HAPPY GIVING THANKS.

As I sit here contemplating this particular Thanksgiving week with all the craziness in the world AND in America, I realize there is much for ME to give thanks.

I was born a free man in the United States of America, a nation maligned by many who take so much for granted. For all that America has been blamed, it still has done more to improve the life of hundreds of millions of people around the World. It is STILL the place where the World seeks refuge and opportunity.
I was born a Southerner. As such, I was taught manners, respect for women, strength of character, duty, honor, to protect the weak and to love my country.

I am thankful for the United States military. Military service gave a young man discipline and direction when it was much needed. It also allowed me to earn a college education and the chance to be more than what my past had prepared me.

I have been blessed to have finally realized my calling and purpose of serving God by serving my fellow man as a chiropractor focused on freeing people’s locked potential for expressing life, health, happiness and prosperity. I get to help babies, kids, families and individuals in all walks of life. It’s also a great avenue for sharing the message of a bigger Design for people’s life and potential. I’m a crazy chiropractor and that is awesome!

I have two great kids who are smart, productive and who love their parents. They understand their potential and want to make the World a better place in their own ways.

Finally, I’m grateful to have been pulled from a morass of despair and hopelessness by a Loving God who set me free to be me. I have found in the darkest of times that His Grace is sufficient and gives me a peace in the midst of any storm.

Oh yeah. I am grateful for the many friends I have who tolerate my sometimes weird sense of humor, my Conservative political philosophy.

HAPPY GIVING THANKS!

Why taxpayers should be PISSED OFF about Chiropractic education.

I try not to use coarse language in my writings.  And, there are just some words I won’t use.  Period.  But, as a taxpayer and chiropractor who loves what I do and why I do it, I’m simply pissed off at chiropractic education.  And, you should be, too!

Most Americans perception of chiropractors as drugless, non-surgical providers of relief from back pain.  And while chiropractic is definitely MUCH more than a non-Medical alternative to dealing with neuromuscular problems, we’ll just work with what the general public thinks we are, for now.  The one thing the virtually everyone even slightly familiar with the term “chiropractic” is that it deals with the spine…and is drugless and non-surgical.

Another thing the American public is generally aware of is that chiropractors (as a group) have a terrible self-image and often claim that “we’re REAL doctors, too!”   And, this Napoleon Complex permeates almost every aspect of my profession.  Worst of all, in the education of new chiropractors.

What the American public is probably NOT aware of is that the average chiropractic student graduates with over $200,000 in student loan debt AND that chiropractors default on student loans more than ALL other health professions COMBINED.  One of the reasons for this incredible default rate is that  the AVERAGE has an annual income of less than $100,000.  That just means that the American taxpayer is typically on the hook for  over a hundred grand for every chiropractic student that enters practice.

One of the reasons for all this is that chiropractic education is ruled by ONE accrediting agency who (in the absence of competition) requires that every chiropractic student learn more about Medicine than chiropractic.  As a result, new chiropractors can barely adjust, much less know what to adjust and not adjust and why!  And, the Medical education they receive they can’t legally use in most states in which they could practice.

As I stated in the beginning of this article, as an American taxpayer I’m really pissed off that my tax dollars are being wasted on teaching Medicine to chiropractic students.  I would every taxpayer who is also bothered by this to contact their Congressman and Senators and demand that the Department of Education pull in the reins on the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) and take a serious look at how we are funding chiropractic education.  The only folks benefiting from the fiasco known as chiropractic education are those institutions who benefit from heavy student loan subsidies and those practitioners billing for services that could be done better by other professionals.

It’s time to slow down the train wreck also known as chiropractic education.

Chiropractic Education to Pose New Threat to Public Health with New Proposal

The Council on Chiropractic Education, the monopoly accrediting authority for the chiropractic profession, is about to adopt new rules that could pose a real threat the well-being of millions of Americans.  The CCE has decided to use the power granted it (under false pretenses) to turn the entire chiropractic profession into an unwieldy group of “not quite Medical Doctors” and loose on an unsuspecting public.

For over 115 years, chiropractic has been a drugless, non-surgical natural remedy for many ailments that haven’t responded to traditional treatment.  Over the last 30 years, CCE has sneaked its way into allopathic medicine so subtly that only traditional chiropractors have recognized the push.  And, they’ve done it in the most unscrupulous way.  By pretending to be the watch guard over chiropractic to ensure its graduates are fully trained and capable of safely serving the public, CCE has actually used that authority to wield an iron fist over anyone in the profession who dared oppose their agenda.

In 2001, the organization was so bold, it stripped the largest chiropractic school in the world of its accreditation status to mute its founder and stop the flow of new students that wanted to enter the profession because of what it was designed to do from its onset.  Only a ruling by Federal judge, Charles Moye, that CCE would probably lose its case in Federal court kept it from succeeding.

Few people know (and CCE will NEVER tell) that the vast majority of chiropractic students attend a mere handful of chiropractic schools.  Those few schools are those that embrace and teach the founding principles of the chiropractic profession.  In other words, the consumers of chiropractic education have shown with their dollars, their time and their lives that THEY want to be involved in a drugless, non-surgical profession dedicated to serving Mankind in a natural way.

