What’s Your Latitude? – Ryan Schrock, DC Student

a personal reflection

The following is my own experience of living my life from a place of gratitude by placing a focus of intention on the things I am grateful for in my life.  This process was 100 days long and I want to personally thank Michael Hollerbach for giving me the idea, and it just happened to be right around the New Year.  A resolution in my life? Or, how about a revolution?
As most of you know, our society puts an emphasis on individualism, happiness through success, and the goal of achievement.  Ever heard the quote, “If you can dream it, you can achieve it.”?  These sound bites are great, but what is the essence of that statement?  Maybe the question is, “what is the state of the human being when they say things as the above quote”?  Just a couple of questions, think about them for a bit before you come to a conclusion.
I consider myself an over comer, and when obstacles of life are in the way, I overcome because that is me, and I am grateful for the things in my life I have accomplished up to this point in my life.  I am all for the success and being an achiever, but I also felt unfulfilled with achievement in my life.  As students, we only advance forward when we are achieving, but I want to challenge everyone to ask themselves this question today, “Where are you achieving from”?  In other words, what is your state of being, as you achieve throughout your life.  Are you fulfilled?  I started to peel back two layers of myself throughout the last 100 days, and believe that as we go through life, we either peel layers back off to discover our real selves, or we build a “wall” around us in order to protect ourselves from things in life that might threaten us.  I also concluded that I had built up a “wall” around me to hide from myself.
There are two points I would like to make with these above questions and statements.  The place you come from, OR, your state of being right here in this moment is the only power we have in life.  The most power we have at any given time is decision.  Should I annotate my notes after class? Should I work out right now? Should I talk to her/him? Is this a stupid question? What books do I need? What notes should I study? What is the best exercise routine? Yadda yadda yadda…and when we make these decisions, ultimately they build up to what is or is not the desired result.  That is the power of NOW, and we can make the decision to either live in the past or live in the NOW.  Famous author and speaker, Tony Robbins says, most people strive to complete the “art of achievement,” which often allows success in one’s life.  For example, having an idea, and manifesting something out of nothing.  This is one layer of knowing yourself and your capabilities, and also being open enough to put your ideas out there to an often skeptical and judgmental world. If you are attending Life University right now, you have probably experienced some level of achievement in your life.  So we are here, NOW, but here is the second “art” that I have been pursuing the last 100 days of my life.  Robbins calls this “the art of fulfillment,” and this lets’ people peel the deep layer back and connect with the most important person in their life, their true self.  It’s cliché I know, but loving oneself, and coming from that space is essential in order to be fulfilled in life.  If you disagree with me, and you have explored this aspect of yourself, please come tell me about your discovery.  AS I said, this has been a personal experience, and I was overcome by feeling to share it with as many people as I could.  I DO see the world through “rose-colored glasses,” and I look at life with a positive eye.  To some, that could be annoying, but I am a student chiropractor and my intention to be a chiropractor is to tell people why I know what I know, tell them about chiropractic, and if it reaches one person and that reaches one other person, and that reaches a person, etc…you get my drift?  You never know what you give to someone today will change millions of lives tomorrow.  I challenge you to master the “art of fulfillment,” and achieve and give of yourself abundantly from a place of gratitude.  So what’s your latitude? Make it gratitude!

Planting the Seed in La Romana – Cristina Ruiz, DC Student

Doctors and students bring the principle to hispanola

This past June, a group of 49 chiropractors and chiropractic students from different countries and ideologies traveled to the Caribbean island of Hispanola, which is home to the nations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with a common purpose: To serve and change people’s lives through chiropractic. As part of this mission trip, I experienced the need and interest for chiropractic from the people from the Haitian towns of Ouanaminthe and Puerto Plata. Most of the individuals we served had never heard of chiropractic. Some where eager to learn about it, others called it a “chiropractic massage,” and others were drawn in by pure curiosity. Whatever the reason, our group of chiropractors and students served and educated people of all ages from six months to 94 years old about the mind-body connection and the body’s innate intelligence.  Our group of seven doctors and students served in Haiti for two days. Later in the week, our group of 49 volunteers was divided into 12 groups of four people per establishment to serve for three days. We went to churches, orphanages, parks, hospitals, and schools to serve all who were willing to receive the gift of chiropractic. Everywhere we went, people welcomed us with open arms and treated us as family. We were invited into their homes, to dance or play baseball with them. People were excited to show us the full experience of true Haitian and Dominican culture.
We were able to let innate flow through their subluxation-free bodies, but the Haitian and Dominican communities are living subluxated lives. There was intervention everywhere you went. Once we crossed the border into Haiti, the tension could be felt in the environment. There were policemen with rifles protecting the border, the blazing sun was shining, a mixture of smells filled the air, and everyone was trying to get our attention with loud Creole words and pulling on our clothes. Everyone was safe but they were as curious about us as we were about them. The roads were made of red dirt, people were living side by side with trash, and conditions were unsanitary to mention some of the things we saw. Women could be seen washing their clothes in the river while the men tried to find work as motorcycle- taxi drivers. In the midst of the sensory stimulation overload, we met with a man called Pastor Joseph who lead us to his church, a hospital, and an orphanage where people were waiting for us. You could see an instant positive reaction from everyone being adjusted. The children from the orphanage sang for us and the people from the church prayed for us. Socioeconomic situations and language barrier aside, people seemed to grasp the concept of what chiropractic and innate intelligence do. “The power that made the body heals the body” came naturally to them. Most importantly, they understood something that needs no words: CARE.
Once in the Dominican Republic town of La Romana, we visited very impoverished sectors of both rural and urban areas. There, in the Spanish speaking part of the island, the service experience was very positive as well. Seeing people’s reactions after their first adjustment was priceless. The variety of people’s responses to chiropractic was as diverse as the techniques the doctors were using to adjust. People jumped, smiled, offered us food, introduced us to their families, and laughed once they were subluxation-free. Some people wanted to share their discovery of chiropractic by bringing their entire communities to be adjusted, while others hugged us with the greatest gratitude one can demonstrate. There were children who came up to us to show us their report cards asking if they had the potential to become future chiropractors. Some children even imitated our actions as if they were adjusting each other. We eagerly reassured them they could help us improve people’s lives through chiropractic in the future and encouraged them to get their communities involved in the process. The support and appreciation of the people in La Romana allowed us to plant the seed of knowledge and consciousness about the human body in communities where education is as scarce as clean water.
Watching this group of such outstanding chiropractors and students has inspired me in ways I didn’t expect. I’ve shared the healing experience with hundreds of people and made friendships for a lifetime in the process. I am so grateful. The participants from the mission trip served people by correcting their subluxations, opening their hearts, and letting innate “do the talking.” They also showed the people of La Romana that someone cares and that despite the chaos and poverty that surrounds them, they have not been forgotten. As chiropractic students we sometimes get too focused on what WE need to achieve, how many more adjustments WE need to pass clinic, and how much paperwork WE need to do for our patients. This trip helped me to put things into perspective and re-focus on our patients. Through the adjustment we can help heal THEM, unleash THEIR full potential, and make a positive change in THEIR lives. By reconnecting with the science, art, and philosophy that is chiropractic, we are becoming the future leaders our communities need. It is impossible to measure the extent to which chiropractic has impacted the lives of people we served. I just know how it has impacted me as a human being and future chiropractor.

Circle K International Club – Carley Edwards, DC Student

new club offers students the opportunity to serve

Circle K International (CKI) is a collegiate organization and sponsored program of Kiwanis International, a global volunteer organization. CKI offers students the opportunity to serve others, build relationships and become better leaders. A strong focus of the club is on helping children of all ages around the world. CKI has more than 12,500 members on more than 550 campuses around the world. Life University students can learn about ways to volunteer in the local community by getting involved with the new CKI club on campus.

Club President, Josh Pirini, describes the club’s purpose:  “Kiwanis International allows you the opportunity to be a leader with other professionals and to provide serviceable acts in order to better serve the community that you may choose to practice in one day. During your tenure at Life University, CKI is a great way to serve yourself in spirit rather than the material values of life.”

Last quarter, the Life University CKI club helped pick up flags around the Marietta area after Memorial Day. The first weekend of summer quarter, students helped pick up trash around campus including the student parking lot, the gym parking lot and the area around the tree house. One of the five students who volunteered for the campus cleanup, Ryan Messina, explained what the experience meant to him: “The cleanup made me feel part of something bigger than just being a student; I felt part of the community. They say man is measured by his actions and I believe that the cleanup measured us all larger than Life.”

In the future, the club has plans to volunteer at a soup kitchen – date soon to be announced. The club meets Tuesdays at 11 in CUS room 206. For more information about Circle K visit www.circlek.org.  For more information on the club contact llupo@student.life.edu or jpirini@student.life.edu. You can also visit the club on Facebook, by searching Life University Circle K International.

Outside the Box – Ron Sweeney, DC Student

looking beyond what’s familiar

Over the break, I had the opportunity to go on a road trip with my dad, driving from the panhandle of Florida all the way up to Manitoba, (that’s the Canadian province just above North Dakota, for those of you not so well-versed in geography.) All that time behind the wheel, miles rolling on through so many states got me thinking. Somewhere in the middle of Iowa, just after sundown, some farm boys started setting off fireworks—no doubt testing their artillery for the Fourth—when an idea came to me. As Americans, we live in an amazing country, unlike any other. In effect, it’s 50 distinct yet extremely neighborly republics—the United States. As citizens, we have unbridled access to any and all of them. You won’t be denied entry to Georgia if you’re from California, and while Ohio and Michigan may never settle their differences, there certainly isn’t an embargo between the two. Although we have the opportunity to go anywhere and do anything, not many do. Seemingly lacking in culture and international awareness, all too often, we get the reputation of being That Guy—the Ugly American.
Take a look at Europe, an entire continent that is a little more than one-third the size of the United States, a tiny mishmash of differently-tongued countries. Although at the federal level, we have no official language, our de facto language is English, and not many people pursue learning a second language beyond the two or so years required in high school. Even fewer Americans have been to all 50 states (let alone outlying districts or territories,) as many fail to venture beyond the states adjacent to their own. This isn’t all that surprising, actually; the United States ranks as the third- or fourth-largest nation, (China seems to present dubious information.)
Barring the latest natural disaster or regional political instability happening overseas broadcast ad nauseam on the major news outlets, the majority of us lead fairly isolationist existences. We have our daily and weekly routines, leading us from home to work, all pretty much on a beaten path on one side of our cities and towns. We’re caught up in our own lives most of the time, particularly here on Chiropractic Island.

