Are you the parent?

You as the parent

As a parent, you have the responsibility to do what’s right, most of the time. Even when it’s not convenient, or the easiest decision to make. The majority of kids don’t completely understand the purpose of certain things, for example, eating vegetables is actually really good for you and cleaning your room is surprisingly pretty important. They also tend to believe that they are getting scolded when being told they did something wrong, but they are simply being taught morals, ethics, and values. Sure, they aren’t going to be thrilled by it, but as a parent, it’s your moral obligation to teach them these things. The same goes for a Chiropractor. Do you cave into the wants of your patients when they become testy? Or are you going to stand your ground because you know what’s best for them.

Let’s take a look at the wants and needs of society as a whole. More often than not, an alcoholic is going to want more alcohol, yet they NEED sobriety. An overweight person would want more food, yet they NEED not only less food, but a healthier lifestyle. Your patient wants their symptoms to vanish, yet they NEED to understand that the Chiropractic lifestyle for not only themselves, but their family too. Parents have been taught that they are responsible for the health of their family, and this is not an easy task to take on.

As a Chiropractor

You as the Chiropractor must have a complete educational system that takes each and every patient from where they are to where they need to be. By educating parents today, we establish the link to the next generation. Parents always want the best for their children but unfortunately they don’t always know of the nerve system and its role in health and learning.

With the lack of patient education, their behavior will forever remain the same and their low expectations of Chiropractic becomes more deeply etched into their minds. When Chiropractic is mentioned, most believe it is just for back pain, and not only that, but as a LAST RESORT for back pain. With this as the common identity, no wonder there is so much frustration associated with patients not getting what Chiropractic really is. Take into consideration all the movements recently that have had education as their foundation.

All the research used to prove that smoking is bad for you, or even all the research on processed foods and what they are doing to your body. You need to understand that you are introducing a relatively new concept to people, and as most new concepts are received as silly and dangerous, Chiropractic is no different. Your goal is to make the new concept real to them.

FACE THE TRUTH

Doctor, you need to face the truth. The average patient entering your office is running scared out of their minds. They have aging parents who are in a precarious state of health. They may have a sister, mother, or aunt with breast cancer.  And there you are, an excellent Chiropractor at the bottom of their health care choices. You are competing with everybody from an Orthopedic surgeon to a massage therapist. It’s time you take a stand on Chiropractic!

Patients are looking for leaders in the arena of wellness, not more sickness. Similarly enough, like the quick fixes out there for everything from weight loss to marital difficulties, there is no foundation and they don’t last. Having patients come in with no patient education only to leave when the symptoms lessen or their insurance dries up is almost like a parent pretending not to smell the cigarette or marijuana smell on their kids clothes when they come home from a long night out.

Making a stand as a Chiropractor is just like that of making a stand as a parent, sometimes it can be difficult but it is so worth it. Fun, spirit and of course, profit, all magically appear when you stop trying to be what everyone else wants you to be.

When parents take the easy way out and don’t commit to parenting, the results affect the next generation. If you take a look at the children today, they are emotionally disables and have some commitment issues. They are taking more drugs than every recorded in history. How can we as DCs be proud of our lack of participation in this? We can make a difference!