If your patients are at all typical of the general U.S. adult population – at least when they first set foot in your office, technically not yet under your care – this is what you are seeing every day, and it's not always pretty picture in terms of their overall health and wellness:
In 1997, 68.5 percent of the adult population believed they had "excellent or very good health." Today, 66.1 percent of adults believe the same thing.5 The difference is that over the same period of time, the incidence of obesity has increased by 50 percent, the incidence of diabetes has almost doubled, and we have seen only a marginal (12 percent) increase in aerobic activity. Add to this the fact that on any day, one-third of the population eats fast food.6
Given this obviously unhealthy progression, how do almost two-thirds of adults still believe they have "excellent or very good health?"
If you look at where they are now, many of your patients have come to define their "good health" by progressively deteriorating standards. They are accepting excess weight gain, poor diet and the accompanying chronic diseases as a normal part of the aging process. They also are likely accepting the "necessity" of taking an ever-increasing list of drugs to help them "stay healthy" as they get older.
As the only health care provider who can see through this unhealthy self-deception, you have an obligation to be honest with each patient about their health. Chiropractic care goes a long way toward promoting wellness, but it can't completely overcome lack of fitness. Added pounds, loss of muscle tone and systemic inflammation will be the tyrants that bring on disease and a greater dependence on drugs.
Among the definitions of the word doctor is: "a learned or authoritative teacher." Teaching wellness is just as important as providing chiropractic care. This is especially true as your patients get older.
As they age, patients enter new chapters of their lives in which they find it harder to exercise and easier to be more sedentary. As they do less, it becomes harder to do more. Eventually, their quality of life is dictated by the drugs they take, rather than the healthy activities they should be pursuing.
As you see each patient this week, consider what their optimal health should look like. Ask them what they are doing to maintain their fitness. Inquire about their diet. Help them realize that by doing more, they could be much healthier and raise their quality of life.
It doesn't take much effort to help them redirect their future. You just have to unmask those unhealthy self-deceptions.
References
Read more findings on my blog: http://blog.toyourhealth.com/wrblog/. You can also visit me on Facebook.
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."
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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?