I didn’t realize the extent of how much of a rock I seem to live under until we were planning the route to Manitoba and my dad had to explain that it would get “tricky” due to various detours, road closures, and construction subsequent to the flooding of the Missouri River. As I rarely read or watch the news, I was completely clueless that any of this had happened. Many people operate in this same mindset, only taking notice of what they feel affects them directly, not realizing that we are all interconnected. There is so much more beyond what lies just outside our own front doors; all we have to do is take the first step by being willing to notice and be proactive.
You don’t have to become an international media correspondent to care. Simply get involved.

There are over fifty student organizations here on campus, and every one of them can help you expand your awareness and Weltanschauung, (a German word meaning “world outlook”.) Support your state and national chiropractic organizations. Go on a mission trip. Find out about our international clinics or how you can practice abroad. You have to think big if you want to affect change. If you want to impact your community, aim for the whole city. From there, the only limits are those you impose on yourself—to change the city, aim for the state; the state, aim for the country; the country, aim for the continent; the continent, aim for world. You don’t have to be a world chiropractic domination mastermind like Liam Schübel, owning and operating 16 clinics throughout Central and South America (and always expanding,) but it still starts with you. Take that first step, and like Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

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C-HOP Intern Frustrations Grow – Alex Gerdel, DC Student

physical time restrictions, unannounced closures and time wasting

Over the last few quarters, changes have been made in the Center for Health and Optimum Performance (CHOP) that have left a bitter taste in the mouths of many of the interns completing their Level II Clinic. The frustrations began with the implementation of specific physical times that are for the most part completely incongruent with the schedules of interns, as well as their patients.

With new patient physicals and re-physicals only being allowed at the times of 8:00 AM, 10:30 AM, 3:00 PM and 4:30 PM, a large number of problems have been created with interns trying to start new patients while still attending their classes and working around their patient’s work schedule. Frank Ambrosio, a 12^th quarter intern, expressed his frustration that he had patients lined up and ready to come in, but couldn’t get them scheduled for a physical until fourth or fifth week. The afternoon slots have become such hot commodities that scheduling for physicals must be done several weeks out in order to find an open slot. Joe, one of the CHOP staff members, quipped that interns have begun to resort to “selling their afternoon physical times.” While he made the comment jokingly, it appears the joke may not be far from the truth.

More recently, the clinic administrators failed to announce that the clinic would be closing early on Tuesday July 19^th for the 8^th Quarter Clinic Gateway ceremony. This omission, while seemingly harmless, resulted in many interns unknowingly scheduling their patients for appointments after 6 PM that evening, only to discover the clinic was in fact going to close early. The clinic attempted to remedy in the situation by allowing those who had already scheduled patients to still see them after 6 PM. However, Scott Robinson, a 12^th quarter intern, left clinic at 4:45 PM very frustrated. He had scheduled his regular patient at 6:30 PM for that day the week before. However, when he went to double check with scheduling, the appointment was nowhere to be found, and he was told that he would not be able to see his patient. Robinson, a student who commutes at least an hour each day from North Georgia and places high value on the times he is on campus later in the day to see his patients, was not the only student to discover that an appointment they were 100% sure had been scheduled the week before was no longer listed on the books.

While the clinic administrators continue to make changes in hopes of streamlining the outpatient clinic system more and more each quarter, it is still not uncommon to hear interns referring to CHOP as a “time-sucking black hole” that’s difficult to incorporate into the still busy class schedules of 10^th, 11^th and 12^th quarter. This feeling has not been helped of late by the added bonus of having the computers the interns use freeze up on them while they are trying to print or type reports. The question remains whether the clinic administrators can develop a system that satisfies the interns, faculty doctors and their patients without leaving anyone frustrated.

Socrates Cafe – Kelly Milano, DC Student

A Year Later

On January 11, 2010 Socrates Café officially opened for business. For those who have been around for a while and remember the old café with its greasy food, and its dingy, outdated interior, the new café came as a very welcomed campus addition. It gave students a well-lit, updated atmosphere with better food options and much more space. A year later, the café is thriving. Quite often throughout the day it is hard to find a spot to sit as the entire café is full. The patio has become a place where drum circles entertain on sunny days. The evenings are a perfect place to study, with the sounds of the water and the glow of the firepit light the night.

The 28,000 square feet of open space with indoor and outdoor seating, now employs 12 staff members plus some temporary help for the bigger events or for when people are on vacation. Run by Bon Appetit, whose company logo is “Food Services for a Sustainable Future,” the café boasts quality foods created from scratch as much as possible. According to their website, “Bon Appetite Management Company has become a model for what is possible in sustainable food service.” They were the first food service company to address the issues related to where and how the food is grown. In January, Bon Appetit reached its goal of contracting 1,000 ‘farm to fork’ farmers, a company initiative to buy locally.

Another aspect of Bon Appetit, Socrates Café and Life Univeristy is their commitment to recycling. Ron Williams, Assistant to the Executive Chef, is an avid recycler. He states that he first began recycling in 1994 in the workplace and it quickly became something he loves. Not only does he oversee the recycling done by the café, he also is actively involved in the recycling around campus. According to Williams, the school boasts a Somat machine in the café that recycles most of the material thrown into the garbage cans. (www.somatcompany.com) He states that the machine is able to mulch the plates, boxes, papers and leftover food into a useable mulch that is used throughout campus in the plants and trees. The garbage in the cans is sorted through and separated out daily, pushed down a conveyor type belt and into the machine where it is rotated at a high heat overnight. The heat dries out the materials and breaks them down into a sandy type composition that is put into the plants around campus. The Somat machine is able to decrease the waste produced by 50%, saving not only money, (up to $800 a month from the recycling companies alone,) but also to help do Life’s share in conserving energy and the environment. The machine is NOT currently able to process the cups and silverware used on campus, as it tends to jam the machine so to best recycle these items, put them in the blue recycling bins located near the garbage cans. There are also 35 new containers around campus for recycling of aluminum and plastic.

One issue that students have had with Socrates is that it closes down to convert the menu from breakfast to lunch. According to Williams, this time is necessary due to the very limited space within the café. He states, “Every corner of the restaurant is breakfast and lunch. Every corner is turned out and turned over.” All of the oatmeal containers are switched out for soups. The fruit bar is completely turned over to salads. The danish and muffins need to be fully switched to deli and grill items. Every square inch needs to be replaced. Bon Appetit determined that the best way to handle the transition is for a shut down during a not busy time, to help avoid risk and accidents and to make the transition as smooth as possible. During that time, Plato to Go is open for drinks, coffee and quick pick up foods. The prices in Plato have come down, with the grab & go sandwiches now being $.60 cheaper than before.

The café is currently open from 6:30am-9:30AM and 10:30AM-3:00PM Monday – Friday, with the seating area open until Midnight as well as noon-midnight on the weekend.  Plato to Go is open 9:00 AM-1PM and 3-6PM Monday-Friday.

For more information on Bon Appetit and their commitment to sustainability, visit www.bamco.com  Have a comment about this article? Come visit us on Facebook!

Microbiology and Chiropractic – David Traster, DC Student

Proof of the principle from the human genome

The year is 2011 and modern science is beginning to validate what Chiropractic has preached for over one hundred years. With thousands of practicing Chiropractors, Chiropractic students, and Chiropractic patients, one would expect to hear more of an outcry about the fact that Chiropractic was correct; yet there is still deafening silence.  Medical Schools for decades have indoctrinated both Medical Doctors and society on what is called the Central Dogma. The Central Dogma states that our genetic makeup determines everything from our physical characteristics to our behavior, and most importantly our health. There is only one problem with the Central Dogma – it is not true.  And modern science has continued to validate this fact for the past decade.

The Human Genome Project began in the early 1990s and was initially focused on cataloging all the genes of the human body. The expected result was to correlate genetic variations with specific diseases in order to develop “gene therapy” which was supposed to be the future of medicine. Billions of dollars were funneled into this project and the public was told this would single-handedly end heart disease, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disease and hope seemed infinite. Scientists expected to find at least 120,000 genes with the assumption that there must be one gene for each individual protein in our body, in which we have at least 100,000 known proteins. On top of that, scientists assumed around 20,000 regulatory genes whose function was to “orchestrate” the complex protein assembly. When the Human Genome project was over, everyone was astonished by the fact that only 23,688 genes are responsible for the ever complex human body. Research has now shifted into the study of epigenetics which focuses on how genes are expressed in our body and the causative factors of this expression.

In November of 2010, The New England Journal of Medicine sadly reported on how little correlation exists between obesity, diabetes and our genes. It is now shown that most of our genes are secondary to the environment of our cells. Not only do our cell membranes act as a semi-permeable lipid bilayer covering which regulates what goes in and out of our cells, but the cell membranes are also able to read the environment of the extracellular matrix and send signals to our cell nucleus in order for the cell to adapt and survive.  Similar to how the nervous system takes in sensory information and relays an appropriate motor output, it seems our cells may act in a similar manner. Studies now show that our thoughts, stresses, social connections, diet, exercise, exposure to microbes and environmental toxins all have major effects on how our genome is expressed. This expression of genetics, based on our environment, is now said to be causing between 70 to 90 percent of all disease.

