The Best Remedy?
Remedy magazine recently published a negative article about the chiropractic profession (see "Report of My Findings," 1/27/97 issue of DC). Although some chiropractors responded calmly to this negative article, other DCs felt incited and infuriated enough to write blistering letters to the publication. Those letters are mentioned by Remedy Editor-in-Chief Valorie G. Weaver, in her response to a letter from National College of Chiropractic President James Winterstein, DC. Ms. Weaver writes:
"Regarding your recent letter concerning Remedy's feature on chiropractors ("What Chiropractors Are Really, Really Good At ..."), it was one of about 10 that we received (as well as two phone calls). Some were thoughtful, some furious; some attacked the article in general, others attacked various factions in chiropractic (these came from both sides). As a group, they made for lively, provocative reading."
After reading a negative article about the profession, it's good advice to take a few minutes to calm down, put things in perspective, and then work on a response which is documented with research and studies; that is factual and thoughtful, rather than attack-oriented or provoking. (For constructive tips on writing to the media, see Dr. Sportelli's article, "Why Writers Don't Write about Chiropractic," in the 2-24-97 issue of DC.)
