Chiropractic Cash Only Practice

𝗜 𝗪𝗮𝘀 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹. 𝗜 𝗪𝗮𝘀 𝗪𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗪𝗵𝘆.

Last year I told you email was the Yellow Pages. Stick a fork in it. I stand by the call. I don't stand by my evidence.

I quoted 98% open rates for texts against 25% for email. Those two numbers were never in the same race. Nobody can measure whether a human read a text. The phone lights up and that counts as an "open." Meanwhile Apple started auto-opening emails before your patient ever touched them, which is why reported email opens now land between 43% and 55%. 𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗨𝗣 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Here's the number that's clean. Clicks. Global email click-through is about 3.7%. Text click-through in the Americas is about 22%. 𝗡𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁. Nobody can argue with that one.

Now the part that stings. 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽. For the first time in five years, revenue per text sent has flattened. Text lists now run north of 40% the size of email lists. The patient who opts in this year is less responsive than the one who opted in during the plandemic. 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟬. Still better. No longer free money.

So here's what you do Monday:
Send 2 to 4 texts a month. Not more. Practices sending over 8 a month watch their opt-out rate DOUBLE. Healthcare has the lowest opt-out rate in America at 0.21% per send, because our people actually want to hear from us. 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. KISS.

Keep it between 100 and 140 characters. Quit writing newsletters in a text box.

Segment by behavior. The folks who haven't been in for 90 days get a different message than your Tuesday regulars. That alone lifts click-through 47%. You already know who's missing. 𝗦𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠.

Then get ahead of what's coming, because nobody in chiropractic is talking about this. 𝗶𝗢𝗦 𝟮𝟲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀. Texts are getting the same filter that killed email. RCS is the answer. Your name, your logo, a verified badge instead of a random 10-digit number, real read receipts, and buttons built right into the message. Read rates run 73% to 92%. People are 35 times more likely to read one than an email.

Now here's the part your vendor probably hasn't read. Google's RCS business terms don't permit protected health information. No medical data. That's the real reason nobody in healthcare has moved yet, and it's the objection a sharp doc is going to throw at me the second he finishes this article.

He'd be wrong. Look at what you'd actually be sending. A storm closing. A reactivation text to the folks who drifted away. A review request. New hours. 𝗡𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗛𝗜, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱. Reminders stay on plain SMS where they belong. Everything else, the stuff that actually builds the practice, RCS can carry right now.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆. Being a text won't be enough. Being a verified, branded text from a Chiroprac-TOR they already trust is what survives.

Practically, keep the EHR that runs your practice well and bolt a real communication layer on top of it. Aloha, Weave and Emitrr all do two-way texting, reminders, reactivation and review requests for a few hundred a month. None of them advertise RCS yet. So ask the salesman one question and listen carefully. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗣𝗛𝗜 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝗣𝗛𝗜 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗠𝗦 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗖𝗦, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻? If he has no idea what you're talking about, walk out. He's selling you 2019.

Last thing, and it matters more than every number above it. 𝗡𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰-𝗧𝗜𝗖. A text never adjusted anybody. Automation can't Give Love Serve. My people open my texts because they know the man on the other end has put his hands on their spine and told them the truth for 34 years.

Technology carries the message. It can't build the trust. But if you're still shipping your message down a dead channel, everything you built inside your one-mile circle is sitting unread in an inbox nobody opens.

𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗴𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆'𝙨 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙚.

In Health and Faith, Jay

PS- What service are YOU using to text your patients? Are you happy with them? What do you pay per month? Do you know if they have an RCS plan going forward? Thanks in advance for sharing.

𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐃?

I recently saw a post I wanted to share...