The human body hosts 100 trillion microorganisms. The DNA of the bugs living within each human body outnumbers that of human DNA by one hundred times. The molecules produced by the DNA of these microorganisms have a significant impact on our health.  It is the job of the chiropractor to maximize our patients’ biology in order for their immune system to work optimally. Chiropractic spinal and myofascial adjustments not only improve the nervous system, but also the vascular and lymphatic system.  With the additional focus on clinical nutrition, social behaviors, as well as any other stressor that a patient might present with, chiropractors have the ability to drastically improve the immune system’s ability to fight off pathogens. In order for the chiropractic profession to truly be considered primary physicians, we must continue to stay educated on modern, unbiased science. With this understanding, the Chiropractic profession can now scientifically and intelligently argue why everyone should be under our care.

Live Life to Your Fullest – Alexandra Gerdel, Chief Content Editor

From the Chief Content Editor

When we’re in school, it’s easy to get bogged down in the everyday routine of tests and studying for class. Graduation and the real world can seem so far, and any dreams we have outside of being students exist in the future as a “someday” ideal that we can’t have right now due to our circumstances of still being in school. I’ve learned something pretty cool during my time at LIFE: your circumstances don’t matter. We don’t have to wait until we graduate to be the person we’ve always dreamed of being.

Last August, I created a vision for myself that was far bigger than just graduating from school and opening my practice. I saw myself as an international leader in chiropractic, working to transform the profession in its second century. I never envisioned taking on this role I saw for myself until after I had graduated and maybe even been in practice for ten years. I was blinded by the hoops still left to jump through in school and still being tied to government funded living expense checks.

About three months ago, something in my thinking shifted. I’ve suddenly found myself in the role I only dared to dream of back in August. The reason? I got bold, started speaking and writing my ideas beyond the realm of just our LIFE campus. The result, I realized while I was at New Beginnings earlier this month, was that other leaders in our profession actually knew who I was. It was while I was at New Beginnings I realized I have actually made an impression on those out to save chiropractic and save the world, and become the leader I dreamed of becoming.

My goal here is not to brag or make myself look cool, it’s to leave you all with this message and hopefully with the inspiration to really take on your life and be who you are. So many of us live life without fully expressing ourselves because we get bogged down in everything surrounding us and allow that to define us. You are not your finances, your divorced parents, your final exam schedule etc. Who you are is who you choose to be in the face of all the obstacles and life imperfections we each face on a daily basis.

If you have not done so, take a moment to consider your life and your actions. Who are you? How do you act and behave? In each moment, who do you choose to be? Who would you like to be? The theory of the power of positive thinking runs rampant within the chiropractic profession and on this campus. While I fully believe in maintaining positive thoughts and attitudes in order to get what you want, I also believe it requires action. I became a leader because I stopped acting like a scared student, swallowed by the pressure of school and exams and with nothing to offer the world. I started taking actions consistent with a leader. I met people. I shared my ideas and writing with people. I was bold and courageous.

So I ask you, who do you want to be? What’s holding you back? Don’t wait for tomorrow to get here. The future is right now. You are capable of being whoever you wish to be in this moment. Dream big. Reach for the stars. The only thing in your way is you deciding who you want to be.

How to Have a Great Stay – Kelly Milano, DC Student

In the Socrates Cafe

The Socrates Café has become a great space for food and fellowship on campus. But there are a few tips and things to remember to keep it a great atmosphere for everyone who comes through the doors.

1. Remember, this is a restaurant.  Read the menu.  If you aren’t ready, move out of the way so you aren’t holding up the line.  Know exactly what you want when you step up to the counter
2. Don’t say “this” or “that.” If you want the chicken with broccoli on the side, say “I want the chicken with a side of broccoli” not “I’ll take this with a little of that on the side.” This will help the servers better help you. Remember that with the main entrees, you get two side items!
3. When you are at the deli counter ordering a sandwich or an item from the grill, make sure to give them your name. This way, instead of calling out “Grilled cheese with sweet potato fries” and having three people come to the counter, wondering which one it belongs to, your name can be called and know exactly who it belongs to.
4. Keep the chitchat with the staff to a minimum, especially during peak times.  Remember, there are people waiting in line behind you.
5. Remember your manners and be courteous!  While everyone has a bad day every now and then, getting upset because the café ran out of cheese or wheat bread, is not necessary.
6. Pick up after yourself! Your momma doesn’t work here! While the staff is responsible for wiping down all the tables and keeping them clean, it’s your job to clear your table of all the garbage, plates and cups. There are trashcans conveniently located by EVERY exit in the cafe. USE THEM!
7. Know the café hours. While the main food lines close down between breakfast and lunch, Plato To Go is open. Knowing when the café is closed will save you a lot of frustration.
8. Remember that you aren’t the only person in the café.  While the café is a great place to hang out and spend some downtime, remember there are other people in there so don’t be too obnoxious with music and loud conversations.
9. If you take salt & pepper, ketchup or any other condiment outside, please be kind enough to bring it back in.  When the heat of the sun gets to the ketchup or the rain gets to the salt & pepper, they are ruined and have to be thrown away.
10. Stop putting napkins in the lights! (You know who you are!)

Chiropractic Schizophrenia – Alexandra Gerdel, DC Student

Being a Chiropractic Student stuck between the TORS and Medis

At New Beginnings this past April, Dr. Liam Schubel referred to the chiropractic education as schizophrenic. The following is an explanation of just what that means and a proposal to purge chiropractic of its schizophrenic education and identity.

In the infancy of the chiropractic profession two philosophical camps developed that continue to run rampant today. As LIFE students we are all familiar with the philosophy created and developed by the Palmers. They sought to fill a void they saw in medicine and correct the cause of disease rather than treat its effects. They did not use any therapies, but simply applied the chiropractic adjustment at the right place and right time. They did not come from the educated upper class, but instead were hard-working, self educated blue collar men who developed a method of health care they believed would change the world.

As the Palmer’s took their newfound passion to the masses and began teaching others what they knew, another camp of chiropractors developed. The leaders of this group were two men, Langworthy and Carver. Unlike the founders of chiropractic, they believed in the use of modalities and alternative ways to treat disease. Their followers, like their leaders, tended to be medical doctors, osteopaths or naturopaths, seeking to add yet another degree and tool to their white collar education.

These two camps have been known throughout history as the “straights” (Palmers) and the “mixers” (Langworthy and Carver.) Both sides have continually worked to develop chiropractic in the direction they feel it should go, one as a separate and distinct profession, and the other as another route to become a medical doctor. Today these terms have been replaced by chiropracTOR’s practicing chiropracTIC, and MEDIpractors pushing for prescription rights and the incorporation of chiropractic into the medical profession. Regardless of the terms, chiropractic schools are charged with satisfying the traditionally medipractor educational standards devoid of any philosophical background that is required of the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) and National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE), while still, if their own philosophy is intact, providing students with the philosophical understanding necessary to practice chiropractic in it’s pure form, as a science, philosophy and art.

The weird dichotomy that has been created in chiropractic through political power struggles between the two factions rears it’s ugly head on our own campus in the form of our curriculum. It’s a fairly common phenomenon to walk around the LIFE campus and hear someone complaining about a class we’re required to take as chiropractic students. What exactly does urinalysis, visceral diagnosis or learning how to do a digital rectal and female pelvic exam have to do with chiropractic? Every quarter at least one class in the curriculum raises the question: “Why am I being asked to learn this? I’m going to be a chiropractor, I remove vertebral subluxations by adjusting the spine!” Well the answer lies in the philosophical division described above.

As students we are left trying to figure out just what our role is as chiropractors in “the real world.” We attend classes where we are informed we must know this information for boards. Our teachers stress mastering medical diagnosis lest someone die under our care. Then we attend seminars where we are told to forget everything we learned in school because most of it is baloney required by the CCE, NBCE and state licensing boards, but will hold no place for us in the real world. By the time we reach 12^th Quarter Advanced CLET with Dr. McCoy, a full case of schizophrenia has set in. No help is to be found from Dr. McCoy, who further rattles our brains by pointing out LIFE’s mission statement is to train us as “primary clinicians” fully capable and competent in every subject we have learned in school—including urinalysis and performing a Digital Rectal Exam. Although he himself is arguably one of the more principled chiropractors teaching at LIFE, his job is to ascertain whether we have truly learned the information necessary to competently fulfill the school’s mission for us upon graduation. With all the mixed messages about what our role truly is when we graduate, is it any wonder a portion of the profession has abandoned all philosophy and are fighting for the comfort of joining the medical world?

Given the recent events with the CCE abandoning all reference to chiropractic as a separate and distinct profession that heals without the use of drugs or surgery, the time has come for chiropractic to reclaim it’s own education. It’s time to take a stand for ourselves and our profession. We don’t need medicine to make our profession successful in changing the health of the world, what we need is a revamping of our education system so that chiropractic students graduate ready to spread chiropracTIC around the world. What we don’t need is for students to continue to graduate feeling scared or incompetent in their chiropractic art, science and philosophy because of a schizophrenic training in two conflicting ideologies. Who is ready to join me in a revolution?

Cancer and Chiropractic – Jenn Roberts, DC Student

MY Story

My name is Jenn and I am a member of the student community here at LIFE; I am a future Chiropractor. Recently, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and this article, shares with you, my personal experience.

I’m a married 40 year old woman who happens to share a 15 year old with my husband and his first wife, one of my best friends. I usually live off radar. I am quiet, non-gossipy person and don’t like cliques and exclusionists. I have friends from all walks of life and love them all with my whole heart; many of them I met while here at school.

I received my cancer diagnosis not once, but three times. I was given a 95% chance of having invasive breast carcinoma. I found the lump the Wednesday night of finals week of Winter quarter. Saw the OBGYN the next day, had the mammograms and ultrasound and close up mammograms (first diagnosis) by the end of the week and met the surgeon Monday (second diagnosis.) The Thursday morning of break, four days before Spring quarter started, I had surgery and afterwards, the surgeon again reiterated his diagnosis to my husband Adam and my Mom who flew in from Oregon. Again, the diagnosis upon examination of the excised tissue was 95% chance of malignancy. The surgeon’s physicians assistant later stated that the surgeon was being ‘conservative’.

