How Do You Do The Voodoo That You Do?

I was at a networking meeting a few weeks ago when a friend of mine said something that caught my attention. In short, he mentioned that Chiropractic was, simply put, voodoo. Now, I had the opportunity right then and there to set him straight but since I like to mull things over a bit to really understand what people are saying, I chose to let it slide while preparing a response to let the world know this: As A Chiropractor …I get why he would say that.

See the reality is that Chiropractic isn’t widely understood by the public (mostly because the message amongst practitioners can be so varied). This is due to 3 key reasons:

1. Misinformation spread by those who seek to get rid of Chiropractic (unfortunately that’s still a thing)
2. Chiropratic’s use of advance neurological theories in its practice
3. The inability of a growing percentage of practitioners to properly explain Chiropractic

So let’s break each one of these reasons into nice digestible sections that are easy on the eyes, the mind, and the heart.

Misinformation

In all of the “fake news” weaving its way through the public eye in the past few years, it’s not a surprise to see multi-billion dollar industries unhappy that a profession such as Chiropractic helping people to heal faster and more optimally, and in turn doing their best to jump into the fake news arena. There have been multiple crafted “attacks” on Chiropractic in order to stop its successful spread and keep board members happy. Sounds crazy right? It sounded crazy back in the 1980’s as well, until an investigation and court case uncovered just that: An agenda and targeted attack against the Chiropractic profession brought on by the American Medical Association. It’s unfortunate that there are actually people out there that care more about profits than they do the health of the world but hey that’s why we have classes in things like morals, ethics, and how to treat people …right?

The Neurology

This topic is insanely fun (if you’re into neurology and the human condition). For others it simply doesn’t click and that is completely ok. That’s why I’m here.

Chiropractic has had such a large burst in utilization over the past few years because advancements in the understanding of how the body adapts has provided Chiropractic with evidence to support the claims we have made over the last 124 years. This is largely due to the emergence of supported theories such as Dysafferentation theory and Polyvagal Theory. Both of these involve the way the body adapts to incoming changes in its internal as well as external environment and how this can illicit changes in every aspect of the human body. These are truly amazing viewpoints when viewed through the Chiropractic lens

The Problem With Practitioners

This section in actuality sheds light to a problem in the very DNA of the Chiropractic profession. The vicious cycle works like this:

A person goes to a Chiropractor who performs complementary therapies such as nutrition, Physical Therapy, Massage, Acupuncture, or any number of other therapies. This person now understands Chiropractic to be all or some of those things. They attend school in order to perform the therapies they feel “healed them”. They have the misconception that the therapies, which were used to help with the short term pain, was responsible for their health, not realizing it was the Chiropractic adjustment and self healing capabilities of the human body that did the trick. This person then graduates and opens a practice based upon the therapies they were drawn to, thus diluting what Chiropractic is. This is then perpetuated in a vicious cycle all over the world. To be blunt: it is cancerous.

Fortunately, and with advancements in both knowledge and tech, we have more accuracy, better results, and a higher level of explanation than ever before within Chiropractic.

Chiropractic is the study of the innate capabilities of the human body, its potential, and how we can help to optimize it. Because of this, Chiropractic has helped millions of people live happier, healthier lives. We will continue to seek answers to some of the most difficult questions in healthcare. We will continue to dominate the field, and we will continue to provide hope to those who need it most.

-Dr. Casey Sanders