QuestionHi Dr. I am considering going into the field of chiropractics. I've already looked at a school in Chicago and one in Pasadena. I've always been into health, especially preventative health. I appreciate the opportunity to be in communication with you. Hopefully we'll be able to correspond from time to time as I have a few questions.
For now:
1. Can you explain the difference between Straight and Mixed Chiropractics. It seems like Mixed does the same as Straight but offers more.
2. I currently see a Chiropractor, and have
seen improvements in problems I didn't even know existed. I believe in the philosophy of chiropractics and myself have somewhat of a good understand of the human body and its workings. But I'm confused about what is really going on with the adjusments, how does this correct subluxations?
3. Lastly, (for now) can you tell me about your experience and that of others as you started your own practice.
Thanks for your help.
AnswerDear Brandon,
Thank you for your questions. It is a privilege to be able to assist you in this way in your preparation for what I expect you will find as a rewarding and successful way of life!
Your questions cover important factors of varying significance to setting your career path. Quite importantly, though, I have no direct information from you on what type of chiropractic you wish to practice or even how you were introduced to chiropractic, except that you have heard the terms straight and mixed applied to groups within the profession. In order to give you the greatest benefit, then, in answering your questions, I'll need to give you some background.
As you mention in your first question, there are two branches or schools of thought in chiropractic. Briefly, they are differentiated by whether they deal with the limited therapeutic approach for aches and pains (commonly termed "mixed" chiropractic because it represents a mixture of a chiropractor with a non-chiropractic matter) or a non-therapeutic approach to optimum body performance (termed "straight" chiropractic because there is no mixing of chiropractic with anything else). My expertise is in non-therapeutic straight chiropractic and I structure my office experience in that model.
Therapeutic "mixed" chiropractic is an older approach based on a split from the founding principles of chiropractic about a century ago. At this point, it is the approach espoused by the CCE in its standards and taught at most of the chiropractic colleges. I will offer some observations about this field to illustrate some distinctions within my answers to you but, for the most part, I will not advise you on this approach. There are others who practice in the mixed therapeutic model who would be better resources to you, if this is the model you choose.
Non-therapeutic "straight" chiropractic is the more modern of the two. It deals solely with the unique, particular and common situation we know as vertebral subluxation and it does so in an entirely non-therapeutic way.
The vertebral subluxation is the sole focus of non-therapeutic straight chiropractic. You use this term in your second question. So that I am sure we are talking about the same thing, however, let's talk about and define it more specifically. The spine is made of many bone segments which house and protect the spinal cord and the smaller spinal nerve branches that come off the spinal cord and exit between the bones. These nerve pathways carry information or messages between the brain and the cells of the body. These messages are essential for the life of the cells. Without vital brain messages, the cells immediately begin the process of dying; i.e., they can no longer function the way they should to maintain life.
Because the bones are moveable, they can misalign in such a way as to interfere with the messages and, ultimately, the ability of the person to function at their best or express their optimum potential. It is this misalignment and the resulting interference that defines a vertebral subluxation. People with vertebral subluxations are not able to get all they can out of life.
Vertebral subluxations can be caused by a wide variety of factors, what we'll generally call stresses. These stresses can be physical (such as sleeping posture and mattress condition, the birth process, sneezing, falling down, etc.), mental / emotional (in its many forms, probably the most familiar use of the word stress), or chemical (such as pollution, drugs, etc.), which are, unfortunately, regular parts of daily living for all age groups. In short, a vertebral subluxation can occur for a multitude of reasons.
Tragically, vertebral subluxations are rarely obvious to the individual they affect. They usually have no symptoms. The reason is that most of what goes on inside you happens without your awareness. As an example, try to "feel" your liver. What's it doing right now? You can't know, so you can't know if it's functioning at its best or something less. To complicate things, nerve pathways that carry messages of control (termed "motor" nerves) have no way of transmitting ache or pain messages, so your body function may be far from perfect and you'd not have any alerting signal whatsoever. The branching of the nerve pathways is complex and extensive, making it exceedingly difficult to predict or determine exactly how the person will be affected. The only way to know if someone has a vertebral subluxation is to have that person's spine checked by a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor using a method of "analysis." When a vertebral subluxation is detected this way, it is obviously important to correct it as soon as possible.
Since vertebral subluxations are caused by so many different things, people choose to go to a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor on a regular basis to enjoy the most time free of the life-robbing effects of vertebral subluxation. There's a saying that non-therapeutic straight chiropractic is not about your back, it's not about your pain, it's about your life. Each person has a unique potential in life. With vertebral subluxation, it's impossible to realize that potential.