The size of the lump I found, guided solely to that spot by the innate one evening while changing clothes, was 2×3 mm. The size of the mass they removed during the ‘breast conservation surgery’ (vs. radical mastectomy based on the triple diagnosis) was 3.5 cm, leaving a four inch scar on an area of my body many women associate with their very femininity. Most of the time I leave the compression bandages on, letting the surgeon remove them for examinations and such. The next conversation my surgeon wants to have is a talk about reconstructive surgery, but I am not sure how I feel about that quite yet.

This all happened really fast. Before I knew it, within one week I was physically scarred for the rest of my life. But it was a blessing overall that we did not proceed with the mastectomy as the pathology came back with a diagnosis of Granulomatous Lobular Mastitis, a very rare condition which mimics, nearly identically, invasive breast carcinoma.

I was in the 5% category.

I dodged the bullet and I cannot begin to describe how thankful I am for that.

While I was recovering from surgery, waiting the full week before pathology came back, I started a charity craft project to raise money to go to women who cannot afford mammograms called ‘Beads for Boobs.’ But something else was on my mind while I waited at home before classes started this quarter… how would I be received on campus.

You see, a large number of chiropractic students as well as chiropractors themselves believe that medical intervention should not be necessary if one receives regular adjustments. Part of this rings true… Better spinal alignment leads to less nerve interference, allowing the body to respond better to the environment while less stress is experienced by the body. This allows our bodies own innate intelligence to regulate itself without typical allopathic interjection. I do believe that in whole. However, some in chiropractic believe that everything can be fixed or cured, type 1 diabetes for instance, with the ‘right adjustment’. And while opinions are like hineys, everyone has one, I ask for respect in return regarding my own beliefs. And my belief says that cancer cannot be necessarily curtailed proactively via regular chiropractic care. It helps, especially during cancer treatment for allowing the body to be on top point, but is not a sure fire cure or preventative.

As Dr. Koch, a professor of mine, will tell you, an adjustment would not have helped his retinas reattach. That had to be done by an ophthalmic surgeon who specialized in retinas just as my circumstance had me rely on a surgeon who specialized in breast cancer.

I still had no pathology report before school started again and carried around within me the worry that I too would hear the same rumblings in passing; that if I had gotten adjusted, or lived a more vitalistic lifestyle, I wouldn’t have had the breast mass. The assumption however by my medical team was that the mass was driven by hormones and if it indeed came back as malignant, along with node biopsies and other procedures, I would have to go on hormone blocking agents to prevent a recurrence.

I rarely get colds and never get the flu. I have had neuro-work done and recovered from Guillaume-Barré syndrome with the help of chiropractic. I love chiropractic and its potential so much that I am here at LIFE at 40 years old, to be a chiropractor. And while this surgery has changed me forever in a lot of ways, I celebrate every sunrise, rain drop and star in the sky every single day because I have received a reprieve from the triple diagnosis. A reprieve many, like my Aunt and Sister-in-Law do not. I am now passionately motivated to raise money for women who cannot afford to get mammograms so they can have them proactively and reactively.

I am researching cancer treatments that combine the acknowledgement of innate intelligence and chiropractic, which may lead me to practice focusing a specialization in working with patients who are going through surgery, chemo and/or radiation. I am thankful – thankful I still have that possibility in my future.

The statistics for breast cancer are below but the most hard hitting is that 1 in less than 8 women will have invasive breast cancer at some point in her life. This can happen to anyone, even men. Breast cancer awareness even has its own month, but self-checks should be done monthly and if you are 40 or older, annual mammograms. If you have had a lump, mass or are cystic you will want to discuss alternative screening timelines with your OBGYN and DC.

The American Cancer Society’s most recent estimates for breast cancer in the United States are for 2010:

• About 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer in women
• About 54,010 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be found (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).
• About 39,840 deaths from breast cancer (women)
• Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer.
• The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is a little less than 1 in 8.
• The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 35. Breast cancer death rates have been going down. This is probably the result of finding the cancer earlier and better treatment.
• Right now there are more than 2½ million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

Are We Fighting to Keep Ourselves From Helping Patients? – Mark Gallant, DC Student

Reasons to be in favor of the DCM

There has been a lot of controversy recently about the new Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) Standards, chiropractic colleges offering a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine (DCM) degree, and the ability for chiropractors to prescribe medication. I don’t understand our reticence to allow doctors to help patients. We all should understand that there is a time and a place for medication. We all probably also understand that medication is overprescribed and sometimes very poorly prescribed. I personally don’t like pharmaceuticals, but if I can save my patient the cost of an office visit to their MD because they really do need an antibiotic, then as long as I know what I’m doing, it will better serve my patient if I have the capability to do so. Or I guess I could send them to their MD who may give them a painkiller on top of the antibiotic and may possibly convince them they don’t need to be wasting their money on a chiropractor.

I understand that some people are scared that this will corrupt the profession, but who better to have the responsibility to hand out medications than the people who really don’t want to? We all know that chiropractors find patients who are on the wrong medications or conflicting medications. There will be patients who come into our offices on medications that are hurting them. As long as they are on those medications, we may not be able to help them.  Also, they may be on a medication for a condition improved due to chiropractic care.  At that point they will be on too much medication. Right now, the best we can do is send them back to their MDs and hope they can or will fix it. We fight so hard to educate our patients about a way of health that utilizes pharmaceuticals only when absolutely necessary, but then we have to refer them to someone who doesn’t operate with that same philosophy. It’s bad enough that our patients are inundated with advertisements for the newest greatest pill, but how much of their education from us is lost in that MD’s office as well? If we have the power to prescribe medications, then we have the power to tell the patient to stop taking medications that are hurting them.

It saddens me and makes me a little ashamed of our profession that there was such opposition to the bill in New Mexico. I would have thought we would want to support our fellow chiropractors for wanting to go the extra mile to better serve their patients, but instead we rallied to fight against them. Now granted, I am still just a student, but it seems that as a profession, we seem to be really good at fighting with our colleagues, and trying to convince everyone else that the other guy is wrong. We currently have the opportunity to change things in a way that would be acceptable to us. I don’t think it will be long before states start to pass laws that allow chiropractors with the proper education to prescribe. At that point, it will become a part of our curriculum or a diplomate type of program. If we are the ones who initiate and develop that education, then we can direct how the subject is taught within our profession. We can have a hand in forming the standard of care, instead of trying to adapt to a standard of care that got developed without us. We should stop fighting so hard to keep ourselves powerless, and we should start working together to elevate our profession.

Where are the Thompson Tables? – Johnny Roberts, DC Student

Stuck with sub-par equipment

I am surprised. I am confused. I just can’t seem to find the Thompson tables in the outpatient clinic. I think it’s time to call attention to the fact that for some strange reason, despite the fact that Thompson technique is a required course in the curriculum, we do not have one Thompson table in the outpatient clinic. Surely it can’t be a money issue. With all of the recent improvements to the campus, which look great, the college surely has enough money to provide the students in the outpatient clinic with one or two Thompson tables. Let me clarify what I am referring to as a Thompson table. I am referring to the Zenith 440 table that a guy named J. Clay Thompson designed specifically for the technique he also designed. Honestly, how hard would it be to add a couple of Zeniths in outpatient clinic? So far the people I have asked about the issue simply tell me to talk to someone else because they are not responsible for it. My point is that it is time for the person, whomever that may be, to start the process of adding a Zenith or two to the outpatient clinic. If we are required to take the class, at least give us the proper tools to learn to use the technique the way Dr. Thompson intended, with Thompson tables.

Want to Prescribe Drugs? Go to Medical School – Alexandra Gerdel, DC Student

Chiropractic is a drugless profession

Chiropractic finds itself in a unique and treacherous position today. Namely, we are in the position of having people who call themselves chiropractors push for prescription rights in states like New Mexico, Colorado and Alabama. The arguments given for the incorporation of drugs into the profession are many. Typically these arguments entail some form of the idea that by earning prescription rights chiropractors will finally be recognized as doctors “equal” to that of medical doctors, or that we can provide more options for our patients as primary care physicians if we have the ability to prescribe drugs and perform other “primary care” procedures such as small surgeries. There’s also the argument that by earning prescription rights, chiropractors will be able to un-prescribe drugs. A question arises however: is the benefit really worth the risk?

The most obvious counterargument to the proposed inclusion of prescription rights into the chiropractic profession is, simply put, chiropractic was created as a profession that heals without the use of drugs or surgery. Chiropractic is not medicine, and in fact our predecessors fought like hell in chiropractic’s infancy to prevent chiropractic from being defined as or absorbed into allopathic medicine. Remember the chiropractors who went to jail, some multiple times, for practicing medicine without a license? The result of all of those battles was chiropractic winning multiple court cases that defined chiropractic as something separate and distinct from medicine. Why are we so eager to join a system we knew wasn’t working 100 years ago, and which tried to destroy us for many years because we posed a threat? (Perhaps the threat of actually healing our patients and not just masking their symptoms.)

Our profession has always maintained the stance that we are a profession that heals without the use of drugs or surgery. In a day and age when death from medical mistakes and drug side effects ranks among the top killers in the country, it appears a portion of the chiropractic profession has decided they would prefer to be a part of the death system, rather than maintaining our position in the HEALTH care business. The business where sick people get well and transform their lives through the new-found ability they have in being responsible for their own health. And for what purpose? What can we possibly stand to gain by joining ranks with medicine and “doing what they do” when our stance has always been that the allopathic approach to health and wellness does not work.

These are just a few ways medication interferes with the overall goals of chiropractors and their quest to naturally restore and maintain the health of their patients:

•  Medication interferes with instrumentation, which is a very important tool with which chiropractors assess the function and health of the nervous system in more than one technique.
•  Earning prescription rights allows pharmaceutical companies to begin monopolizing chiropractors much as they do medical doctors and contributes to their already ludicrously deep pockets, thereby perpetuating the health crisis rather than providing an alternative.

