The Friend Within

There’s a mechanism in all living things that we chiropractors call Innate Intelligence.  Don’t let it scare you.  It’s a name that we use to communicate about the concept that you were Designed to be healthy and powerful and there’s something that guides you toward your greatest good, at all times.  That’s why a great mentor called it “The Friend Within”.

Many of us falter in life because we fail to listen to and obey our “Friend Within”.  We know we should eat right,  exercise, work on our spiritual life, say “I love you” more and simply doing the right thing.  Your “Friend Within” guides you along that path.  It also works on your body without you even knowing it, innately communicating instructions to the body from the brain, conducting the orchestra of life to and through EVERY cell in your body.  It’s that mysterious thing that is present in a living being that leaves the moment one dies.  At that point, cells act independently of the body and starts the decomposition process.

If that Innate Intelligence (or your Friend Within) is disturbed, you actually begin the decomposition process WHILE you’re still alive.  That process leads to dysfunction and eventually disease.

The MOST important thing a chiropractor can do is to teach you about your “Friend Within” or Innate Intelligence and THEN adjust you to allow that mechanism to express itself as closely to 100% as possible. The better able you are to hear that “wee small voice within” and then act upon its instructions, the more powerful your life becomes.

The world needs for each of you to live as close to your God-given potential as possible.  When that happens, we become less prone to disease, strife and war.  We think higher thoughts and make better decisions.  Come join me on this journey toward your own greater good.  Let me introduce you to your “Friend Within”.

Council on Chiropractic Education: The Clash Between Economics and Accreditation

The chiropractic profession is at a crossroads.  A profession based on hands on non-allopathic, holistic principles has methodically been moved closer and closer to the practice of Medicine much to the chagrin of most practitioners in the profession.

Under the guise of ensuring the highest quality of care rendered to the public, the CCE has forced every chiropractic school into moving away from the profession’s founding principles and toward a sub-par version of manual medicine.  Being the only accrediting authority in the profession, CCE has almost no oversight and has become a rogue agency imposing its will on the chiropractic profession.  And, like a cancer, has gone virtually ignored by the U.S. Department of Education or the public which it supposedly is sworn to protect.

The folks at the Council on Chiropractic Education has even certified one chiropractic college to confer a degree of Chiropractic Medicine to its graduates.  Not only is this outside CCE’s scope, it is dangerous for the public at large.  The practice of Medicine is difficult enough for those who attend medical school and do the residency necessary to practice that art.  Chiropractors that play Medical Doctor are a menace to society just as is an MD that tries to manipulate patients in their medical practice.

There is NO justification for teaching Medicine to chiropractic students or requiring  medical education at chiropractic schools.  For one thing, it confuses the chiropractic student and graduate.  The two professions have totally opposite philosophies and really are separate and distinct.  In most states, it is illegal for the chiropractor to either make a medical diagnosis or prescribe even over-the-counter drugs for simple symptom relief.  Personally, I think it’s a good thing that chiropractors have a narrow scope of practice.

From an economics standpoint, it is almost impossible for a new chiropractor to survive in practice.  Let me restate that.  It’s virtually impossible for a new chiropractor to survive in practice without heavy third-party reimbursement or participating in multi-level marketing or by having a part-time job.  Here’s the truth.  If people want Medicine, they’ll go to a medical doctor.  People typically seek a chiropractor because they want something DIFFERENT from the Medical approach.  If all a chiropractor offers is medical LITE, he/she is simply not a good alternative.  Hence, many chiropractors fail in practice.

Because so many chiropractors fail in practice, student loan default rates are the highest of ANY of the healing arts.  If CCE’s purpose is to protect the public and make sure that student loan defaults are minimized, I would think they have failed miserably at their job.  In fact, if I were the Department of Education, I would encourage the profession to create an alternative to CCE as soon as possible and prepare to remove CCE’s standing as THE sole accrediting authority.  A worthy accrediting authority would ensure MINIMUM compliance with core requirements while allowing its schools to specialize and compete for students via different philosophical, clinical and business perspectives.

All the Council on Chiropractic Education has accomplished is to have raised the cost of chiropractic education beyond the average student’s ability to repay their debt.  Something has to stop.  Neither the chiropractic profession, the public nor the Federal Government is served by the policies and practices of the Council on Chiropractic Education.

Netflix and Unlimited Chiropractic Care

A long time ago, if you wanted to watch a movie you either had to go see it at the theater or wait for it to show up on TV.  Then came the VCR and you could buy videos to watch at home whenever you wanted.  Then came Blockbuster and you no longer had to buy videos, but simply rent them.  Consumers saved lots of money.  But, Blockbuster got greedy and put all sorts of restrictions and penalties on their customers.  And as always happens in a free market, a new competitor showed up.

