TNR Happenings April 20, 2020
Stay in your lane!
There are lots of craziness and keyboard courage being displayed online: DCs posting selfies of themselves and their practice members wearing masks; DCs railing on and on about vitamin c and all kinds of other things that help people; DCs having tele or digital communication talking about symptoms and calling that Chiropractic. Commenting about hospital, medical, and political policies is out of our lane; stick to Chiropractic. Also, have you noticed that the less principled a DC is, the more devastating the damage to their practice, up to and including closing their doors?
This DC that just doesn’t get it!
These are some excerpts from an email sent out by a Chiropractic office:
We are thinking of you.
XXX Chiropractic has been thinking of all of its members and patients A LOT lately. We wish that we could open our doors to see our patients and bring health back into our community.
Like many of you, we have been practicing social distancing, trying to eat healthy at home, find time to (safely) exercise, and taking advantage of this time to build and strengthen our relationships and lives at home.
How to Support Us During Covid-19
We have had to make the very hard decision to close during this unprecedented time. It was a difficult decision to make but we made it because we care about the health and wellness of our community.
We are also concerned about what this will mean for our business. If you have the means, please consider buying a discounted bundle or gift certificate for you, your family, and friends. We are offering some exciting promotions for new and existing patients such as a new patient bundle for $200 (regularly $300), a bundle of 5 sessions for regular patients for the cost of 3.5 sessions, and more. Please visit our website to purchase a gift certificate or make a donation
How We Are Still Helping Patients During-COVID19
Even though our doors are physically shut during COVID-19, we are still here working for you! Send Dr. X an email at XXX if you are interested in having Dr. X come up with a virtual, customized treatment plan for you. He will not be charging for this service, but donations will be greatly appreciated. Treatment plans could consist of nutritional recommendations, prescribed stretching and exercises, setting up healthy at home work stations, and other questions that you may have.
Thanks to the YYY CDC
XXX Chiropractic wants to extend a huge shout out and thank you to the YYY Community Development Center for including us in their relief efforts. They raised money from local residents and neighbors like you and distributed that to local businesses like us. Every bit helps. We are hopeful that this will be a valuable tool for the local business community.
A Free Way to Help: The Value of Patient Reviews
Another really helpful (and free!) way to help us right now is to write reviews about XXX Chiropractic on Yelp and Google!
Truth or Fiction
Truth or fiction?
Have you noticed your dreams changing markedly during the current adversity? Deeper, more profound, and just the opposite of what you’d think…optimistic! Think about all the optimistic blogs, TNR writings, Green Books, advocates of health and not disease, and taking voluntary abstinence from fear-mongering (no news or internet propaganda) that you’ve been doing these last few weeks. There is a mild cleansing or reprogramming of your possibilities. As most of you realize, my phone doesn’t ring or ping often. It’s usually serious when it does. It rang the other day. It was an unknown number, so I ignored it. Then there was a voicemail. It was from a parent of a DCME kid that I had helped. They were wondering if my Miyaginess extended to elders who were dying of the plague. The person quoted me as saying to them (with regards to their difficult case son), "This is no order of difficulty in miracles."
I met with them in the parking lot of the restaurant where I had the original consultation with the parents about their son because we couldn’t go inside. It turns out it was the father’s mother and she was in ICU fighting for her life with the current plague. She was on a ventilator and was mostly out of it. The nurses and doctors attending to her were anticipating her death and were relegated to performing palliative care.
I asked the most important question in these types of situations: would I be allowed to work on her uninterrupted? Deja Vous danced in my mind with all of the special ops I’ve done behind enemy lines. Babies given last rites, strokes, heart attacks, birth trauma, cancers, etc. They both enthusiastically blurted out that she basically was just waiting to die and I would be left alone. They also said she probably wouldn’t be able to work out with me (a nod to the intense physical training of their son) and this brought a laugh from both of them.
I entered a war zone in the hospital. Everyone was in ‘war zone’ gear. You could cut the fear with a knife. They were afraid of the very people they served. How can you offer love and compassion to people in need when you're traumatized and terrorized? It looked like it was from the movie set of some sci-fi movie. HazMat suits, facial protection, masks, gloves, slippers, and that sound I never can forget, the ventilator. I had heard that sound when my father was on one. Didn’t they know there are billions upon billions of viruses everywhere? Do they really think they are going to outrun viruses? The attending nurses assumed I was just a visitor and they outfitted me with the spacesuit. There was such a fear of helping this woman in the hospital. It was like they were almost put out for doing anything for her except witnessing her death. One of the nurses looked surprised that I was going to go into her room.
The woman in the bed was a youthful octogenarian who seemed to sense my presence. I began to communicate with her non-verbally as well as in a soft voice. I told her this was not her time and she has more gas in her tank. I told her I shouldn’t be in this clown suit and I am not the least bit concerned about getting this illness or any other for that matter. And I am not intimidated by your current condition. One of her eyes fluttered. It was a sign that she was tuning into my message. After her adjustment, she was noticeably calmer and less distressed.
