensure every patient who enters your office is educated. Who gets it and who doesn’t is not up to you. You empower every patient to make the decision that’s right for them. The result is the creation of long-term relationships based on communication and trust, rather than the typical sales-based “revolving door” practice of short-term new patients.

 

Many DCs reading this will say to themselves, “I wasn’t trained in wellness, I was only trained to help sprains and strains.” There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. But how many pro athletes do you know that stopped training when they left school? One of the key ingredients of being a successful DC is embracing change. We want to expand, not shrink, Chiropractic’s role in society today. When you embrace change, growth, self-discovery, and adventure awaits you. Will you settle for a future that is simply an aged version of the present or will you embrace change?

 

So the choice is yours Doctor – participate unknowingly or unwittingly in the ghettoization of Chiropractic or create a new health culture. Society is waiting for true leaders in wellness to emerge. Are you going to be one of them?