Netflix offered unlimited rentals through the mail for a low, flat monthly fee.  This enabled consumers to order the videos they wanted to watch, when they wanted to watch them without fear of restrictions and penalties.  Netflix has improved on the concept and now allows you to simply download a movie on your computer removing another barrier to their customers.  Granted, cable companies are now allowing you to watch and pay for movies on demand.  BUT, Netflix changed the movie rental market and has almost put Blockbuster out of business.

Health care, especially the chiropractic profession is very similar to the movie rental business.  For a long time, insurance would pay for almost any bill a provider submitted.  As a result, fees went sky-high and about the only way folks could afford to the chiropractor was if it was covered on their insurance.  Even without insurance, doctors created “corrective care plans” based on what was the generally accepted per visit fee based on insurance reimbursement schedules.  Needless to say, lots of folks that wanted chiropractic care simply could not afford to go .

An innovation in health care, especially chiropractic, is the concept of unlimited care at a fixed fee.  Because the greatest benefit of chiropractic care is long-term health and wellness, a fixed number of visits over a limited period of time was limiting for both the consumer and the provider.  Unlimited care allows you to get adjusted as often as you need while KNOWING what the cost will be.  And because of the fixed fee, you can include the care as part of your lifestyle without regard to uncertainties in health care and insurance.

Unlimited care programs also work for the provider/chiropractor.  Without having to hassle with insurance companies and an overhead to justify the expense, chiropractors are able to cut their overhead.  Also, the lower fee allows them to see more people with less hassle.  This makes the chiropractor more efficient and more effective.  It actually allows more people to get care in a simple, affordable fashion.  And as people realize the great benefits of regular chiropractic care, the greater demand for simple, effective chiropractic care grows.

I urge chiropractors to consider this business model and consumers who want true health to find chiropractors that use this model.  It’s probably the best way I know to make sure that you’ll find a good chiropractor that does JUST what a chiropractor does.

No pain no gain?

Whether helping a friend deal with a broken heart or a practice member deal with a physical problem, it’s important to understand pain from a proper perspective.  Pain is mostly a good thing.

Obviously, pain is NOT a pleasant thing to endure.  But, if you put your hand on a hot stove wouldn’t you WANT to feel some pain?  Wouldn’t that be letting you know there’s a problem?  And, wouldn’t it be a reminder the next time you approach the stove to NOT put your hand there?

Over the years, I’ve seen many people (my parents included) literally destroy their lives by medicating (with alcohol, prescription medications or illicit drugs) away their pain only to find their lives have eroded or corroded while they were not really conscious.  It’s the same way with physical pain.  The pain is merely an indicator that something is wrong OR that healing is in progress.  Healing is a process that STARTS with a painful awareness of the problem.

By masking our problem indicators, we ensure our long-term demise.  Emotionally, we lose touch while our world crumbles around us.  Physically, we lose touch while our bodies crumble within us.  The end result is that our life falls to pieces physically, emotionally and spiritually without us even being aware of it.

Why not take a look at the source of your pain?  Figure out what the problem is.  Deal with it.  Learn the principles of effective living (that includes your health) and live a fuller, more free and fulfilling life.

Is Mankind Inherently Destructive?

Is Man (Mankind, that is) inherently evil and destructive or enlightened and good?

Personally, I believe both.  A part of Man is like the natural forces of earth, wind, fire and rain.  While they can serve us well, they are destructive in nature.  If you don’t believe me, just stand out in the elements or expose virtually anything you can imagine to those elements long enough and you’ll see the destructive nature of those forces.  They’ll simply wear you down.

There IS an aspect of Mankind that is cold, cruel and destructive.  That part of us is selfish and either unaware or ambivalent to the effect we have on others and the world around us.  And, it’s not just a few people.  It’s all of us.  Some are just more subtle than others about it.

BUT, there’s also an aspect of Man (Mankind) that is peaceful, loving and creative.  It’s this part of us that separates us from all other forms of life from other mammals to the lowly single-cell amoeba.  It’s also this part of us that gives us hope for the future, to smile when we see a baby or to cry when our emotions are touched, to create beautiful works of art, to invent, to build, to imagine, to create.

I also believe this higher self is easily accessible to each one of us.  It’s only a decision away.  There’s an innate mechanism is each of us that strives toward our immediate AND our long-term good.  Its purpose is to guide and direct us, to help us make good decisions and to live with the consequences of bad decisions.  the decision is simply to LISTEN to that wee small voice and obey its command whenever and however it expresses itself.

Decide today to listen and respond to that wee small voice that is creative, clean, pure, powerful and positive.  Watch your life expand and create new opportunities and joys for you every day.  And as you expand your own creative joy and peace, you will automatically expand that of the world around you.

What’s Your Diagnosis? Chiropractic CAN Help!

Uh oh.  I’ve done it now!  There’s another one of those crazy chiropractors that think they can cure anything from cancer to the common cold.  Close!  Honestly, no doctor of anything EVER cured ANYBODY of ANYTHING.  Healing is a NORMAL, natural part of your design.