Dave Ramsey repost:

𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐍𝐎 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐒:
A cashless society means no cash. Zero. It doesn’t mean mostly cashless and you can still use a ‘wee bit of cash here & there’. Cashless means fully digital, fully traceable, fully controlled. I think those who support a cashless society aren’t fully aware of what they are asking for. A cashless society means:

* If you are struggling with your mortgage on a particular month, you can’t do an odd job to get you through.
* Your child can’t go & help the local farmer to earn a bit of summer cash.
* No more cash slipped into the hands of a child as a good luck charm or from their grandparent when going on holidays.
* No more money in birthday cards.
* No more piggy banks for your child to collect pocket money & to learn about the value of earning.
* No more cash for a rainy day fund or for that something special you have been putting $20 a week away for.
* No more little jobs on the side because your wages barely cover the bills or put food on the table.
* No more charity collections.
* No more selling bits & pieces from your home that you no longer want/need for a bit of cash in return.
* No more cash gifts from relatives or loved ones.
What a cashless society does guarantee:
* Banks have full control of every single penny you own.
* Every transaction you make is recorded.
* All your movements & actions are traceable.
* Access to your money can be blocked at the click of a button when/if banks need ‘clarification’ from you which will take about 3 weeks, a thousand questions answered & five thousand passwords.
* You will have no choice but to declare & be taxed on every dollar in your possession.
* The government WILL decide what you can & cannot purchase.
* If your transactions are deemed in any way questionable, by those who create the questions, your money will be frozen, ‘for your own good’.

Forget about cash being dirty. Stop being so easily led. Cash has been around for a very, very, very long time & it gives you control over how you trade with the world. It gives you independence.

If you are a customer, pay with cash. If you are a shop owner, remove those ridiculous signs that ask people to pay by card. Cash is a legal tender, it is our right to pay with cash. Banks are making it increasingly difficult to lodge cash.

Please open your eyes. Please stop believing everything you are being told. Almost every single topic in today’s world is tainted with corruption & hidden agendas.

Pay with cash & please say no to a cashless society while you still have the choice.

Copy and paste to your page if you like! Posted from a friend…. I agree 💯

𝗜'𝗺 𝗦𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆
This morning I did something I do every so often. I went to the website of a Chiropractor I've admired for years, and still do, for how long he followed my lead back when I was primarily a non-therapeutic Chiropractor running a Box On The Wall practice. He still offers BOTW or GPC to this day. But this morning I saw that he's added other things to his practice. Therapeutic things. And somehow 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲.

Not because he let me down. That's not it at all. Standing there looking at his site, I realized something that stung far worse. 𝗜 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁.

I'm the one who took the box off the wall. I'm the one who slowly removed the membership, then the packages, and moved to a higher fee, lower volume practice. I did all of it for what I thot were the right reasons. I was salvaging my own health by decreasing the volume and the physical damage to my body, and 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲.

I know those changes helped other Chiropractors strengthen their business hand and bring it into some balance with their service hand. I stand by that. But it wasn't until this morning that I understood what it must have done to this Chiropractor's heart when his mentor abandoned the very system that resonated with him, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱.

And it didn't stop there. I built a Vibroacoustic therapy chair in my office and offered it to patients as an extra service. It only lasted a few months, and today the only person that chair serves is me during lunch. But he had to watch that too. It was an attempt to provide another mode of care and make a little money as a side hustle in the office. Truly, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, and it took me further from my goals instead of toward them.

I'm sure plenty of Chiropractors reading along in the Chiropractic Cash Only Practice felt the same way when they found a supplements page on my website with links to FullScript, Standard Process and AG1. They concluded I was no longer non-therapeutic in my approach. And they got that same sinking feeling I got this morning when I realized 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆.

So why does this happen? Was the strict non-therapeutic practice just a noble cause we followed until we looked up between patients, caught our breath, and saw another way of living with less pain and sacrifice and more comfort and reward? And before you jump on me, hear this. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗶𝘀. And reward isn't negative either. We're running a business, not a charity.

Why do we slip into doing other things? I can only speak for myself. My reasons have been boredom, physical pain from seeing ultra-high volume, the quest for more income, the belief that the other things would help me serve my patients better, and yes, sometimes 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘄𝗶𝗺 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿. Just being honest.

But still, when someone we look up to falls down a peg or two or three, it can hurt. I know that over the years I've slipped and fallen down more than a few pegs myself, and I wasn't quiet about any of it. 𝗜 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗯 𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻, right here in front of all of you.