In summary, then, a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor has the professional objective of checking the spine on a regular basis for vertebral subluxations and safely correcting those that are found so that the individual may express their optimum potential on all levels.
It is important to discuss objectives here. It is actually the objective that determines one profession from another. Ask someone, 揥hat profession uses x-ray?? Consider that dentists, podiatrists, medical doctors, osteopaths and even chiropractors may employ x-ray methods in their work, yet they are not interchangeable professions. It is the goal or reason ?in other words, the objective ?for which the x-ray is used that determines which profession it is. When I spoke of the procedure of analyzing and correcting vertebral subluxations, the objective was solely because vertebral subluxations, in and of themselves, are detrimental to the full expression of one's life.
You may be interested in the evolution of the profession and how the split that exists came about. With much that could be said and much that you possibly already know, here are some key points. Chiropractic was founded in Davenport, Iowa, on September 18, 1895 by Daniel David (揇.D.? Palmer. Palmer had studied the human body extensively, by nineteenth century standards, with particular focus on the relationship of the various nerve pathways to the spine. Harvey Lillard worked as the custodian in the building where Palmer's office was located. Lillard had been deaf for 17 years when he related to Palmer the story of the incident that led to his hearing loss. He reported that he was lifting something heavy beneath a stairwell and felt something 損op?in his neck or upper back and immediately lost his hearing. Palmer noted a 搇ump?in Lillard's neck and reasoned that it was a vertebra that had been 搑acked?out of position. He further reasoned that it was this vertebra that was interfering with Lillard's hearing in some way by affecting the nerves of the spinal cord or spinal nerve trunks. Palmer devised a method to 搑ack?(his word) the vertebra back toward its proper position, following which Lillard regained his hearing.
At first, Palmer thought he had discovered a cure for deafness. So did others! He had many people come to him in the next several months for this cure. The problem was that not everyone who had hearing loss had vertebrae out of place like Lillard and those who did didn't always regain their hearing. He noticed, though, that often these people experienced other changes. Some who limped beforehand could now walk more easily; so Palmer then modified his thinking to include that it was also a cure for the lame. Again, though, not all had the same vertebrae out of place and those who did didn't always experience the same changes. Similar patterns happened with other ailments. He had to amend his thinking again, now believing that his new method was a cure for some problems. But the list of ailments he saw respond to his method kept growing, until he came to a new conclusion that it was a cure for all ailments. What still puzzled him, though, was that there were others, even with vertebrae out of place, who had no problems whatsoever.
Palmer, with his son, Bartlett Joshua (揃.J.? Palmer, and at his urging to expand the base of people who could provide this service to others, took on apprentices but were quickly overwhelmed with requests. Many of the early apprentices of the Palmers were actually medical doctors or medical students from the colleges in the east who were interested in learning the 揷ures?they had heard about or seen for themselves. D.D. was even invited to lecture at the medical colleges but declined. In his response, he noted that it was not enough to simply learn the method because his new profession (by that time having been given the name chiropractic) was not intended simply as a borrowed method alone to be used for a non-chiropractic goal, it was an entire system of reasoning as well. In fact, he stated, 揑 don't mix my chiropractic with anything else, I practice it straight,?which is where we get parts of today's terminology, as I explained above. Ironically, the Palmers opened a school to teach the Palmer Method. Despite D.D.'s admonition and charge, many of the therapeutically-minded, medically-trained students and apprentices went on to mix the method with a therapeutic objective and therapeutic mixed chiropractic split away and continued in its model, going progressively further from the thinking that would ultimately lead to modern non-therapeutic straight chiropractic.
The Palmers never actually solved the problem of why vertebral subluxations and ailments didn't always correspond. It wasn't until the 1970's that Reggie Gold, D.C., a chiropractor of enormous insight, brought the profession to the next and highest evolution yet. He was the first to define chiropractic by its objective; i.e., detecting and correcting vertebral subluxations because, in and of themselves, they were a detriment to the fullest expression of life and individual potential. Gold proposed that chiropractic concerned every aspect of human performance. He reasoned that it was not necessary to connect vertebral subluxation and disease at all, that health (meaning the contrast between sickness and disease) was merely one aspect of human performance. Chiropractic, in this model, was not a treatment for anything. This was the origin of non-therapeutic straight chiropractic. Therapeutic mixing chiropractic and non-therapeutic straight chiropractic are not at opposite ends of a spectrum of chiropractic. The therapeutic mixing and non-therapeutic straight chiropractic spectra are entirely separate and do not intersect or adjoin each other at all.