What do I mean when I say that “Chiropractic can help regardless of your diagnosis”?  Simply put, chiropractic is NOT a treatment for ANYTHING.  Yet, it’s good for EVERYTHING!

Chiropractic adjustments reduce stress on your nervous system.  Your nervous system controls EVERY function in your body.  Less stress on your nervous system, better function.  Better function, better health.  Better health, faster healing.  Better health, less NEED for healing.

So, find a chiropractor that accepts AL cases instead of one that merely treats limited conditions like back and neck pain.

All You Can Eat Chiropractic

Have you noticed the number of all-you-can-eat restaurants popping up all over the place?  You’d think the quality of food would be (let’s say) lacking.  In most places, though, the quality of food is pretty good while staying fresh and hot.  Oh yeah, those places always seem to be busy!

What would happen if your chiropractor (or other healthcare provider) offered a limited number of services and a reasonable (even low) price for unlimited care?  Here’s what.  You’d get better, more focused care in less time at a great value.  The other thing that would happen is that you’d see your chiropractor more often because you CAN!  Oh yeah, you’d experience the long-term benefits of regular adjustments, too!

It’s time for chiropractors (and ALL health providers) to take a second look at how they offer their services and be more transparent with their clientele.  The day of hiding behind their white coat and insurance reimbursement are all but gone.  Adapt or die.

The Nursing Home Hallway

By the time you reach my age, you’ve had hundreds of opportunities to visit family and/or friends in a nursing home.  I can’t think of a place that is more depressing that the nursing home.

There’s this image burned in my mind of walking down the hall amid all the wheelchairs occupied by sad, bent over little elderly folks trapped in a body and in a situation that they simply can’t escape.  As you make your way past, some reach out seemingly wanting a touch they’ve not received form a loved one in a long time, while others stare blankly though a drug-induced stuper.  Sometimes, you’ll see residents visiting with family members.  Unfortunately, far too many have become a burden on their families and have just been abandoned.

My heart aches every time I enter that realm.  I hate seeing suffering, especially in children and old folks.  I know there simply are some situation where grandma or grandpa may have a physical condition that must be monitored around the clock.  BUT, there simply has to be another way.  Some suffering just can’t be prevented.  But in my opinion, much of what I see in nursing homes surely can.

While I acknowledge the problems in nursing homes along with the costs, abuse and inefficiencies, my focus here is on keeping YOU out of them.  Most of the problems in nursing homes WON’T affect you IF you don’t need to be there in the first place!

If you’re one of those folks already betting against yourself by buying long-term care insurance, you’re probably not going to be interested in what I have to say.  You’ve already bought in to the notion that YOU will be one of those folks withering away in the hallway.  However, given that costs keep rising and insurance rarely covers everything you thought it did when you bought the policy, you might just read on.  Just in case.

Many people end up in the nursing home after years (or decades) of dutifully taking drugs prescribed by the doctors for various conditions.  There’s no use in going over the litany of drugs old folks take.  We’ve all seen folks with those little blue things marked for every day of the week and how they’ll spend a Sunday afternoon getting their “meds” ready for the next week.  Studies have shown that the typical American senior citizen takes and average of 12-15 different prescriptions.

The problem here is that EVERY drug has a “side effect”.  Many drugs are prescribed to counter the “side effects of another drug.  And since the way a drug works is to fool the body into thinking it has something it doesn’t or doesn’t have something it does, years (or decades) of this abuse will simply make a person dysfunctional, either mentally, physically or spiritually OR all combined.

What if you could start RIGHT NOW weaning yourself off drugs and move towards a healthy vital life?  What if you could be independent until your time comes to check out?  Wouldn’t you prefer THAT to wasting away in the nursing home hallway?

Here’s a better way.  If you’re taking medication for ANY condition, make your doctor explain WHY you’re taking a particular drug and how the drug works.  Educate yourself on the condition.  Begin TODAY working toward a more natural solution to your problem.  Also, begin TODAY learning more about how your body works and the principles of life.  Once you compare how you are SUPPOSED  to be with the way you’ve been told you are, you’re in a better position to make some sound decisions on your healthcare.

Another powerful strategy for better living is to seek out what is called a Principled chiropractor.  This is a special kind of chiropractor that will help you learn these principles of life while helping you remove a critical source of stress on how your body should function.  They also won’t run up expensive bills on therapy modalities of dubious value.  A clear nervous system combined with a less toxic body will help you live a better life NOW and help you avoid the nursing home hallway later.

Good health is NOT a coincidence or an accident.  It is deliberate.   It’s a decision you make and a plan that you follow.  Bad health is usually the result of an accumulation of bad decisions.

So, if you believe you’re on the wrong track, start turning the train around NOW.  You CAN!