So when I fell, and did it publicly, I want you to know something. 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆.

This life has been quite a ride. I've scaled the highest mountaintops in our profession and I've fallen off cliffs and lived to talk about it while walking through the lowest valleys afterward. If one of those very public falls caused your heart to hurt, 𝗜 𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆.

I want you to know that I'm living my life in such a way that if I bump into DD and BJ Palmer in heaven, they'll approve of how I helped this profession in my own way, through the good times and the bad. But if I'm honest, that's not what I'm most interested in. What I'm most interested in is getting to the end of my life, standing before God, and hearing 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝗺𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁.

God bless you and the road you're walking, and thank you in advance for your forgiveness.

However it is that you practice this Art, Science and Philosophy that we all love and have committed our lives to, do it in a way that you'd be proud to have DD or BJ drop in to see you and be cared for. And, more importantly, 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹.

𝗜𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵, 𝗝𝗮𝘆

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟱𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝘂𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝘁

I haven't watched network news in nearly 25 years. Like most of you, the only exception was during the COVID plandemic, those scattered moments when we were all trying to figure out what the heck was going on. During that psyop, I often turned to Good Morning America, and what I got wasn't news. It was programming.

This morning, for the first time since COVID, we had ABC on the TV for the 250th anniversary of our country. And I couldn't watch it. Seeing those same lying, deceptive newscasters standing there wrapped in red, white, and blue brought out a 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 that made it impossible to keep it on.

I remember being a kid during the Bicentennial in 1976. It was electric. You could turn on the TV and watch great stories about this great country told by people you trusted. Today, sadly, that's not possible, because the people telling the stories are the same people who spent three years deceiving the American public.

𝗟𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘂𝘀.

They told us masks would stop an airborne virus. They told us six feet of distance was science when it was a number pulled from thin air. They told us the mRNA shot was 95 percent effective. They told us you can't get it if you took the shot. They told us you can't spread it if you took the shot. They told us it was a "pandemic of the unvaccinated." They called us "grandma killers." They floated the idea that the unvaccinated shouldn't even be allowed to use a hospital.

And that was just the warm-up act. They also told us it was "two weeks to flatten the curve," and two weeks became two years. They told us the lab leak was a debunked conspiracy theory, until it wasn't. They told us natural immunity didn't count, even for those of us who had recovered and could prove robust antibodies with bloodwork. They told us the shot stays in your arm. They told us it was "safe and effective" and fully tested, when it was an experimental product rushed to market under emergency authorization. They told us myocarditis in young men was rare, mild, and nothing to worry about. They told us ivermectin was "horse dewormer" and mocked anyone who mentioned it. They told us healthy children needed to be masked, distanced, and injected to protect the adults around them. They told us the virus couldn't spread at approved protests but was deadly at church. And they told us school closures were "following the science" while a generation of kids fell behind academically, socially, and emotionally.

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗽𝘀𝗲𝗱. Not one anchor lost a job over it. Not one network issued a real correction. Not one of them faced a consequence.

This wasn't a case of honest people getting things wrong in a fast-moving situation. Their own chief medical correspondent rolled up her sleeve on live television to sell the shot to America, came back for a second-dose segment, and then wrote a book called "The New Normal" teaching us how to accept a life of restrictions as permanent. That phrase alone should chill you. It wasn't reporting. It was conditioning. As I wrote in my book, 𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻: 𝗘𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰, the media didn't just report on the plandemic. They manufactured its most enduring legacy: fear. They curated the narrative, buried the dissenters, and repeated the slogans until questioning became a moral crime.

I lived the consequences of their lies. I lost a 20-year practice in Rhode Island because I wouldn't violate my faith and my conscience by taking a shot developed and tested with aborted fetal cells. I was fined, threatened with jail, threatened with a felony, and charged by my own licensing board for telling the truth on television. The truth I told then is the accepted truth now. The people who lied are still on your screen every morning.

So how could we let those same liars stand there and ruin this great day? How could we allow those people to keep their jobs and continue speaking to Americans? How could we not hold them accountable for boldface lying to an entire nation?