There is also a wonderful text on the history of straight chiropractic, Refined By Fire, by Joseph Strauss, D.C., available at www.F-A-C-E.com, the web site of the Foundation for the Advancement of Chiropractic Education, or perhaps at your library.
Educational requirements, as you know, are quite important in preparing for a career in chiropractic. I had known from a very early age that I wanted to get into the field of non-therapeutic straight chiropractic and structured my education accordingly. I attended Gettysburg College and The University of Chicago for my undergraduate degree in biology. I then chose Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic for my Doctor of Chiropractic degree.
An important matter in choosing or investigating chiropractic colleges is the type of chiropractic you wish to study. I attended Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic (on the web at www.sherman.edu or toll-free at 1-800-849-8771) in Spartanburg, South Carolina, but that reason alone is not why I would recommend it to someone. As I mentioned earlier, not all chiropractors adhere to the non-therapeutic straight chiropractic division. Naturally, neither do the colleges. It is important that you be able to distinguish between the colleges' programs if you're going to seek the non-therapeutic straight chiropractic type of education. The colleges in Chicago and Pasadena do not teach in this model. To my knowledge ?and I've been involved with straight chiropractic college accreditation over the years ?Sherman College is the only college at this time that dedicates its program to straight chiropractic. It is a unique chiropractic educational opportunity.
Preparation for entering chiropractic college consists of an assortment of pre-requisites. Generally, the undergraduate college pre-requisites for most programs have an emphasis on the sciences (but within a liberal arts curriculum) and licensure requires certain testing after graduation. As far as specific choices for undergraduate courses, I suggest you contact the chiropractic college you are interested in to determine their particular requirements. It is typically not necessary to attend a college that has a pre-chiropractic program, though that may be helpful in guiding you in completing all the pre-requisites. You can find most of this information for Sherman College on their web-site and there are contact links there for more detailed inquiries.
Incidentally, I find that students are becoming more aware of the matter of having a burden upon graduation of student loans. First, I encourage you to use your student loan eligibility wisely, no matter what field of study you choose. There are few things worse than graduating with massive debt. That said, it is not necessarily true that one must incur enormous debt to complete a chiropractic education. I know that with Sherman College (and probably others), scheduling of classes is such that it is possible to find employment while attending school. I encourage you not to take loans for more than you need, even though the various agencies may be willing to lend you more. Most importantly, I encourage you to investigate grants and scholarships, sources that are not forms of indebtedness, instead of relying fully upon loans.
The exact educational requirements for graduation from chiropractic college and subsequent licensure, beyond choosing the appropriate type of chiropractic college to suit your career goals and preferences, may vary depending upon the college and the jurisdiction where you seek to be licensed. There is no universal standard for these and it is always best to verify the requirements with the specific institution or agency involved.
Licensure ?the final rite of passage before professional life - is through a state board of examiners. There is also a national board of chiropractic examiners (which administers a multi-part test that most states require an individual to pass before they may sit for state licensure examinations), but there is no national licensure. The requirements for each state can vary greatly. Generally, however, preparation for the field consists of completing an assortment of pre-requisites and graduating from chiropractic college.
One of the opportunities within the Sherman College curriculum is an 揺xternship,?wherein the student spends an entire academic quarter assigned to a licensed chiropractor, being in that chiropractor's office, performing certain tasks, generally gaining experience in all but the professional technical aspects of running an office and developing a chiropractor's mind and outlook.
Now that we have some foundations for our terminology, on to your individual questions.
1. Can you explain the difference between Straight and Mixed
Chiropractics. [sic] It seems like Mixed does the same as Straight but offers more.
We've already covered much of this above. The difference, in short, is in the objective of each.
I'm not sure how you had come to understand either of straight or mixed chiropractic prior to this, so I cannot be certain how you arrived at the conclusion that one was a subset of the other. They are not. The distinction regarding objectives is quite significant. Unfortunately, it is commonly misunderstood by members of the profession! By definition, therapeutic mixed chiropractic can not do the same as non-therapeutic straight chiropractic in that the entire basis for its application is different. Recall that it is the objective that defines a profession, not the methods used. Adding to the confusion, though they may appear similar in their application, an adjustment for the purpose of correcting a vertebral subluxation may appear similar to a manipulation for the purpose of treating a complaint, especially to the untrained eye. Further, you can imagine that Palmer was being somewhat critical of mixing chiropractic when he first coined the terms. There are many in the mixing profession that do not identify themselves as such or, if they do, create apologist's arguments, such as claiming it is the same as straight, only more!
