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!