The stories I saw this morning were patriotic. But America has lost her way if she doesn't recognize that those stories are being told by traitors and deceivers of this country. A nation that can't tell the difference between a storyteller and a propagandist isn't celebrating freedom. It's celebrating the memory of it.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, ordinary people pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to break free from tyranny. The least we can do is refuse to forget the tyranny we just lived through. I, for one, will 𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 forget what they did to our country, even if there are those who choose to forget or suffer from selective amnesia.

Turn off their broadcasts. Remember their lies. Teach your children what happened. That's how we 𝗘𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰.

Happy 250th Birthday, America. You deserve better storytellers.

𝗚𝗼 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲.

Dr. Jay Korsen
Author of 𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻: 𝗘𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰

𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟯𝟯 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀?

I've been in practice 34 years. I've been a mixer. I've been a traditional straight. I've been an objective straight. I've even operated, at least for a season, as a non-therapeutic chiropractor. So I'm not coming at this from a theoretical place or a high horse. I'm coming at it from having actually lived inside each of these models and having made every mistake there is to make in most of them. And the question I want to explore here is one that I don't think gets asked honestly enough in our profession. 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟯𝟯 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰? And if not, which principles are most likely to be compromised depending on which model you're practicing in? And perhaps most importantly, does that even matter?

Let me lay out the four models so we're all speaking the same language.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝗻-𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 holds what I'd consider the highest and most exacting position in the profession. They define Chiropractic as a philosophy, science, and art of specifically locating, analyzing, and correcting vertebral subluxations for the normal transmission of the innate impulses of the body, those mental impulses generated by the innate law of living things, Innate Intelligence itself. Their education, their language, their procedures, and their entire purpose are directed entirely toward that objective and nothing else. They don't make wellness claims. They don't speak about pain or symptoms even obliquely. They don't position what they do as being good for your health. Chiropractic, in their view, is not a health care system. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝘂𝗹𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. That's it. Chiropractic is nothing else.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 is also focused exclusively on the detection and correction of vertebral subluxation but they'll often communicate the broader implications of what removing interference can do for the body's ability to function and express life. They stay out of symptom management completely but they might say something like "when the nervous system is free of interference, your body is better able to do what it was designed to do." They're principled, they're focused, and they don't mix. But their language tends to expand slightly beyond the purely mechanical and philosophical definition the non-therapeutic TOR holds to.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 is also subluxation-focused but they tend to meet people more where they are. They're not treating symptoms but they'll often acknowledge pain as the reason someone came through the door and they'll explain how correcting the subluxation addresses the underlying cause. They stay principled but their edges are a little softer and their language is a little more accessible to the average person walking off the street.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗿 adds services that address or treat symptoms, pain, and medical conditions alongside the adjustment. It might be out of genuine compassion for a suffering patient. It might be driven by a desire to generate more income. Honestly, in most cases I've observed over 34 years, it's some combination of both, even when the TOR would never admit that to themselves.

𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Which of these models can be practiced in complete congruence with all 33 Principles, and where does each one start to wobble?

