Have you ever noticed that while we doctors of chiropractic have many natural enemies, we have almost no allies? An MD, for instance, has several allies: hospitals, drug companies, magazines that get pharmaceutical advertising dollars, and so on. Think for a moment. Who are our allies? Our patients, yes, but beyond that? Vitamin salesmen?
Our best allies in the world are overlooked, underrated and underutilized. They are us, our professional colleagues, men and women with whom we share the indescribable, mystical experience of turning on life in the human body. Only another doctor of chiropractic can have the same indescribable thrill of that microsecond when life is turned back on. No one else knows what a chiropractor knows; no one else feels that special chiropractic magic that keeps us animated and fighting for our most noble cause.
If you are a young doctor or student, don't be put off if you find your contemporaries sometimes bristly, bumptious or contradictory. Do your best to find common ground with them. It is always there, and they will always be your friends and colleagues. Often doctors find that other chiropractors who were once antagonistic later become fast friends, once the splendor of the profession's common ground is recognized.
If you are an established doctor, you must reach out and dissolve the dangerous, artificial isolation between yourself and your colleagues. We need to come closer to each other. How easy it is to pick up the phone and invite one or two of your colleagues to lunch at a nice restaurant! It develops ties of friendship and is a source of mutual spiritual power.
It is always amazing to realize what fine, caring individuals most doctors of chiropractic are. Because no single person has all the answers, we have a lot to offer each other. Being together, we empower each other with bonds that transcend technique, association membership, or any other association you care to mention.
What would happen if next week, every chiropractic doctor in this country made a point of lunching and socializing with one, two or three colleagues? Do you think that we would supercharge this wonderful profession in this way?
These are my meditations on why I like chiropractors. I hope the reader will find some value and something that will be helpful to them and our profession.
Paul Tuthill, DC
Grand Rapids, Michigan
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