•  Any chiropractor who feels a need to prescribe medication to their patients has lost all faith in and understanding of what they do, have no concept of chiropractic philosophy, and are desperately seeking an alternative way to make money and feel accepted by the medical profession. In other words, they are no longer practicing chiropractic.

Chiropractic was, is and always will be a profession devoid of drugs and surgery. Those who have become lost and forgotten the roots of where they come from or the purpose they serve for their patients have two options: 1. Find a chiropractor practicing chiropracTIC and learn the philosophy that makes this profession the beautiful thing it is, or 2. Give up the title chiropractor and go to medical/osteopathic school. There’s a time and a place for the use of drugs. There are already multiple professions that fulfill that need. Let’s not attempt to make a profession that is separate and distinct into something it was never designed to be.

The Circumcision Debate – Carley Edwards, DC Student

The Benefits of keeping males intact

New parents have a lot of decisions to make when it comes to what’s best for the health of their child. A few decades ago the question of whether or not to circumcise male infants was not a question for most parents living in the US. The majority of infants were put under the knife with parents under the belief that it was healthier and cleaner. Times have changed, and so have circumcision rates.

The history of circumcision dates back to cave paintings and ancient Egyptian tombs. Muslims consider circumcision to be sunnah (routine) and Jews consider it to be a Mitzvah (commandment).  In the late 19^th century, people feared that a male’s foreskin would lead a boy to masturbate, and that would lead to insanity, and therefore it was cut off. In 1981, the US circumcision rate was 81 percent. Today, parents are becoming more aware of the physical and emotional effects of circumcision and the rates are dropping. Circumcised boys are actually the minority with over 80 percent of males worldwide intact. As of 2009, the US rate of male circumcision was 32.5 percent. This was a huge drop from 56 percent in 2006. Circumcision in the US costs between $150 and $270 million dollars. It is a major surgery that has many risks including, infection, hemorrhage, septicemia, gangrene, and even loss of the penis. Fifty-one infants died after the procedure in 1999 according to The National Center for Health Statistics. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) website, “circumcision is not essential to a child’s health,” and “data are not sufficient enough to recommend routine neonatal circumcision.”

Infants are circumcised with no anesthesia at all. A Canadian study showed that infants who were circumcised were more sensitive, crankier, and cried more often. According to the AAP, “there is considerable evidence that newborns who are circumcised without analgesia experience pain and physiological stress,” and “physiological responses to circumcision pain include changes in heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and cortisol levels.” It also has been shown to disrupt the mother-baby bond. After the procedure, babies had trouble nursing and would not look into their mother’s eyes.

A male’s foreskin makes up 80 percent of the skin on a males penis and contains antibodies, antibacterial and antiviral proteins, and an enzyme called lysozyme that helps kill pathogens. This may explain why intact men have a lower risk of contracting STD’s. The glans (head) of the penis is anatomically equivalent to the female clitoris. A woman’s clitoris is protected, and therefore so should the glans. This covering protects it from abrasion, drying and callusing. It is not just skin that is removed during the surgery, but nerves and blood vessels as well. The penile frenulum is an area of the foreskin that is covered with nerves and is considered to be the male g-spot for most intact men. Intact men seem to have better sex lives and the sensitivity of the foreskin has been compared to the lips of the mouth, but this area is partially or completely destroyed during circumcision. The foreskin and the glans work in unison to increase pleasure response. The foreskin also serves as lubricant for females, and without it can cause drying out of the vaginal canal. Foreskin contains several feet of blood vessels that are removed during circumcision. Removing the foreskin removes the most sensitive part of the penis. It was believed that it was harder to keep an intact penis clean, however the opposite has actually been proven.

Another false belief is that those who are circumcised have less chance contracting HIV and other STD’s, when the exact opposite is true. Thirty-five studies have been conducted and was concluded that circumcised men were more at risk for contracting HIV than those who were not. This may be because the lysozymes in the foreskin have anti-viral properties. The AAP says, “behavioral factors appear to be far more important risk factors in the acquisition of HIV infection than circumcision status.”

There are social reasons surrounding a parent’s decision of whether or not to circumcise their child. A father may be worried that his son will look different than him or that he may be picked on. Circumcision rates have dropped dramatically as stated above and more boys are being kept intact which means less chance of them being a minority. It is believed that fathers feel their sons will be different because they have past regret about their own circumcision. According to The Circumcision Resource Center, it may be helpful to explain to ones child that other children have had a part of them removed and that you wanted to keep him natural and whole and then list the reasons why. Overall, an adult can choose to be circumcised later in life if he feels unhappy, but the rate of this is very rare perhaps indicating that intact men are very happy indeed.

As with every birth decision, parents are advised to make an informed choice about their future bundle of joy. For more information, visit www.circumcision.org and www.intactamerica.org.

Chiropractic On The Brink Of Extinction – Alexandra Gerdel, DC Student

The sad truth about the state of our profession off of the LIFE island

The Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE), the sole accreditation body for all chiropractic colleges in the United States, has a history of pushing a political agenda and making decisions based on conflicts of interest. They became the sole accreditation body for the chiropractic profession in the 1970’s when the CCE, an American Chiropractic Association (ACA) based agency, pushed through their application with the Department of Education to be the accreditation body for chiropractic. This action violated an agreement the ACA had with the International Chiropractic Association (ICA) and their accreditation body, to wait until common ground could be found in the profession with regard to it’s education. The ACA has historically been known for representing the “mixer” faction of the profession, while the ICA stands for the “straight” side of the profession. The drive to form one accreditation agency was an effort to improve chiropractic’s status as a profession and to qualify for federal financial funding for students. The CCE and ACA took on that role with brute force and not with peaceful acceptance from the entire profession. (1)

In 2001, a review of the CCE by the United States Department of Education (USDE) found the CCE in noncompliance with several of their own standards. These included not allowing faculty of schools a means for feedback on changes made to the CCE Standards; failing to respond to complaints in a timely manner; and several instances of conflict of interest between those on the board of the CCE and their political agendas.

In 2006, the CCE came up for another five-year USDE review. In the transcripts of those proceedings, the CCE, the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE), and the Federal of Chiropractic Licensing Boards (FCLB) were characterized many times by reviewers as forming both a monopoly and cartel. These three organizations have complete control over what is taught in schools, what is tested on national and state boards, and what is accepted at the state level for chiropractic licensing requirements. Since these three organizations have taken over control of the chiropractic profession, and allopathic model of disease treatment has begun to dominate chiropractic education, and the amount of medically oriented diagnosis and physical therapy has increased and become the norm for a chiropractic educational curriculum, the National Board exams and state licensure. As a result, all three organizations, and specifically the CCE, have been accused of numerous acts of supporting a political agenda leading chiropractic in the allopathic direction championed by one faction of the profession.

Some of the biggest issues brought forth at the 2006 hearing to renew the CCE’s accreditation came from the subluxation-based side of chiropractic. The problems brought forth were the questionable attempt to revoke Life University’s accreditation (which was immediately overturned by a federal judge due to conflict of interest issues), continuously refusing to recognize any national organizations beyond the ACA and ICA, and maintaining a far from democratic governing structure, wherein those in control represent a small faction of the profession and schools. Despite hearing testimony from many concerned with the CCE’s actions over the years, and having concerns of their own, the USDE determined the CCE had fulfilled the requirements for continued accreditation and could find no legal reason to refuse renewal of the CCE’s accreditation for another five years.

Last fall, the Life University campus erupted with concern over the newly proposed CCE Standards of Accreditation. A rumored 4,000 comments were submitted to the CCE, including a nine-page document from our own President, Dr. Riekeman, in the hopes of pointing out the huge ramifications the new Standards potentially held for both the chiropractic profession and the accreditation of the CCE with the USDE. However, in January, the worst fears of many were realized when, on the brink of their next five-year review, the CCE announced their plans to officially adopt the new Standards without any of the revisions suggested by the chiropractic community.

As a recap, there were three major changes made in the language of the CCE accreditation Standards that pose a huge threat to what chiropractic has always been known for and stood for:

     One: The wording of the programs the CCE accredits has been changed from just “Doctor of Chiropractic Programs” to include “or their equivalent.” (1,2,3) This change opens the doors for the Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine degree, a degree long sought after by National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) and Western States Chiropractic College (WSCC) whose missions are to broaden the scope of practice for chiropractic to include prescription rights and have chiropractors take on more of the general practice (GP) medical physicians’ role. (1,2,3)  Contrary to the popular rumor circulating around this campus, this change does not require all chiropractic colleges to confer the DCM degree. It does, however, open the door for those schools wishing to do so to implement that degree and maintain their accreditation with the CCE. It also allows state licensing boards to choose to accept both a DC and DCM degree, or only one of the two.

     Two: The word ‘subluxation’ has been removed from all language in the CCE Standards document. (1,2,3) This change is of great concern to subluxation-based chiropractors and marks the culmination of a long battle between the search for scientific evidence for subluxation and the philosophical basis of chiropractic. If we don’t ajust subluxation as chiropractors, what exactly do we do? If it’s not part of the language that accredits our schools, what is the basis of our education and profession? There are many who argue that all chiropractic is good for is the treatment of low back pain and headaches. Can we prove that we find, adjust and remove subluxations? The CCE appears to have taken a side on this issue and answered “no” to many of the above questions. However, just what chiropractic is remains somewhat undefined by the CCE’s new Standards.

     Three: All reference to chiropractic as a profession providing health care “without the use of drugs or surgery” has been removed. (1,2,3) For the last 115 years, chiropractic’s identity has been a profession that doesn’t use drugs or surgery. That has been one of the main distinctions separating chiropractic and chiropractors from the medical profession. Our predecessors have fought long and hard battles in politics, in jail and in court to prove our profession is separate and distinct from the medical profession, that we are not practicing medicine without a license, because we are not practicing medicine at all. Within the last year, things have begun to drastically take us away from this distinction with the passing of prescriptive rights for chiropractors with continuing education in pharmacology in New Mexico, the conferring of a Master of Science in Advanced Clinical Diagnosis by the National University of Health Sciences (NUHS, formerly NCC), and now the CCE Standards revisions. (4,5) Our profession is no longer distinguished as separate and distinct from allopathy, osteopathy and physical therapy.

