Why Philosophy?

As the economy has slowed and insurances have tightened their belts, an interesting phenomena has unfolded. Chiropractors have begun to take a greater interest in philosophy. The CCP diplomate program is growing and Chiropractors everywhere are starting to realize that philosophy is not some romanticized, quasi-religious doctrine, but the underpinnings of our profession. What we do and how to do it. Philosophy is not just a bunch of catchy phrases, it is the ideas that all the science rests upon. What to look for in a patient, how to look for it, and what to do IF you find it.

Chiropractors everywhere are starting to realize that as the economy slows, the best place to be is in a high volume low overhead practice, where patient can afford their visits. Most importantly, they understand that to survive, your patients must understand why they need to get adjusted and value it appropriately. What they understand is that the solution is not in a better laser, or fancy traction unit, but in understanding how to be the best they can be with their hands and how to effectively communicate the importance of a healthy nervous system to their patients and that is in a philosophy centered practice.

The importance of philosophy

For many people in the Chiropractic profession, Philosophy is a dirty word. It is not. Chiropractic philosophy is the most misunderstood aspect of our profession. It is so misunderstood because it is so simple. I know that sounds like a contradiction, how can something be so misunderstood when it is so simple? Because we take it for granted and then disregard it.

It is easy to take a statement like, "a subluxation that interferes with the mental impulse causes dis-ease in the body" and understand that if a bone is pressing on a nerve a patient has symptoms, even though that is not what was said. It is easy to misconstrue the meaning of mental impulse and substitute nerve impulse. It is easy to substitute disease for dis-ease. But all of these small steps lead you further and further away from the true Chiropractic philosophy which explains everything we do. Why we adjust, why the body responds the way it does (or appears not to) and why we need to look deeper into the inner workings of our philosophy, science and art.

Without the philosophy, the science and art lose their value and usefulness. Possibly most important of all, is that it is our philosophy that makes us separate and distinct as a healing art and allows us to be licensed. For this reason alone, every Chiropractor should be thankful for and embrace our unique and wonderful philosophy.

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