Chiropractic Immunization Rob Jackson, DC The first thing that happens when most chiropractors read this headline is an instant visceral reaction. You are either for or against immunization. You have gone through the process of answering the question; „Are your shots up to date?¾ if you have school aged children. As valid as either side of this equation may be, I want to examine a far more dangerous problem infecting our profession. It¼s the immunization of our patients against chiropractic and the benefits of a healthy and wellness oriented lifestyle. That statement may confuse or emotionally charge some, but a more detailed look might reveal some of the truths behind such a bold comment. The premise behind immunizations or vaccinations is to introduce a small amount of an antigen or substance that will, hopefully, cause the body to react in such a way as to create a resistance to the very thing they were infected with. Polio, Pertusses, Diphtheria, and Flu are all examples of this concept. I won¼t digress into the actual reactions or problems that may arise from this procedure. Instead, I want to look at what happens when it is successful. The body actually becomes „immune¾ to the disease or antigen and the patient no longer needs to worry about the issue of cause. There is a problem over time when the effects wear off and the procedure needs to be repeated, but for the most part that is how the concept is supposed to work. I think a picture is beginning to form in most of our minds about how this applies to the chiropractic profession. If all we focus on with our new patients is pain management and symptomatic relief, we effectively „vaccinate¾ these patients against rehabilitative or wellness/elective forms of care. So many patients arrive in our offices with a medical „vaccination¾ model already in their minds. All we do when we „treat their symptom¾ is reinforce bad information. Chiropractic works and contemporary research shows that it is an excellent form of acute care case management. Patients achieve pain relief, their limited third party reimbursement pays a portion of the six visit protocol and then they leave thinking that their lower back or neck problems are „fixed¾ and will never need care again. If and when a relapse or an exacerbation occurs, most revert back to the expired and antiquated medical model that failed and drove them to our office in the first place. They revert back ! to a life numbed by over the counter pharmaceutical promises and they live a lifestyle diminished in its expression of real health. The biggest danger to our profession is not the diminishing third party reimbursement coverage that our patients don¼t know they have. It¼s the chiropractic profession allowing their patients to believe that this form of symptom relief is the only choice worth exploring. The imposing question is then: How do we prevent this contagious form of „disinformation¾ disease from infecting our offices and the minds of our patients? First, find a way to explain the fullness of chiropractic at your Report of Findings. This is an issue of confrontational tolerance but selling chiropractic short is the first thing we must stop! Providing contemporary documentation is an excellent way to help patients make the decisions that are appropriate for each individual situation. Quality patient communication is more about coaching than it is about selling. Second, provide this information without an emotional over- kill sales pitch. People want information. With the availability of the Internet and quality patient communication tools that exist today, forcing people into a buying decision they don¼t want to make is unnecessary. It¼s been said that people don¼t want to be sold, they just need help knowing what to buy. Take a true neutral position and explain all the options available regardless of who pays for them. If the patient chooses to stay under your care after they become asymptomatic, then GREAT! But if they don¼t, then that¼s okay too. At least they know the option exists and they are not vaccinated against the future. Finally, live a lifestyle congruent with the type of practice you want. If you don¼t get adjusted, exercise or take nutritional supplements, then neither will your patients. We have an opportunity to lead by providing the best in patient communication and by living that lifestyle that our patients want for themselves. Help patients truly decide for themselves how much chiropractic is optimum to enjoy the benefits of a truly healthy lifestyle.