Simplify and improve your X-ray review, which usually extends your report of findings five or ten minutes, and is utterly incomprehensible to your patient, no matter how easy you make it. First, he suggests that instead of standing at the viewbox and launching into a spew of technical jargon, apply the Socratic method -- ask questions to elicit responses from the patient. Try putting a normal lateral cervical on the viewbox next to the patient's film, and ask the patient to compare them. "This is a picture of your neck from the side, and next to it is a normal picture of the same area. What differences do you notice between the two films?" Then you wait patiently, and resist the impulse to dive in. The patient may say something like, "Mine is darker." You say, "Good, that's right, you are thinner than this other person, so his film came out lighter. Good! Look at the bones in the middle of the film - what do you see"?" Point to the curve of the normal film. The patient may say, "The normal film has a curve, and mine is straight." Say, "Good, that's right, a normal neck has a curve to the front, and your neck has lost its curve. What else do you see? Look at the spaces between the bones." Now the patient is feeling more confident, and says, "Well, these bones here at the bottom, the spaces are smaller on my film." Shake the patient's hand and say, "Exactly right. Because of the lost curve, the lower part of your neck is showing signs of wear and tear, and the discs are getting thinner. I'm so glad we took these pictures, because they confirm that you're in the right place." When someone asks this patient what the chiropractor said, instead of a blank stare or worse, the patient says, "I lost the curve in my neck, and the wear and tear is making the discs thinner, and the chiropractor can help." In less time than your typical radiological report, you've created much better understanding. Esteb has loads of great wall charts and posters, pamphlets, and creative props that will pump up your patient compliance. Contact him at www.patientmedia.com and take a look -- it'll make your practice busier and your life easier.