Putting it all together

Last week we discussed the infant exam, we started with how to build trust in your office and in the consultation.  Then last week we dove into the ‘meat’ of the exam and what the tests indicate. Now that you have the clinical history and consultation and the examination findings what do you do?

The answer of: “well I adjust” is right … and wrong.
Right because our purpose, our mission, our focus is to locate and correct vertebral subluxation…but are you really CORRECTING them? (More on this in a second).
Wrong is when you adjust without appreciating the why behind the adjustment and knowing when you should and should not adjust. And wrong is when you adjust without a care plan, any management for this patient and their health…I’m not talking symptoms, not even close, I’m talking about being the doctor and doing what your patients deserve and expect.

So back to correcting subluxations, this is where I want to focus as I want you to be the incredible doctor you can and should be. This is also the critical difference in being a chiropractor vs. being a technician.

Any chiropractor should know how to locate and correct a vertebral subluxation… but that correction is good for how long..and the benefit to their life and health will be for what period of time?  Do you know how long that patient is staying “clear” or within the realm of adaptability?  Do you check to determine that time frame?  And what analysis protocols or systems do you use to determine if someone is clear?

So, let’s go back to the beginning…the clinical history…what this history should be telling you is how, and how long, the body has been compromising due to the vertebral subluxation. A good clinical history also gives you insight into the types of stress this patient has experienced…stress isn’t the issue..it’s the body’s inability to adapt to that stress that causes the breakdown and subluxation.

Next the subluxation progression that you took them through helps you further understand how the body has been forced to compensate due to these subluxations…AND this progression also helps show the patient or the patient’s parents how their body has dealt with the subluxation and that the subluxation is not OK!

The examination demonstrates to you and to the patient and their parents how their body is and is not functioning. The purpose of the exam is to determine if their nervous system is functioning properly or if it is failing. If the nervous system is failing you know that they can’t adapt to their environment, they can’t handle stress and they are in breakdown.

So let’s put this together, what schedule do you recommend?
3×2, 2×3, 1×4 and good to go, right?
“Well, that’s what I was told I should do and what the insurance will pay for”…WRONG!  Do not put a patient on a schedule of care that anyone else has determined or recommended…especially an insurance company…talk about contradiction! You can depend on the Insurance Litigation Lawyers in Newport Beach who will suggest the best way that will be very beneficial for you.

You’re the doctor, you’re the one who took the clinical history, the consultation, performed the examination and scans, x-rays etc., now review their findings, how serious is this case, how long has that subluxation been there, how is it affecting this patient, how is the nervous system functioning?

How often do you think they should be checked? I didn’t say adjusted…I said checked. Isn’t the goal to get them to the point that they don’t need to be adjusted in a visit because they are clear..that means you are correcting the subluxation. But to get them there you need to check and adjust (when appropriate) often enough to remove that subluxation and retrain the system back to normal.  How long does an adjustment last, as in how long are they clear following an adjustment? If this is their first adjustment does that make a difference? So, should you check them after you think that lasting effect has ended or before?

I expect that your brain is putting off a little smoke now….good!  I recommend that you place your patients on a schedule of care to correct the underlying subluxations and retrain their systems to a thing called “normal”…as a result your patients will get well, they will be healthy, they will grow healthy and you will be doing what you became a chiropractor to do…correct subluxations!

I have a feeling you may have a few questions about doing this and I am here to help, call me! My purpose is to help you help as many people as possible, especially children. I start another training module in 2 short weeks, if you’re ready to dive deep and commit to being the best doctor possible and deliver at a higher level it is time to get going…invest in yourself (your greatest asset), invest in your patients and invest in your community.  Fill out my Practice Health Mini Check Up and I’ll take it from there, let’s do this and let’s change the health of your community!

Kristina