Everyone knows about the problem with student loan default rates among graduates of chiropractic school over the last 30 years.  What we’re seeing is the result of an education that is hardly relevant to the practice of chiropractic being financed by Federal student loans to thousands of students, some who can’t even use much of the education they (and you, the American taxpayer) have paid for.  Isn’t 30 years of leading all health professions in student loan default rates sufficient evidence that CCE has not only failed in its missions to ensure quality chiropractic education but to also protect the American public AND taxpayer?

Now on top of quadrupling the cost of and education that serves neither the profession nor the public, the Council on Chiropractic Education has decided that it should literally remove the essence of chiropractic principles from the very profession it claims to protect.  In its proposed revised guidelines, CCE wants to remove the concept of nerve interference and any reference to “drugless, non-surgical” from its lexicon.  Obviously, the intention is to begin re-shape the profession into something NO chiropractor ever imagined they’d be or ANY chiropractic patient would ever use.  CCE would have chiropractors diagnosing medical condition, prescribing drugs and doing minor surgery.

CCE has accomplished much of its dirty work with subtle (?) nods from both the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards (FCLB) and national Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) as informal co-conspirators in this dangerous veer toward Medicine.

I love being a chiropractor. I chose to be a chiropractor and NOT a Medical Doctor.  Their job is difficult enough.  Imagine if you will one day having 60,000 chiropractors turned loose thinking and serving as “not quite” MDs.  Some might do well.  Honestly, there are probably a few chiropractors that preferred to be MDs that just could not get in to medical school that would still make great MDs.  But, imagine the tens of thousands that would eventually be granted those privileges that should not have those privileges and could not handle them if granted.

The Council on Chiropractic Education with its proposed changes threatens both the chiropractic profession and American public.  Drastic measures should be taken by the profession, obviously.   But, the public should get involved and contact their Congressman and Senators.  They should also contact the US Dept. of Education to complain about CCE and encourage DOE to remove CCE’s status and either replace it with one without an agenda or, at least, allow another agency to offer an alternative to those schools that choose to offer chiropractic education consistent with both chiropractic principles and the consumers who demand THAT education.

The hearing on CCE’s status is in Washington, DC.  To contact appropriate staff at the US Dept. of Education, follow this link: http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2010/12/23/2010-32351/national-advisory-committee-on-institutional-quality-and-integrity-notice-of-members

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.

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.

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.

Why Chiropractic Education Sucks!

It’s overpriced, overrated and fails to prepare practitioners for the reality of chiropractic practice.

Now, that’s gonna leave a mark!  I can hear it now from the chiropractic colleges, from the accrediting authority, the national associations and hundreds (maybe thousands) of chiropractors around the country.  Sadly, though, it’s true.

Don’t get me wrong.  chiropractic students learn ALOT in their three and a half years of professional school.  The problem is that much of it is simply the wrong stuff.  Granted,anyone whose profession deals with the human body should be well educated in the sciences and a significant understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the body.  With that part of the program, I have no problem, whatsoever.

My beef with the education being foisted on fledgling chiropractors is that it is way too heavy in medical diagnosis and way too light on the art, science and philosophy of chiropractic.  I’d venture to say that the bulk of new chiropractors see themselves as “drugless medical doctors” specializing in the treatment of musculoskeletal ailments.  Very few chiropractic schools even teach the principles on which the profession was founded, specifically that vitalistic understanding that chiropractic is about what is RIGHT with a person’s health and how to restore HEALTH instead of fighting disease and ailments like our medical counterparts.

Further, through political prowess, monopoly power and intimidation, the profession’s sole accrediting authority has made chiropractic so expensive that few graduating chiropractors can achieve even moderate success.  Some chiropractors are now graduating with a debt load of almost a quarter of a million dollars.  Even worse is the fact that in most states, much of what chiropractors are taught in school is ILLEGAL for them to practice without a medical license.  So what often happens is that the chiropractor is forced to add all sorts of modalities to his/her practice rendering it so eclectic that no one knows what they heck they really do.  Many DCs find themselves chasing ambulances and personal injury attorneys or prostituting themselves to run up insurance bills again like some of our medical brethren.

Look, chiropractic in its purest form is very simple to practice but has very wide implications.  Practitioners could be properly trained in a year’s less time of professional school and without much of the burdensome prerequisites.  A thorough understanding of  the body; its  structure and function; the proper application of chiropractic analysis, technique and philosophy; and sound business practices and ethics would better equip the doctor of chiropractic to succeed in practice from the beginning.

Given the uncertain nature of the status quo in the American healthcare system, the doctor of chiropractic must be able to practice in a cash only, retail environment instead of dependent on third party reimbursement.  Tomorrow’s chiropractor must understand what chiropractic CAN DO and what the chiropractor should NOT do.  They should FULLY understand and respect the difference between the MD and DC.  Failure to properly prepare future chiropractors for the reality of practice AND economic realities of the market will cause student load default rates that could cause the closing of several chiropractic colleges AND affect the amount of student loan money available to chiropractic students.