How long will it take the rest of the chiropractic educational “cartel” to further force medicine into our profession with new parts to National Boards that include more training in pharmacology and other “primary care medical physician” procedures? How long until more state boards pass laws to expand our scope of practice and begin to require new pharmacology training and pharmacology board exams for licensure?

Our profession has developed a passion for non-involvement. (6) As chiropractors, we go out into the world, forget about the parts of our education we hated and become wrapped up in our own lives, practice and community. The membership of both the ICA and ACA, even when combined with that of the other political organizations existing on both sides of philosophical divide, still represent a very small fraction of the profession.

The “no-chiropractic association” phenomenon is arguably a huge part of the reason we have come so far from what our profession was originally founded for – an entity separate and distinct from medicine which restores the power of the body to do what it was born to do. Those in control are pushing to be absorbed into the allopathic model, and with these new Standards they have fairly well succeeded.

It is up to the next generation of chiropractors to either take a stand for who we are, or let chiropractic fall by the wayside and turn into a second or even third rate medical profession. Do you love what you do? Do you want to see chiropractic survive, united at last? Do you want to help your patients regain control of their health and wellbeing, or treat people for low back pain and headaches for the rest of your life, giving them a few prescriptions here and there to cover up their symptoms?

It’s time to get involved. Not once you graduate, not in ten years, not never. It’s not time to take the easy way out, to agree to something because the road less traveled is too hard. If we want to see our profession, as we know it, survive we must be as unreasonable as our predecessors. They insured our survival against all odds by standing for what they believed in, going to jail as many times as they had to, and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that what they were doing was not for the benefit of themselves, but for the benefit of their patients and the overall health of the world. For most of us at this school, chiropractic is a way of life, an answer to the poor health plaguing this country. It’s time to wake up and realize that in the real world, that’s not the direction the profession is heading. Now I ask you future chiropractors, what are YOU going to do about it?

For more information on the history and current events mentioned in this article, check out the following references or email Vital Source at submissions.vs@gmail.com.

1. Dr. Riekeman’s Response to the CCE, found on the Life Facebook page

2. CCE proposed standards, taken from their website.

3. Edwards, J. What is the CCE trying to pull? Dynamic Chiropractic, Oct 21 2010. 28(22).

4. Nutz, J. Chiropractic Needs an Adjustment, Not drugs. Dynamic Chiropractic. Mar 26. 2010. 28(07).

5.  Kent, C. Drugs, Chiropractic and Boiled Frogs. Dynamic Chiropractic. Feb 12, 2010. 28(04).

6. Perle, S. The No Chiropractic Association: Professional Duty Not Required. Jan 29, 2011. 29(03).

Excuse Me… PLEASE SHUT UP – Melanie Carr, DC Student

I’m trying to learn here!!

So, I’m sitting in National Boards Assembly, and three girls behind me are having a conversation. They aren’t even whispering. No! That would be too difficult to hear, so instead they talk and laugh loudly over the professor. And no, I was not sitting in the back of the classroom, where the vast majority of students are doing their own thing. I am in the front, close to the wall so I can plug in, and I cannot hear the professor over their rudeness.

I tried to tune them out, but it wasn’t working. I can tune children out quite well when I want, but that is when I’m trying not to hear anything…not an important lecture about a test that dictates my future success in chiropractic. Eventually, I turned around and asked a girl who was formerly in the conversation if she would mind asking the girls behind her to please be quiet, because I am having a hard time hearing. She said, “What?” and I assume this is because she couldn’t hear my whispering plea. I repeated myself, and she shook her head up and down, indicating she’d help me out.

Instead, she laughed. Yes, she LAUGHED! Then her friend behind her asked if I was talking about them. I guess I was the butt of their joke, because they just kept on talking and laughing like I hadn’t said anything at all. So I turned around, and whispered a little louder, I said, “Please! I really AM having a hard time hearing.” More rudeness continued.

We had 25 minutes left of class, and I SERIOUSLY came THIS close to standing up and YELLING at the girls to either please take their conversation OUT of the room or to SHUT UP because many of us are trying to LEARN! But I didn’t. Instead, I felt my blood pressure rise, and tried to better lip read and make out what was being said in conjunction with the slides. Annoying. I go to school with children. Worse. MY children behave better than these people.

So here is my rant, and please listen closely, because next time I will NOT sit by and let you disrupt my learning, which I pay a boatload of money for: Didn’t your mother raise you to respect your elders? Didn’t you learn to give your teachers respect in the classroom, and at least leave if you are going to talk? Or pass notes, the old fashioned way? Didn’t anyone tell you to respect others? Didn’t anyone to teach you the freaking Golden Rule?  Treat others how you would like to be treated?

Next time you try to have some ridiculous conversation IN CLASS while the rest of us are trying to learn, I am going to take it upon myself to stand up and LOUDLY…in your face…ask you to either SHUT UP…or LEAVE!  If you are lucky enough to have me use my usual manners, and ask quietly first, be like Nike…and just do it.

The Little Violin – Katherine McCarty, DC Student

and its melody at life university

Let me start by saying that, in the hands of a virtuoso, the violin is a beautiful instrument. So beautiful, in fact, that since December I have begun taking violin lessons. But, alas, the sound coming out of my violin isn’t as pretty as the sound coming out of an experienced violinist’s. In fact, sometimes it sounds as though a small animal is dying…quite painfully, I might add. My bow seems to have a mind of its own – it will slide, hit strings I don’t intend it to, and cannot quite seem to follow the beat of the metronome. Again I will say that the violin truly is a beautiful instrument! Nonetheless, while I am learning to play it, I practice in the confines of my own apartment, respecting those whose ears aren’t tolerant to my struggles. And with respect to my neighbors, I always stop before bedtime.

We do, however, seem to have many another budding “violinist” attending Life University–a very many.  While I am glad to hear so many people are interested in the instrument of their own evolution as a person, let us now talk about the beautiful, yet annoyingly loud “violins” playing on campus. Every student complains. It seems to be in our nature. But there needs to be a line drawn, because we are not just students. We are going to be Doctors. The common themes I hear on campus are about how unfair a test was, how the teacher didn’t cover this or that, or how the teacher is at fault for someone’s poor performance because they don’t know how to teach. I hope, as future doctors, we don’t just see the diploma and the career, and disregard the education. Upon entering this school, I would hope we all realized how difficult the material would be, and not rely on teachers and fellow students to hold our hands as we go through school. It’s going to be hard. You’re going to struggle. But so will us all. I would just like to add that your little violin has its own, unique, beautiful sound, but it is screeching like a dying cat in my right ear, and it is deafening! Why would anyone blame their grade on their teacher? It’s nonsensical!

As each quarter begins, you only hear about the technique of the teacher for certain classes. It’s now about the teacher, not the course material. Granted, that sort of information can be helpful and reassuring, but it won’t help you pass the class. What will then? I don’t know, maybe acting like future doctors and taking the load responsibly and adamantly? Each and every student is special, but not when it comes to the education we are all in. There you are not alone, so don’t think the teacher attacked you personally—we are all being hit with the same right hook, so please don’t parade your bruised eye. I have one, too.

Tonight, I will go home and in the privacy of my own home, I will play my violin. I suggest that we all follow suit, and save our campus from your ignorant and inconstant attempts at producing a melody.

Making Scents Of It – Kelly Milano, DC Student

Becoming a scent-free campus?

Recently a discussion came up on Life’s Facebook page, asking students, faculty and other ‘friends’ of LIFE if the University should adopt a ‘scent-free’ policy. What this would mean is that all scented oils, lotions, perfumes and colognes would be banned from campus.  From time to time this topic raises its head and demands attention, creating a fine balancing act between individual student rights and the rights of the community as a whole.  Many students feel it is their right to wear whatever fragrances they want, while others feel it is their right to not have to breathe the scented air. This same argument could go the other way, as well, with others that would rather a student smell of overwhelming perfume and flowers than smell like BO because of going the more ‘natural’ route.  People have their own ideas of what smells are good. For me, it’s chocolate, lilies and the ocean, but I don’t think anyone really wants to go around smelling like Hershey Kisses or sea salt all day long! And we each have our idea of what we don’t like. For me, I dislike patchouli, but I’ll never say you can’t wear it. It might be your chocolate!

While only a handful of people actually responded to the poll, the overall take was that people don’t want a scent free campus. 68% of those who responded answered with a “No,” while several said it was going too far. One response stated, “This is an absolute must. The minute you open your office and start treating headaches, you will see that scents are entirely incongruent with patient care. Many of these odors linger in the air, get on the adjusting table OR ON THE DOCTOR. This is a quality of care issue, people, to say nothing of the individual’s right not to have to smell you!” Another responded with, “Maybe the conversation should revolve around why the patient is so sensitive to smells and work on fixing that issue – that’s not normal.”

Other responses included, “I do believe it would be considerate to keep it to a minimum. On the other hand, it infringes on others’ right to their hygienic practices,” and, “I think all the environmental changes at school are great, but this would be going too far. I will keep wearing my perfume every day.”

While LIFE is not currently looking into creating a “scent-free policy” on this campus, there are several things each of us can do to be more considerate to others:

First, remember what we learned during anatomy and CNS classes; the olfactory nerves are highly adaptable and quickly become immune to smells.  When we use a specific perfume or cologne every day, our own senses become immune to it, requiring us to put on more just to have the same effect on our own senses that we are accostomed to.  Remember, not everyone thinks your perfume or body wash is as amazing as you think it is! Try to be courteous when applying your favorite fragrance.