Incidentally, you've stumbled upon something that is also unique to chiropractic; it is a noun in the form of an adjective. It is properly spelled in the singular form, 揷hiropractic,?not in the plural, 揷hiropractics.? Palmer relied upon a friend of his in the formulation of the name. It has its roots in Greek.
2. I currently see a Chiropractor, and have seen improvements in problems I didn't even know existed. I believe in the philosophy of chiropractics and myself have somewhat of a good understand of the human body and its workings. But I'm confused about what is really going on with the adjusments, how does this correct subluxations?
It seems, from the limited information I have at hand, that the chiropractor you've visited may not be of the non-therapeutic straight chiropractic viewpoint. It is not possible, then, for me to know what you've experienced or been told.
Belief is not a necessary component of non-therapeutic straight chiropractic any more than it is a necessary component of gravity. Whether you believe in gravity or not, if you walk off the top of a building, you will fall! Well, whether you believe it or not, the body is better off with all the nerve channels open and all messages of life reaching their destinations! This should be obvious to you, even if you had only elementary understanding of the body.
As to what occurs with the application of adjustive techniques, consider that it is not the chiropractor that does the adjusting, it is the body! This requires us to explore another concept of non-therapeutic straight chiropractic, what is known as an Innate Intelligence. In brief, there is a premise that life is not the result of random events; it is the result of intelligent design and direction. Since this intelligence is active from the time of conception, it is called an Innate, or inborn, Intelligence. The art of the chiropractic procedure is a matter of providing a specific, properly directed, controlled force to the subluxated vertebra in such a way that the Innate Intelligence of the body can use it for making the adjustment, i.e., for placing the vertebra exactly where it is needed at the given moment. Think of it as a helpful nudge. This force can come from any source, theoretically, such as a fall down stairs, however, it is certainly more likely that it will result in an adjustment than trauma if it is specific. The techniques for doing this are many and varied, depending upon the chiropractor's abilities and the characteristics of the individual and the vertebral subluxation.
3. Lastly, (for now) can you tell me about your experience and that of others as you started your own practice.
Success factors are typically not external factors, but are within the individual to maximize. How many businesses have you ever seen that come and go; yet others, in the same town, seem to endure and thrive? It may be a matter of business ability, for instance, or burn-out or level of passion for their professional mission. I find non-therapeutic straight chiropractic to be enormously satisfying in many ways and would recommend it to anyone who understands that they can make an impact on the future of generations to come by contributing to a world filled with subluxation-free people today! Most non-therapeutic straight chiropractors, I believe, work in solo practices, that is, they own and operate their own private offices. Some are employed as associates and still others share offices but run separate practices. More non-therapeutic straight chiropractors are self-employed than are employees. In fact, self-employment is often considered one of the desirable aspects of the field. Those who do enter an employment usually leave to open their own office at some point. This allows the chiropractor to set his/her own work conditions and hours. There is no standard office set-up or usual schedule of office hours since each chiropractor has his/her choice about such things.
It has always been an expectation in my office that people will be checked a minimum of once per week. In a sense, it is impossible to over-utilize non-therapeutic straight chiropractic when done properly because when no vertebral subluxations are detected no adjustment procedures are done! It's as simple as that! However, if bones were moved regardless of the presence of vertebral subluxations or for a therapeutic goal, then that is not an adjustment. In such a case, the service was not proper non-therapeutic straight chiropractic. In a non-therapeutic straight chiropractic office, it would make perfect sense that the chiropractor would recommend that people be checked regularly. It would only make sense, though, that they be adjusted when a vertebral subluxation was found. People may not need to receive an adjustment on each occasion of being checked. I encourage people to celebrate those visits, because it means they are functioning with all the nerve channels open!
I have a cooperative fee system that makes regular lifetime visits possible for all people of any different financial circumstances. If such is not the case, then I would question my commitment to and belief in the value of all individuals living free of subluxation!
There are three parts of this system of exchange:
1. The individuals / families must be checked regularly ?as I said earlier, the minimum is once per week. This is in their best interest.
2. They must decide what they can honestly afford and pay it each week. It is completely up to them what that will be and it is an honor fee system ?unless they pay by check, I do not know what each person pays because they can leave it anonymously. I just want them to know that they do have a responsibility to pay an honest fee and be regular with whatever they set it to be. In a non-therapeutic straight chiropractic office, it is clearly understood that insurance does not cover such a service. Insurance is strictly about therapeutic matters. There is much that can be said about insurance matters and the honor fee and I would be glad to discuss it in more detail if you wish (just write to me at
[email protected]), but suffice it to say that insurance companies only pay for therapeutic mixing chiropractic, with limits. There is no such thing as insurance coverage for those things done simply to promote optimum life expression. I have found that the only barrier to people doing this regularly for a lifetime is finances. In fact, most chiropractors could not afford to visit their own offices regularly on the fee plans they offer!