One added benefit of a more narrow focus of chiropractic education would be a better, clearer branding of the profession so that the public knows EXACTLY what ANY chiropractor is trained to do.  Simply put, the chiropractor will understand that their role would be to help people restore their health and maintain it simply by removing a significant source of stress on their nervous system.

Gloom and Doom Are For Sissies!

Because of my banking and real estate background, I have an opportunity to consult with chiropractors about their business.

I was working with a particular chiropractor today on negotiating the lease for her new practice. The negotiations had gone well with some excellent concessions on the perfect location for her business. That’s when she started to doubt herself. Apparently, she had heard on the news that the economy was SO bad that there was a 12 month supply of empty office space on the market.  “Should I rethink even starting a practice now?”

While I’m aware of the state of the economy, you should be VERY leery of blanket statements about how bad things are. There is NEVER a better time to start a new business or make the right investment than in a recession, ESPECIALLY a deep recession like this one. Certainly, there are LOTS of empty buildings and space for lease and there are lots of folks going out of business and layoffs and lions and tigers and bears! Oh my! HOWEVER, in the midst of all the bad news there is lots of GOOD NEWS!

Sure, there IS plenty of empty space and folks are going out of business and there are layoffs. BUT, look at it from another perspective. For THIS particular chiropractor, there was only a FEW places that would work for her. The space we found was the PERFECT size in the PERFECT location with a MOTIVATED landlord and LOWER RENT than should EVER have been able to find just a year ago! Furthermore, there is an abundance of highly qualified folks willing to work for almost anything just to have some income.

So, before you buy into the gloom and doom of the recession, understand that it creates great opportunities for small businesses to flourish. So, get to work seeking, even creating great opportunities for yourself TODAY!

My Thoughts on the Swine Flu

A friend asked me recently what I thought about the pending Swine Flu panic and the vaccine which has YET to be “developed”.

While I believe ANY vaccination should be a personal choice based on FULL informed consent, I do have  a personal opinion on the matter.  Here’s my feeling on it.

• First, the human body is a self-healing, self-regulating organism.   I think we’re designed to resist ANY and ALL pathogens. A healthy immune system needs no help from an experimental concoction.
• Second,  I was around during the LAST Swine Flu “panic” in the 70’s.  The shot killed more people than the flu!
• Third, I don’t trust the Government, PHARMA or the Medical Industrial Complex. Anytime the Government tries to work up a frenzy of fear to motivate the masses to action, I slow down, back up and usually turn and run.
• Fourth, we have never vaccinated our kids. I understand the vaccination dogma and simply don’t buy it. Our kids don’t buy it. We feel like we actually put our kids at greater risk by injecting them with both fear and who-knows-what in the vaccine.
• Fifth, as a chiropractor, I understand the concept of ADAPTABILITY. A single cell virus, supposedly THAT virile, will mutate very rapidly and ANY vaccine will be virtually worthless.
• Finally, I believe this thing (IF ITS real) will make several rounds through the populace. By being exposed to it early, we develop natural and stronger immunity.

In the end, whether you vaccinate or NOT has to be YOUR decision. But, just know that you were made in the likeness and image of the Creator of ALL life – strong, healty and powerful. Make a rational decision based on knowledge and principle NOT fear.

What can chiropractic mean to you? A personal Declaration of Independence!

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” One of the most powerful statements ever uttered by Man are these few words found in our own Declaration of Independence.In addition to its profound meaning for our nation and as the guidepost for freedom for all peoples of this planet, it’s also a reminder that we (you, me and all of Mankind) were Designed to be great, healthy, strong, free from fear and able to pursue happiness in your life in all its’ forms.

How sad that in a society of affluence and almost magical technology, way too many folks live in fear of sickness, disease and infirmity. In our so-called advanced society, we’ve created a disease for every drug. We’re taught to fear life itself! So, we begin early living life as though it were a virtual mine field. This causes that and that cause this. So-called “scientific” research validates drugs that kill thousands while offering limited relief for those grasping for even an ounce of hope.

BUT, there IS hope for a suffering and searching Mankind. Chiropractic, the profession hidden by many’s focus on back pain, has been offering freedom to millions of Americans and peoples around the world for over 110 years. In its purest form, the proper application of chiropractic principles helps your body function closer to your own God-given potential for health. Sometimes, it happens with a single adjustment. Sometimes, it happens in layers like removing husks from an ear of corn. Eventually, as you’ve pulled back all the husks, you find the fresh sweet goodness inside.

As we approach our country’s Independence Day, I urge you to declare your won independence from fear of sickness and infirmity. Start pulling back those husks and seeing God’s Glory manifest in your own life. Pursue your potential in strength, love and joy and you’ll find your fears falter and fall behind. Sooner than you can imagine, they’ll fade into the distant past.

May God bless you in all your trials and tribulations but also in His Glory manifested in YOUR life!