This 20-minute video is a slick, well-designed introduction to chiropractic. It costs $199 for the VHS version, $215 for DVD version, and compares favorably to anything in a similar price range.
The tape is enthusiastic and uses great graphics reminiscent of the work of Leroy Neiman, who painted sports scenes in vivid colors. It takes normal footage, often in black and white, and increases the color intensity and contrast, creating a type of electronic painting. The narrator gives a dramatic introductory lecture featuring a background that is mildly electronically psychedelic. The tape uses excellent graphics to support the dialogue, which discusses how chiropractic works; how other practitioners are trying to practice chiropractic; preventative versus sickness care; and many other topics. The underlying theme throughout is simple: why everyone needs to get checked out by a chiropractor.
This tape gets a 10. The bottom line is that after watching it, I was reminded of the excitement being a chiropractor generates. Sometimes we get weighed down by insurance certification, patient peccadilloes, office politics, etc., and forget our mission. This tape will rekindle your purpose. It can be used in your office, or by lending it out to potential patients. Either way, it hits the mark. Hollywood does not often portray what we do, and many professions are more lucrative, but no one does more important work over a lifetime. Winston Churchill once said that you make a living by what you make, but you make a life by what you give. It sure is nice to be reminded.
Dr. Savoie's rating:
10 out of 10
If you have authored, published or produced a book, audio or video package that is chiropractic-oriented, educational, nonpromotional and written or produced in a professional manner, and would like it reviewed in Dynamic Chiropractic, please send two copies of the book, video or audiocassette to:
Lynda Bloemke Dynamic Chiropractic P.O. Box 4109 Huntington Beach, California 92605-4109
While cervical disc pathology can unquestionably produce radiculopathy, many patients presenting with arm pain, paresthesia or perceived weakness do not exhibit the clinical behavior of true nerve-root compromise. In these cases, failure to differentiate the primary pain generator may lead to unnecessary spinal injections, nerve ablation procedures or surgical consultation despite limited likelihood of benefit.
The New Jersey Board of Chiropractic Examiners has made a precedential decision, concurring with the Association of New Jersey Chiropractors' (ANJC) position paper on chiropractic X-ray guidelines. In plain terms, the board ruled, consistent with the ANJC position, that insurance companies cannot use medical X-ray rules or recommendations, like those written by the American College of Radiology (ACR), to decide whether a chiropractor's X-ray was necessary.
For decades, chiropractors have been told the answer to more professional referrals is simple: educate medical doctors about chiropractic. There is some truth in that advice; but it is also incomplete. The modern challenge is not simply getting another healthcare professional to know that chiropractors exist. It is becoming the kind of clinician (and building the kind of professional relationship) that makes collaboration easy and sustainable.
