Just one week after Dr. Bakke's primary loss, Paul Phillips, DC, faced his primary in Washington state. And although a telephone poll only two months ago positioned him ahead of the other candidates, the final vote was sobering.
Dr. Phillips' race was particularly interesting because one of the three other candidates was a medical doctor. In the end, neither health care professional won.
A Washington state senator with four years of political experience and a large advertising budget took the day. Winning the election required four times the spending of Dr. Phillips and the chiropractic profession.
Dr. Phillips ran openly as a doctor of chiropractic. For his constituents, he stood for hard work and family values. During the campaign he often reminded his fellow DCs, "No one will look out for chiropractic like a chiropractor."
"We did everything we could do: rang doorbells, stood out on street corners and wrote letters," said an obviously disappointed Dr. Phillips. "We had everything we needed but money. Only 30 percent of the voters voted.
"With over 50,000 chiropractors, if every chiropractor had given us just $10, we would of had over $500,000 -- more than enough to win. As it was, we only received about $30,000 from the profession.
"Voters were very open to a chiropractor running for Congress. There was some real support for chiropractic. Out of the thousands of people we talked to, there wasn't one that didn't think that people should be able to go to chiropractors. That was one of the big issues, would we support people going to the health care provider of their choice."
Looking at the race, it seemed to come down to money. If the chiropractic profession is going to have a representative in Congress, Dr. Phillips insists that they will "have to step up to the plate and be counted."
References
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?
