"Yikes! You're a what?!?"

As a chiropractor, I spend a lot of time talking with people about what chiropractors do. I was at an event last weekend, meeting and greeting a wide variety of people and I was amazed by a few common themes that came up when I told people I was a chiropractor. So I've decided to address these themes in an honest, and hopefully entertaining way. The most common response was a visible "Yikes!" face...you know, the scrunched up face you instinctively make when you hear something disturbing or find something unpleasant while changing the baby's diaper. This was usually followed by some story about a bad chiropractic experience, either their own personal story or a heresay story about someones aunt's best friend's daughter-in-law. It got me wondering why there was so much bad mojo associated with chiropractors. I look at myself, a fairly normal, unintimidating person, honestly trying to help people feel better, and wonder, what's going on in the world of chiropractic, that we've become deserving of the "Yikes!" face. After digging a little deeper, I found that the most disliked attribute of chiropractors is that they "make" you come and see them FOREVER! It's like we're a cult...once you're in, you're ours FOR LIFE!!! I say that jokingly, but really, that's the perception. Apparently, no chiropractor has explained that making appointments is a choice. You choose to go. Now, I know there are offices out there selling pre-paid, all or nothing contracts that you do have to sign on the dotted line before they will even CONSIDER accepting you as a patient, but me, I prefer to have my patients there willingly, because they see the value of what I do, not because I have locked them into a financially binding contract. Now, do you benefit from going to see a chiropractor on a maintenance basis? Yes, since it's no different than going to the gym...the more committed you are to the process, the more benefits you'll see. But I also know people who are perfectly happy working out once a year and calling it good. I'm happy to see my patients either way! Also, I heard stories of chiropractors making claims of impressive improvements, despite the patient not feeling any better and insisting they continue care. Now I will most likely be tarred and feathered by my colleagues for even mentioning the patient's perception of pain as an indication of improvement, but realistically speaking, are you going to trust the auto mechanic who tells you your car is definitely running smoother despite the fact that the loud, clunking noise you took it in for is still there? No. I do need to qualify my analogy with the disclaimer that the human body is NOT a mechanical machine like a car, so there is a "time" component to making actual improvements in pain and how you feel. Most of us are aware that cuts to the skin don't heal instantly and bruises don't disappear overnight, but they do improve over time, so I expect symptoms to improve over time. So at the risk of being disowned from my profession, I'm going to ask you if you're feeling better. If not and a reasonable amount of time has passed, I'm going to help you find someone who can help. I don't have all the answers, I can't solve all the problems of the world, but I can be an honest chiropractor and that's what I'm choosing to do. Wish me luck, and if you'll excuse me, the baby just woke up and it smells like time for me to go practice my "Yikes!" face.