3. They must share their knowledge and tell others about vertebral subluxation and non-therapeutic straight chiropractic. Certainly, that will mean referrals to my and others' offices. This is the most important part of the system ?it is the embodiment of my mission to have a global community of people living subluxation-free. In a practical sense, it also means the system can continue ?in order to offer my services at affordable rates, it is important to see higher numbers of people, which simply serves my mission! If I had a per-visit-per-person fee, once they leave that cash they've completed the exchange and I have no right to demand that they also spread the word about this world-changing vision!
You can see, then, that I have no billing or receivables, no insurance coding to deal with, no forms to print, etc.
I knew right from the first that the first visit (first contact) is critical. Nobody is permitted to get on my adjusting table until I have established that they understand what I am offering. Part of my job, then, is being an educator. Specifically, my goal is to have them tell me four things ?that vertebral subluxation is bad, that it happens for a multitude of reasons, that, if they had one, they'd want it corrected ASAP, and that they'd like to do that for the rest of their life. I have heard others' strategies that you accept them where they are and then change them gradually. All that does is allow them to reinforce their mistaken notions about what you do, right from the start. My educational method for doing this is through a series of questions. It usually takes anywhere from 15-45 minutes for them to do this. It may still be possible to obtain copies of the taped presentations I've done of this method at seminars. If you are interested, let me know and I will get you the contact information. I have been told by many who have seen me do it and now use it that it is quite effective for them.
If I could give a new graduate only one piece of advice, it would be this: Be sure of which type of chiropractic you wish to offer and make every decision based on how best to serve that model, instead of how best to build a practice, impress your friends, retire early, etc. Tied for first on the advice list is, don't go into deep debt as a student ?don't take all the loan money they'll give you and use it wisely for your education instead of a lifestyle, get a job, earn scholarships, do whatever you can - but that's a little late for a new graduate. So, I pass that on now to you before you enter chiropractic college.
You may also benefit to know what is expected of a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor in practice, apart from business decisions. Well, that goes back to the objective. Someone who seeks the services of a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor would expect to be checked for vertebral subluxations on a regular basis for a lifetime. Other non-therapeutic straight chiropractors expect a commitment to that objective so that, if a referral is made, for instance, there are assurances that the person being referred will actually be checked for vertebral subluxations. There is also an expectation that comes from a common high regard for the professional goal; i.e., to help each other excel in the field, whether through technical or professional guidance and support. The reason is because the goal - helping people live a lifetime without persistent vertebral subluxations - contributes to a better world, overall. It's in everyone's best interest for non-therapeutic straight chiropractors to be at their best. I believe there are few careers where there is so much mutual concern for the success of one's colleagues.
I believe you would find non-therapeutic straight chiropractic to be a wonderful career choice. Consider that if you were to ask, Who would benefit from being free of vertebral subluxation?, you would easily see that this service is critical to every person on the planet. Once someone understands what is offered by non-therapeutic straight chiropractic, they typically make it part of their lifelong pursuits. This alone does not mean that these people will come banging down your door to find it ?they don't even know about it in some communities! People may initially come in to my office with therapeutic concerns ?it's a very common misconception about my field based upon the split that exists between the therapeutic and non-therapeutc viewpoints - but they choose to become life-long users for a much different and larger purpose. It may be said that they come in WITH many different circumstances, but not FOR them. That's why I'm glad to have you investigate your choices and hopeful that you may even choose to practice non-therapeutic straight chiropractic or simply share this information with others. Understand that this opinion is about non-therapeutic straight chiropractic. It may be different for therapeutic mixing chiropractic as taught. It is not uncommon for members of that segment of the profession to want to move it into the field of medicine entirely and, so, it would be absorbed, perhaps to the point of non-existence, but that is a field outside of my expertise.
I hope to welcome you someday to what I already find, that non-therapeutic straight chiropractic is a very low-stress career choice and immensely rewarding in that I have the opportunity to work with individuals of all ages in their pursuit of optimal life expression and peak performance. Ultimately, like me, many of my colleagues see their careers in non-therapeutic straight chiropractic as something much larger than their job ?we see it as making a difference in the world one person at a time.
Brandon, good luck and I hope to hear from you again. I'm glad to provide you with some information!
Sincerely,
James W. Healey, D.C.
