Is chiropractic in a mess? Should we fear for the very survival of this holistic manual therapy?
Is chiropractic in a mess? Should we fear for the very survival of this holistic manual therapy?
I often hear from DCs that they despair for their practices and/or the future of the profession. They cite a number of problems, including high debts coming out of school; the struggle to build a practice with minimal business training; the constant call to defend chiropractic against naysayers and critics; and the debates, internally within the profession, for supremacy of ideals. On hearing these concerns, I have to wonder why it is that many DCs seem to have one approach for the well-being of their patients and a whole different viewpoint when it comes to the well-being of their practices or the profession as a whole.
As caregivers, and regardless of the practice philosophy you espouse, you have a very holistic, customized and hopeful paradigm to offer to your patients. If a patient comes to you at the bottom of her barrel – you know the one: she’s tried everything; she’s run out of hope, money and stamina; her whole life is negatively affected; and she feels like she doesn’t know which way to turn – you don’t, for a second, say, or even think, “She’s screwed!” You welcome this person and exude the optimism she needs to be able to dare to think that she can recover her life. Harnessing your evidence-informed expertise and invaluable experience, you use the tools at your disposal to work with her slowly, patiently, and in a manner that is not only customized to her overall composition, but also corrected to her state of being at each individual visit! Eventually, she reaches a point where she can not only function but even thrive and rediscover her potential.
So, why do you approach your practices, and your profession, with such a different compass, imagining failure in instances that should be pointing to the potential for healing and growth? Arguments, diverging philosophies, forays into alternative frontiers, bumps in the road, criticism, internal and external, and even any glaring deficiencies that may become apparent, are not symptoms of your demise, but merely signs that something important requires your expert attention. In this, you are no different from any other practice or profession: every worthwhile endeavour demands the constant care and intervention of those who orchestrate it. Furthermore, each strife and how you address it, in itself, refines the definition of who you are and what your purpose is – this is true of you in your practice and it is true of your profession as a whole.
If, as you look down the road of your chiropractic journey, you identify something that is not right – good! This means that neither you nor chiropractic are “dead in the water” – nor anywhere close to it. It means you’re passionate, on purpose and equipped to do something about it. Face your challenges, as a practitioner and as a member of your profession, as you would approach your patients – in the knowledge that with your expert and caring intervention, that is customized to the moment at hand, you can intervene to bring about vitality, growth and the realization of full potential.
Bien à vous,
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