Second, maintaining the overall quality of inside air and having good quality air purification systems are also beneficial. The overall air quality in buildings like ours is a constant issue that needs to be addressed.

Lastly, if someone is wearing a scent that is giving you a headache, making you sick or just irritating you, you can always move to another area in the room. It’s their right to wear their perfume and it’s your right to move to a different seat.

Life University states, “At this time LIFE is NOT adopting a scent-free campus, but we are always exploring ways to optimize the campus for the LIFE community!”  Continue this discussion on Facebook at Life University and also on our Facebook page at Vital Source. We’d love to hear from you!

Sharing Our Thoughts And Opinions – Sarah Moreau, UG Student

How far is too far?

Here at Life University, we pride ourselves on being the premier health and wellness university.  However, different students, faculty, and staff have different visions of what that means. To some, it means we are pursuing careers in health and wellness industries. To others, it means we need to all be on a certain diet and workout schedule, and only wear organic cotton clothing made from recycled or repurposed fibers. With so many vastly differing opinions, how do we manage?

With such strong feelings about all these issues floating around campus, discussions are almost guaranteed to happen, and from my viewpoint, the discussion seldom goes as well as it could. While we tolerate differences in any other form, a differing concept of what a Life University education  is or should be about is something about which many students I have observed seem to be very intolerant  Perhaps a student comes to LIFE to study in the undergraduate or master’s program.  Immediately, everyone tells this student they should go D.C. When met with hesitation or resistance, most back off, but some actually push harder. By doing so, these individuals think they’re helping someone find their career, but they might actually be pushing that person away. Ultimately, we are not all going to become chiropractors. If everyone on Earth were a chiropractor, no one would have enough patients to sustain a practice. The world needs other professions, as well. Instead of trying to coerce every student here into “The Program,” we should treat each other well, so that the idea of chiropractic doesn’t leave a bad taste in anyone’s mouth.

When discussing techniques, many students claim their preferred technique is the only good technique, and everyone else is crazy. Everyone ELSE is crazy? If there was only one technique to use, that is the only technique LIFE would teach. LIFE teaches a plethora of techniques because different D.C.’s prefer different techniques, different techniques work better for different patients, and none of them are wrong. So why do people get so arrogant that they believe only their favorite technique works? Maybe we should all step back and acknowledge there is at least some merit in all techniques taught at LIFE.

Some things on campus should be off-limits. Approaching someone and giving them a 30-minute lecture on why they are wrong about everything is NEVER a way to change someone’s mind. Approaching someone with an auto-immune disorder to tell them that one specific adjustment WILL cure them is rather insensitive. Considering the fact that this is happening on the campus of the largest chiropractic college in the world, makes this scenario just plain silly. Whether or not these students are D.C. students, they are surrounded by chiropractic every day. Chances are, you are not the first person to bring this theory to them, and it gets less welcome every time. As a person walking down the hallway, it’s really not your place to give them unsolicited advice about their health, especially when you consider the fact that they most likely already have an intern or D.C. of their own.

I am not saying all D.C. students are like this. Just like with any similar situation, the minority of people have the loudest voices, so that’s all people hear. With all of us shouting our opinions, none of us hear anything. Unfortunately, that sours many people on the Life University experience, and leaves us downtrodden, rather than uplifted. Our Lasting Purpose is To Give, To Do, To Love, and To Serve out of a sense of abundance. Perhaps we can keep this in mind when discussing our differences.  Maybe then, these discussions will be fruitful and lively, rather than the toxic lectures they so often become.

The LIFE Survival Guide – Sarah Moreau, UG Student

What every new student should know

A few weeks after I started my education at Life University, people began turning to me with questions. As someone who had only been here for a few weeks, I didn’t have a lot of the answers, but I was always happy to look them up. Since my first day at LIFE in January of 2010, I have picked up all manner of little tips, tricks, and fun things to do. Here are some of my favorites.

Need a little extra spending money? Make sure your FAFSA says that you are interested in work study, and get a job! Work study jobs on-campus are varied in job description and you are bound to find one that you love. Can’t find one? By getting to know different staff members on campus, you are more likely to find out about job openings when they are available. The benefits of work study jobs include more than just the pay. Unlike off-campus jobs, work study jobs have little to no federal tax withheld. By qualifying for and having a work study job, you automatically qualify for food stamps if you choose to apply. Also, Verizon Wireless offers a 22% discount for full-time and part-time LIFE employees. Other mobile service providers may offer discounts, so if you are curious, just ask!

Want to pay less tuition? If you are an undergraduate student or a Pre-DC student with more than two quarters of coursework, check out the Life Univer- sity Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to two students per quarter, is offered every quarter, and sources in the Financial Aid office say that very few students submit a completed application by the deadline. This scholarship requires that students submit a 300-word essay, 3 letters of rec- ommendation, at least 2 from teachers, have a GPA of 3.3, and complete and submit the Life University Scholarship Application. This is really not a lot of work required for 50%-off tuition for 4 quarters! Go to www. life.edu/financial_aid for more nifty scholarships!

Looking for ways to get to know people around campus? Try volunteering! Every quarter, Jen Valtos and Dr. Schneider host orientation for all of our new students. What better way to get to know people and get free food! There are also opportunities to volunteer for LIFE Leadership Weekend, headed up by Melissa Fredericks on the second weekend of the quarter, and countless opportunities to bond with your fellow classmates in clubs and organizations all over campus.

Know someone who is interested in chiropractic? Have them sign up for LIFE Leadership Weekend! The weekend levels the playing field so that people can learn what chiropractic is, if chiropractic is right for them, and if LIFE is the right chiropractic college for them. Because some people come from a long line of DC’s, and some people have never been adjusted and are just curious, this weekend lets our participants truly explore themselves to discover if the chiropractic path is right for them! For more information, contact Melissa Fredericks.

Looking for new running shoes? Try finding them online! I recently found a nice pair of Ryka running shoes on sale online for $29.99, and the same pair was selling at the Cumberland Mall for $68.95. So, I tried them on in the mall, decided what size was appropriate, and ordered them online! Because the shipping was free, I saved a nice chunk of change! Looking for orthotics? Go to the C-HOP or the CC-HOP to get fitted for your FREE Foot Levelers. The process is quick and painless, and the magic word is Free!

Need a place to live? Check out our on-campus housing and check out ProMove. Pro-Move is a company that helps you find a place to live within the parameters you set. You can email or call with the rent range you are comfortable paying, move-in date, number of bedrooms desired, and any special requests, such as avoiding Franklin Road, and Pro-Move will send you a list of apartments that fit those specifications. The only thing Pro-Move asks in return is that you write “referred by Pro-Move” on the rental application.

If you have questions that need answered, feel free to ask! The unique and great thing about this campus is that almost everyone I know is willing to help if they know that you need it!

Blue Jacket Envy – Kelly Milano, DC Student

A color of approaching success

At some point in our schooling ‘career’, we all go through it. There’s no set point as to when it happens, but it will happen to each of us. We venture through the doors of Life University, full of excitement and anticipation. We look forward to helping people and being part of true healthcare. We don’t care that we’re at the bottom of the totem pole because we’re here, and that’s all that matters. At some point, something changes. Suddenly, we see all the blue jackets around us and it hits us…Blue Jacket Envy!
It usually starts to really affect us when we first step into cadaver labs. We suddenly think, “This better all be worth it!!”  Then we remember the covetous blue jacket! We see new interns in the bookstore trying on jackets, smiling and snapping pictures to adorn their Facebook pages and to email to family and friends.  We walk past them in the hallway and feel a sense of jealousy. All we want is to legally put our hands on patients and adjust them. We want to give them what we feel will be the perfect adjustment, to free them from their ailments, clear the fog from their brain and even have angels singing our praises. We’re sure that when WE get to put on that blue jacket, we will have officially arrived and heaven will be silent for a moment and watch as we step into student clinic for the first time.  For that brief minute, we lose sight of the anatomy, physiology, full spine, mo-pal, pathology, skel radd and the dreaded CLET exam which stand in the way of us and our clinic experience. All we see is that blue jacket.
We are suddenly snapped back to reality as the professor hands us a scalpel and tells us it’s our turn to cut into the 82 year-old female cadaver in front of us. How in the world did we end up in a cold room full of bodies??
The blue jacket is horrible, but it’s a symbol that we have finally arrived. We are finally going to be doing what we are here to do. We are finally going to adjust our patients, feel the feeling of their cervical spine between our fingertips, the feel of their ligaments as they spring back into tension as we motion the body and to watch in amazement as our patients go from headache to smiles in a matter of minutes after our adjustment. This uncomfortable, stiff, polyester jacket brings us one step closer to outpatient clinic and eventually a practice of our own.  We don’t realize the responsibility that comes with the blue jacket, however. We may not fully realize that we will literally be holding someone’s life and wellbeing in our hands. We don’t realize the countless hours that will be spent in clinic, waiting, finishing paperwork and waiting some more for a doctor to sign off on our work. But, we assure ourselves that all the waiting will be worthwhile because…we will be doing it in our blue jacket!!
This process of Blue Jacket Envy is important in the journey!  It keeps us focused on the task ahead and keeps us pushing forward. Be warned…there will inevitably be a time while you are at Life when you want to quit, when you feel the stress and pressure and feel you are going to crumble underneath the weight.  But seeing a new round of students buying their blue jackets brings us back to reality and keeps pushing us forward. The blue jacket is a symbol for all those around us and we must keep pushing on. It’s one of the big accomplishments that will be felt by each and every one of us and one that sets us apart from those around us or those who are coming up behind us. Blue Jacket Envy! It’s worth it!

Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V – James Beuerlein, DC Student

The Failure of Academic Integrity

A lot of articles have been written on the subject of academic integrity: whether it’s ranting about cheating on tests, signing the attendance for someone else, or collaborating on assignments intended to be done individually. While all of those topics probably merit re-mentioning, I want to focus on a different aspect: books and notes.