I couldn’t fathom the terror she was feeling being in this predicament. Society has a silent agreement to allow certain people to die of certain diseases. Older people have served their usefulness and now are seen as non-performing liabilities. Who and what are these certain people and circumstances? Pandemics certainly qualify, certain diseases, minorities, our brothers and sisters on Reservations, AIDS, etc.; friendly fire, collateral damage, acceptable losses, the means to a supposed end; factors taken into consideration including a socioeconomic station in life, ethnicity, a voice in society, AGE, etc.
To put profit before people is to see an inconvenient truth: that most in our society look the other way. It’s accepted as a way of life: having her son and his family watch her hopelessly as she lay there dying in her time of need. On the next adjustment later that day, she squeezed my hand. Another sign of non-verbal communication. Her son asked me the question that beats all questions. Is she going to make it? I told him that I couldn’t say for sure but I would continue to work on her until she is out of this joint or she runs out of time. He told me it was the same answer I gave him years ago when he asked about his son’s chances.
The journey continues.
From the Mind of Miyagi
How would you behave if your next new patient was supposedly infected? Your behavior will reveal or expose your belief in Chiropractic. Would you gown up, don facial protection, mask up, or would you care for them like every other practice member? Are you aware of the dormant, non-disease producing bacteria and viruses that are in your body right now? Strep, yeah it’s in there. Viruses of all kinds are there also. They are present in times of health and sickness. The one factor that is the most important for all illness: there is an intelligence within the body that sorts things out if it is allowed to. This is where removing interference is so important and the only thing we do that is unique. That something found in babies is the same intelligence that’s at work in all of us today. It doesn’t leave home and leave you defenseless when it grows up. Think about all of the DCME cases you’ve faced without taking such precautions.
The more you have developed an educated brain, the more you will renounce the Innate brain. During the pandemic of 1918, most DCs didn’t have a license, let alone an educated brain. Their primitive belief and faith in the body’s health compass far outweighed science at the time and, as a result, lots of people lived to demonstrate this principle. Are you afraid of serving people? If you are, there is a safe place away from the playing field called the sidelines and you’re welcome to retreat there. In the plagues of London hundreds of years ago, the learned medical people and the clergy were the first people to retreat from the city. Are you obediently doing what you are told with manmade laws or do you agree with them? This is another area where your belief in Chiropractic is exposed for what it is. How can you be in agreement with guidelines and laws that take nothing into consideration about health, only disease?
The price of acceptance and being approved by the disease-oriented majority presents a daunting challenge to all believers in health. Try walking into a grocery store without a mask. Count the stares, the facial and body gestures, and the utter disgust of people as you disagree with their superstitions about disease. They are ignorant of the fact that you have helped hundreds to thousands of people with every imaginable challenge to health and yet you are condemned in the court of public opinion. Social media, same deal. Are you strong enough to fly in the face of the conventional disease dogma or will you roll over and participate in the mass hysteria?
Practice tip of the week
Stay in contact with your practice members
During these turbulent times, you must stay in contact with your patients. Ignoring your people means they will not get the Chiropractic perspective and will default to the politicized, media spin only on disease and not of health. Who has kept in contact with your family since the world was turned on its ear? Your dentist, teachers, coaches, etc.? People that truly care make it all about the people they serve, not themselves.
Have you noticed that the more principled DCs, the all-in, the Samurai are serving on the front lines and others have closed their doors? Don’t be shamed online or offline for doing what you were trained to do: save lives. While the rest of the world takes cover, there you are on the front lines. Even though you will take some heat from misguided friends and family, you know the truth: there is never a better time to receive adjustments than now!
Call your patients on a constant basis, write emails, and send videos reassuring them. Create hope where many are terrorized and traumatized. Some of our members are actually writing paper newsletters and mailing them. Your patients will read what you have to say.
If you call one of your practice members and they decline to come in, offer to come to their house and care for them. Some will be thrilled with the offer while others will politely thank you but won’t take you up on the offer. No matter what, they know you care.
Have you noticed that some of your practice members surprise the heck out of you? Some wear no masks, still give you a hug, and don’t miss their or their kids' adjustments; while others that you thought were all in have headed for the hills. This is part of human nature. Don’t judge, everyone is doing the best they can. If you know Chiropractic to be more than adult pain relief, then say so. Serve those people willing to be served.
Love Has No Color News
For some, going to Boot Camp this summer will be your first vacation from the current adversity. We are planning on making a huge splash this year. So many children, families, and elders have been adversely affected. I just spoke with Kenny and in light of current circumstances, we must stay flexible with the dates. School dates will vary and this may or may not affect us. The dates for Boot Camp may need to be moved. There is unprecedented turbulence everywhere, especially on the Reservation. We will keep everyone posted.
DCME confidential
Question 1: What do you do when one of your practice members keeps complaining, you gave them a level 2 and they only went for level 1?
Answer: Love them the best you can. They are fighting a hard battle and they are doing the best they can. There are many factors involved: spouse, other kids participating in office, etc.
Question 2: My DCME is coming up on 4 months of care and has made considerable progress, but they need another round of DCME. What should I do?
Answer: Give them another round of DCME. Don’t be too quick to offer wellness care. DCME cases are usually life or death or very serious and complicated cases. 3-4 months is a drop in the bucket. We have had DCMEs that have been on DCME fees for well over a year.
For You:
When man violates man's laws, we send him to jail and point a finger of scorn at him. When he violates nature's law, we send him to a hospital, give him flowers, and feel sorry for him.