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝗻-𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 is the one that most closely honors the full spirit and letter of the 33 Principles and I think most principled TORs would agree with that even if they don't practice that way themselves. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝟮𝟭 tells us that the mission of Innate Intelligence is to maintain the material of the body in active organization. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝟮𝟵 tells us there can be interference with the transmission of Innate Forces. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝟯𝟭 tells us that interference with transmission in the body is always directly or indirectly due to subluxations in the spinal column. The non-therapeutic TOR builds their entire practice around those truths and doesn't drift from them even slightly. But here's the honest challenge that position creates on a practical level. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝟲 reminds us that there is no process that does not require time. Building a community of people who understand and accept a completely non-therapeutic model of Chiropractic takes enormous time, education, and patience. The vast majority of people who walk through any chiropractor's door walk in because something hurts. If you're unwilling to even acknowledge that reality in your language, you'd better have extraordinary certainty and exceptional communication skills because you're going to lose a lot of people before they ever understand what you're actually offering them. I've lived that. It's worth acknowledging.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 is also extremely congruent with the 33 Principles and I'd say it's where I've spent most of my time since I took the GPC box off the wall and reinvented my practice. The principles that are most at risk in this model are subtle ones. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝟮𝟱 tells us the forces of Innate Intelligence never injure or destroy the structures in which they work. The objective straight TOR trusts that completely and communicates it clearly. But occasionally, because the objective straight TOR uses wellness language, there's a risk of creating therapeutic expectations in the patient's mind even without intending to. When someone comes back and says "my headaches are gone" and you respond with "wonderful, Innate is doing exactly what Innate does when the interference is removed," you're still technically staying within your scope but you've allowed the patient to connect your adjustment to their therapeutic result. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Whether that's a meaningful departure from the 33 Principles or a reasonable adaptation to the reality of serving real human beings is a conversation worth having.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 is where the congruence with the 33 Principles starts to get a little more complicated. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝟭𝟳 tells us every effect has a cause and every cause has effects. The traditional straight TOR understands that subluxation is the cause and symptom is the effect. They'll often acknowledge the symptom as the starting point of the conversation even while directing the patient's attention back to the subluxation as the cause. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀. Because if you're meeting people where they are in their pain and communicating how correcting the subluxation will address the cause of that pain, you've walked right up to the edge of Principle 30 which tells us interference with the transmission of Innate Forces causes in-coordination and dis-ease. You're not wrong. But the patient is now connecting Chiropractic to their symptom relief and 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝘄𝗻. When their back still hurts after three weeks of adjustments, they're blaming Chiropractic. And you handed them the framework to do exactly that.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 is where I want to be careful not to be self-righteous because I spent years there myself. But if we're being honest about the 33 Principles, this is where congruence becomes genuinely difficult. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝟮𝟯 tells us that the function of Innate Intelligence is to adapt universal forces and matter for use in the body so that all parts of the body will have coordinated action for mutual benefit. The mixer, by adding external therapeutic interventions, is in effect communicating to the patient that Innate Intelligence needs help. That the adjustment alone isn't enough. That there's something outside the body that needs to be added in order for the body to do what it was designed to do. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝟮𝟳, which tells us that Innate Intelligence is always normal and its function is always normal. If Innate is always normal and always functioning normally when interference is removed, what exactly are the ice packs and electrical stimulation and therapeutic ultrasound adding? The answer the 33 Principles give us is nothing. But the answer the patient hears when you provide those things is that maybe the adjustment isn't enough on its own. And once you've planted that seed, it's very hard to grow a principled practice.

𝗦𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿?

I think it matters enormously to the profession because 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. The public's understanding of Chiropractic as primarily a back pain treatment is not an accident. It's the direct result of decades of the profession communicating itself that way. I think it matters to the individual doctor because incongruence is exhausting in a way that's hard to describe until you've experienced both sides of it. When you're practicing in a way that's out of alignment with what you actually believe, it creates a kind of low-grade friction in everything you do. I've felt it. I suspect a lot of you reading this have felt it too even if you haven't named it yet.

And I think it matters to the patient more than we sometimes acknowledge, though perhaps not in the way you'd expect. The patient who walks into a mixer's office and gets their pain addressed often feels better faster, at least in the short term. But they haven't been introduced to the most powerful thing Chiropractic has to offer them, which is a completely different way of understanding their body, their health, and their relationship with Innate Intelligence. They've been helped. But they haven't been transformed. And 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼.

Here's where I've landed after 34 years of wrestling with all of this. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝟯𝟯 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗢𝗥. But it's a direction, not a destination we arrive at overnight and stay at forever without effort. I've fluctuated back and forth between objective straight and traditional straight more times than I can count since I left the non-therapeutic model. Life happened. My body broke down. My practice reinvented itself. And in each season I had to ask myself honestly, where am I on this spectrum and why? The 33 Principles don't change. But our proximity to them can. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴.

I'm not judging where you are. I've been there. All four of those places. But I am asking you to be honest with yourself about it. Because 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝟲 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲. And becoming the most congruent version of yourself as a Chiroprac-TOR is absolutely a process. The most important thing is that you haven't stopped moving toward the Principle.