Thursday, July 5, 2007

The Ideal Chiropractic Patient

There is nothing more satisfying that finishing a day of work, knowing that I have given my clients my focused attention and care, that they have returned to their families and can live a more fulfilling life because they feel at their best.

As a doctor, I will take you on time, and try not to eat a garlic and onion sandwich first thing in the morning. As my client, here are the things you can do to get the most out of your Chiropractic care

1. Arrive on Time: At my last annual eye exam, the Optometrist made me wait an hour before he took me into his office. I did not appreciate that as a patient, as I feel that both the doctor's time and the patient's time has value.
If you come on time, I will take you on time. If you arrive a few minutes early, I will try to leave the waiting time to a minimum, and that depends mostly on the person who came before you.
If you arrive late, you will have less time with me, as I do not wish to make the person after you wait.

2. Keep Whining to the Necessary Minimum: Remember that pain is a symptom, and the purpose of Chiropractic care is to arrive at a point of optimal functioning and well-ness, by realigning the spine and the resulting compensation throughout your body. I will ask you what you are feeling subjectively, and I encourage you to give me feedback as the treatment goes on.
I will not encourage you to focus on pain, because it will slow down your improvement.

3. Commit: I have been receiving Chiropractic care from my father since I was a child, as I believe that my body is my responsibility, and that I must do everything I can to live to a ripe old age in the best physical and mental situation possible. The care I give you is only a piece of the puzzle, you live with your body every day, 24/7, and it is the choices you make when you are not in my office that will most affect your progress.
Take responsibility for your body, treat it nicely as the receptacle for your soul, and as part of that, commit to Chiropractic care joyously and willingly.

4. Respect the Treatment: If you do not want to get better, if you do not trust the intention of the treatment, your body will tense up and you will do yourself more harm than good. Chiropractic works because your body has an Innate Intelligence to repair itself; as your doctor I "cure" nothing, rather I give your body instructions and release any interference that my prevent you from feeling well.
Respect your body, it knows what it is doing., and know that above all, to quote Hippocrates, I will do no harm. Remember also that Chiropractic, like any other medical approach, does not claim to be a miracle "quick-fix," it will take more than one treatment before you feel radically different.

5. Pay on Time: You would not walk into a supermarket, eat a loaf of bread, and tell the manager that you will pay for the bread next week. You would most definitely not like to be told that your boss will pay when he feels like it. And the dog did not eat your checkbook.
Unless you have worked out a specific arrangement, paying on time tells the doctor that you appreciate and respect the work he/she has done, and everyone feels better.

6. Do Your Homework: When I give you suggestions about diet, exercise, ergonomic changes in the office or stress reduction at home, it is your choice to follow through, or not. It is your body, and the choice is 100% up to you. I can tell you not only from my own experience but also from the research, that a person who combines Chiropractic care with healthier living and exercise will get better faster.
Next time you come in, don't tell me that "it isn't working," if you have not done your part. This is a partnership, rather than a Band-Aid approach.

7. Refer Your Friends: My goal is to give you a higher body awareness and balance, so that you can avoid problems before they start. It would be my pleasure to have you come for preventative care, not because you are hurting but because you want to keep yourself in a state of health and well being.
When I have helped you, refer your friends and family. Let them receive the benefit of the care that you have enjoyed. I have treated whole families, from the baby who was just born (chronic ear infections, colic) to the working Mom and Dad, to their 90 year old grandfather; each with their own individual approach.

Don't you want to give your family and friends the opportunity to understand and communicate with their bodies, and to experience vitality on a daily basis?

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