How people see chiropractors?

We were having a discussion about a certain patient who canceled their appointment last week and today due to "being sick". I was surprised to hear that she missed last week, because she was "not feeling well". It just occurred to me that she is not getting better, yet all the while postponing her trip to the chiropractor, because she doesn't know that I am a doctor!

If I am hungry and have a reservation at a restaurant, would it not be odd of me to call and say I can't make it because I am hungry.

That is the equivalent of calling a chiropractor when you are sick and saying I can't make it!!!

When you are sick that is exactly when you most need to come in to see your chiropractor.

Yes, I understand extreme illness would in fact, cause you to hesitate to follow through on a chiropractic appointment.

However, most people don't see chiropractors as real doctors. They see chiropractors as glorified massage therapists.

Of course, ultimately how the public sees chiropractors, is our responsibility as a profession.

Chiropractors need to lead the way in changing the image. No one will change it for us!!!!

10K Challenge

I had a thought flash last night at about 2:30 am EST and I could not get settled down to sleep until around 4:45 am. I would like to share that thought with you now.

The 10K challenge has nothing to do with running 6.2 miles. It has to do with pushing myself to reach 100 hundred new clients in 30 days and collecting $100 from each of them bringing the total money to 10,000 dollars.

What incentive is there for someone to become a new client/patient for $100?

The money would go to cover the cost of the x-rays needed to determine spinal alignment problems in the head and neck. Then the client would receive an offer to receive care for the next 3 weeks with no additional charges. The top ten health benefits(details on our website) would be explained with certainty that each new client would receive at least 3 of the top 10 health benefits.

We work with the understanding that the skull needs to be centered with gravity and aligned properly when compared to the center of the cervical spinal canal and with proper relationship to the horizontal plane of atlas. Simply put as our logo depicts: Brain, Body balance equals wellness!

I have been doing some interesting research into the scale and impact of the profession of chiropractic. Chiropractic has its' roots in the free market system of the United States during a period of time that we saw the industrial revolution. In 1895, D.D. Palmer theorized that one could make a thrust into the spine of a suffering individual and produce an anticipated result of symptomatic improvement. He was building upon centuries of manipulation used in cultures throughout the world, but with a different intent: to affect the function of the nervous system by making a structural change relative to the position of the spinal vertebra.

Simply put, poor structure (spinal alignment) = poor function (sickness and dis-ease)

good structure (spinal alignment)= good function (the state of health or homeostasis ie:balance)

What I find fascinating is that in well over 100 years, neither is the proof of that theory irrefutable/proven, nor the public awareness of the chiropractic message strong.

Why is that? Bias of the medical establishment, divisions within the chiropractic community and poor leadership in the area of public relations are three possible explanations.

The unique perspective of chiropractors is that all people of the world need to have their spine checked and adjusted for spinal dysfunction, with no exceptions. This is not true of the medical profession where patients are seen only based on the presence of a condition that can be identified and diagnosed (and treated).

In chiropractic many asymptomatic patients are evaluated and treated (adjusted) for the purpose of prevention and maintenance of the spine.

With that thought in mind, it is our vision and mission to see everyone in the world under the care of a qualified chiropractor. This would produce a desired outcome of a healthier planet and a more peaceful world (more about this topic on a future blog).

So here are the obvious steps that must be taken for this vision to become a reality. By the way, we recognize that between 2-5% of the world would never be willing to have a chiropractor check them (do to their own bias) and we would never want chiropractic to be forced upon anyone (freedom of choice is still a higher value).

Number one: educate and train and license 7 million chiropractors.

Recognizing that there are just under 7 billion people on the planet, and a 1 to 1 thousand ratio is both reasonable and significant.

Number two: have a unified profession wide approach to share this message with the masses and to make this message clear, simple and profound.

My recommendation is to use a slogan such as "Happy Spine, Happy Life". The implications being that if every individual has a happy, healthy spinal column and functioning nervous system, then those individuals will make up a community of healthy people who live in peace with one another. As my friend Dr. Donny Epstein says "Structure affects perception and perception in turn affects behavior".

Number three: create a system that supports this vision with regards to items such as quality patient care, affordable fees, third party payers that reimburse based on this model and not the therapeutic model and standardization of methods (with measurable outcomes).

Number four: pool our resources to educate the public on the benefits of chiropractic and clearly explain our science, art and philosophy.

If you support these ideas about healthcare and chiropractic's future, please contact our office thru our fan page at facebook.com/chiropracticreliefplus. We need support from both professionals and laypeople alike!

We are very excited to have the site up and running. Though not 100% complete, the current content provides an excellent introduction to our office and should become a valuable resource for everyone (patients, doctor and staff). I want to take the time to comment on what is behind these changes. Someone recently commented on our facebook page that if it is not broke don't fix it. This is so true, but why would we change our name from Humber Chiropractic of Henry County to Chiropractic Relief Plus.

First, it is important to know why we were named Humber Chiro.... in the first place. When I arrived on the southside of Atlanta in 2002 I joined a group of chiropractors in which it was very clear that promoting our names was not part of the strategy. So when I got out on my own in late 2005, the first thing I did was rename my practice Humber Chiropractic of Henry County. I was keenly aware that the Humber name was well known in the area, because of the work of my family (in the biz since 1949). So as I promoted my new clinic many folks responded with "I used to go to your dad/uncles". I used local cable television programming to inform the public of our business and did so for about 26 months. It was definitely a good decision to use the Humber name and I am very proud of my heritage, but something came to mind earlier this year. For the last 60 years the Humber's have been seeing thousands of patients and yet there was no congruent, recognizable message that was seen throughout the clinics (5 in metro ATL).

So secondly, why the name Chiropractic Relief Plus. What does every patient calling us for the first time want more than anything...Relief from Pain!! What do we offer...Chiropractic, and what is the plus all about. Chiropractic is for so much more than just pain relief.

Finally, it is important to note that in branding my clinical practice, I wanted to establish a recognizable logo (image), have a memorable slogan (No crack or pop, just point and click) and have a presence on the internet (where most everyone searches for answers).

In the future our blogs will be much less about us and much more about your needs and questions, but I wanted to make this blog about introducing our background and our message!

This is a test

On our last blog/update we discussed PTPDS which give a predictable pattern of symptoms to those afflicted. For today we will be discussing counter rotations of atlas/axis. The top two vertebra are unique in their shape and function. When they move as a unit this is typical of normal biomechanics. However, when they move in opposite directions they produce four common symptomatic presentations. The first is dizziness/vertigo.

The second is tinnitus/ringing in the ears

The third is sinus problems

Finally, many counter rotations are to blame for headaches that are chronic (8-12) per month for years.

If you suffer with these in combination or know of someone who does. Contact us at 770-389-4724 for a free consultation.

Dr. Durie Humber

I wanted to share this exciting study that came from this past weekends Orthospinolgy Advanced Conference in ATL