One of the marvels of the Internet is the ability to share files with anyone at any place in the world. This ability unfortunately espouses the following common delusion: “Well, if I can simply download it from the Internet, it must be FREE!” It could be music, movies, books, or software. Whatever the lure, it is all-too-easy to compromise our ethics by “sharing” someone else’s copyrighted material or intellectual property.

Unfortunately, establishments are no safe-havens from the onslaught of piracy – rather they are temples built in its honor! I mean, who actually BUYS Photoshop? Really? It’s not like I make money by using it; it’s just for personal use. Except for that one time… never mind. Isn’t it only against the law if you sell it to someone else?

Another thing is all these books. The administration must think we’ve all got money trees back home. “Anyway, do you know how much we pay to go to this school? Are you kidding? They OWE us! Can you believe the nerve these people have to ask us to buy books that are $50, $80, $200 a pop? Ludicrous! Thank Jesus for the PDF copy of Guyton’s Medical Physiology that an upper-quarter buddy of mine passed me! Like I was going to actually PAY for that thing? Don’t be ridiculous. All of this basic science stuff is a bunch of BS anyway. We only have to know it for Boards. It’s not like I’m ever going to use Embryo in practice anyway…”

Frankly, a major paradigm shift occurred for me shortly after arriving at Life. I was introduced to AmeriPress. What a great idea! I mean, some over-achiever actually TAKES NOTES, sells them to AmeriPress, and I buy them for like $12 per class. Total life-saver: I honestly didn’t know how I was going to cope with checking Facebook, watching movies from PirateBay on my iPad, AND trying to keep up with copying down the slides during lecture. “Where’d I get what? Oh, THIS copy of the AmeriPress notes for Endocrinology? No, I didn’t buy them per se. I got a scanned copy from a friend of mine in the next quarter. He bought them… I think… or, he knows the girl who bought them… Yeah, she posted them all to her Mobile Me account, so we can totally use them.

Hey, there’s also a bunch of old tests on there too. Definitely saved my bacon on the final exam last quarter. About 2/3 of the questions were in there verbatim. I know; it’s basically all I studied. You know, I heard someone had a copy of the midterm too, and they didn’t share it with anyone. What a punk! I mean, who does that?”

Ok. I’ll stop. I think you get the point, and I’d be willing to bet you know – just as well as I – that these conversations require no effort of imagination at all. I’ve heard it said that those who will cut corners here and there will do the same thing once they begin practice. It honestly makes me a little fearful about the future of our profession. In case you think I’m blowing these “trivial” things way out of proportion, answer me this: At what point do we receive a functioning moral compass: When we walk across the stage to receive our diploma and a “Dr.” in front of our names, or when the state mails us our license? When are we going to grow a freaking SPINE?

We’re all sick of hearing about “integrity” here at Life, so it seems that we’ve just abandoned it entirely. I think it all comes down to how much you value your own character. I’m sure we’ve all heard that an objects’ true value can be defined by how much you’d be willing to pay for it. So, tell me: How much is your character worth? Is it worth $68.50? (The price of Clinically Oriented Anatomy on Amazon.com) Is it worth $12.00? (A set of AmeriPress notes)  Or how about $4.99? (Renting “Dinner for Schmucks” from Blockbuster)  The reality is this: Whatever point you sacrifice your integrity is the value you place on your character. Found that new Usher song on torrent site? Congratulations! You just sold your character for $0.99.

The Power to Change Lives – James Williams, UG Student

Why you should coach your patients

Teach a person to fish, and you feed them for a lifetime ends the Chinese proverb. This old adage may sound cliché, but we can all use its timeless power. Bring to mind for a moment something you want to change in your life and need help with. How would it feel to have a teacher who supports you in your endeavor, won’t criticize or judge you, and wants you to succeed?

What if this teacher helps you discover exactly how to make that change happen, in a way that you choose is right for you, free of any agendas; would you want them on your side? How about if they sat with you to identify the barriers to your success and how to overcome every one of them – is that someone to have in your life?  We have them right here at Life U.

The best teachers are coaches

Instead of being teachers in the traditional sense, the Life Coaching program interns teach you to fish. They help you to catch hold of your inner strengths, which at times are obscured by the muddy waters of doubt, guilt, and fear. Using a skill named process coaching, the interns will talk you through your inspirational and motivational blocks, and assist you in transforming them.

After a coaching session, the rules of how to get what you want are imperceptibly rewritten, and you’re more at ease about following through with any goals you set for yourself. It’s as if you can see the challenge ahead with your eyes wide open.

You’re still the same you underneath; no one has waved a magic wand, but something is subtly different. There’s a sense that your inner strength has been nourished at a deep level, and the fears you felt in the past have diminished and been replaced with a quiet knowingness that you will succeed. Together with your coach, you talk through the barriers to success, one-by-one, and identifiy what you’ll do to overcome them. The process of talking makes you comfortably aware of the fears, instead of letting them lurk disruptively beneath the surface. Your coaching session creates a gentle sense of peace and confidence inside you.

Coaching boosts motivation to change:

The beauty of coaching is that change actually happens between sessions. Process coaching is only one of many types of coaching which helps people make life-transforming shifts. Its great power comes from making you aware of the thoughts and feelings needed to clear your path to feeling intrinsically motivated. If emotions scare you, ask yourself these two questions: How can you change without feeling motivated? How can you feel motivated without knowing what feelings you need to access?

From an emotional standpoint, coaching is unlike therapy or counseling. Rather than emphasizing the past, coaching instead focuses on the present and future, which makes the experience lighter, more inspired, and insightful.

Delivering exceptional service – How you can use coaching:

You can also give the gift of this powerful experience to your clients and colleagues. When you leave Life U, at some point you’ll be either an employer or an employee. Whichever you become, others will need your help many times throughout your life. As soon as you hear a knock on the door for your assistance, you have several choices:

1. You can tell them what to do, which will probably be reminiscent of their parents, schoolteachers, and other authority figures or experts. This kind of relationship is what most doctors have with their patients and is built on inequality. It’s a relationship where one person knows more than the other, which is built on power and authority.

2. You can leave them to get on with it and discover how to do it themselves. This is unsupportive and your actions would say that you’re not willing to help;

3. You can coach them through it, working side by side as a partner. To do this you listen and ask questions. Each of your inquiries will help the other person to discover and decide what to do for themselves. They’ll appreciate you helping them to learn for themselves, and for being right there with them.

You can either coach people to fish for themselves, or give them a fish by telling them what to do. With the latter, you make them dependent on you and create an unhealthy relationship built on need and codependency. As a health or business professional, you’ll also experience the ongoing frustration of people abdicating self-responsibility and not following through with your recommendations. This is exactly the way that doctors, managers, exercise and sports trainers, and many nutritionists have been practicing for a few decades.

Instead of dictating what people need to do, acting as if we know what is best for business, and for the patient’s body, we must empower people by fully including them in the decision making process. Change then becomes a beautiful journey of discovery embarked on together by the client and coach.

Real people – Real benefits:

What you are about to read may sound controversial. It is meant in the spirit of helping you think wider than what you’re taught so we can help more people, more effectively: What good is it to give a patient a medication, adjustment, nutritional plan, or exercise program if you fail to coach them through the blocks to implementing it in their life?

• The chiropractic patient will keep returning to your office having vertebra or groups of vertebra out of alignment; chiropractic treatments can be fully preventative when patients are coached on how to be aware of their body, what good posture feels like, what muscles to stretch and strengthen which are contributing to subluxations, which mobility exercises to perform, and how to move their body safely to prevent repeated misalignments.

• A nutritional patient’s compliance with their meal plan will be low because a stressful event happened soon after they were given their plan, and they resorted to their old comfort-eating habits. These individuals need coaching through the emotional blocks to eating healthily on a consistent basis, and they need to learn new ways to cope with stress instead of relying on food if they’re going to stay on their eating plan consistently.

• The exercise client will keep saying their lack of energy or not having enough time were the reasons for them not going to the gym or performing their rehabilitation exercises frequently enough. These individuals may benefit from their trainer coaching them through their values, which helps people to identify what is truly important to them. When the client is clear that exercising is vital for their health and happiness, they can be coached through the barriers to making it a top priority, and exercise more regularly.

• Then there’s the business partner or colleague who can’t seem to pull their weight at work and seems unmotivated, resulting in you or others having to do more work. Maybe they need coaching to understand what they need to feel more motivated so their productivity can return to normal?

In each of these cases, the patient, client, or colleague knows what they should be doing, and feels tension because they’re not following through. As a coach, you can help reduce that tension by coaching them through their motivational blocks and watching them talk themselves into changing. We help people change by involving them every step of the way and giving them power to choose what is right for them. Our agenda is not always best or right for our clients.

If you’re not coaching, you’re persuading

Persuading others to change and do what we think is right for them is most likely to fail because the other person has not been invited to be part of the process. Just imagine someone telling you what to do with your life, not listening to your needs or what’s important to you, let alone whether you can or want to do what they’re suggesting. What would that feel like? To add further tension, the person fails to tell you how to do what they’re suggesting.

Every person who dispenses advice or recommendations, whether as a doctor, practitioner or friend is doing just that. It’s akin to dropping a fishing line into the ocean and blindly hoping a fish will bite. It’s far better to teach a person to fish for their own success and be right there with them, than keep throwing them a fish and saying, “Here, now eat this, just don’t ask me how.”

Coaches give life adjustments:

Chiropractors adjust patients‘ spines, nutritionists modify nutritional habits, and exercise science majors alter people’s workouts. Life coaches give life adjustments so that change happens smoothly and with a greater probability of success. Having life coaching skills will improve the results you and your patients experience, whether you’re a chiropractor, nutritionist, exercise science practitioner, or business major. The coaching program at Life University has been revamped for 2011 to help you learn real, usable skills. It is worth taking next quarter; dip your toes in the water by starting with the introduction to coaching class.

How could you life benefit from a life adjustment? Every Tuesday, between 5:30-6:30PM in room 114 in Annex B / CUS, the Life Coaching club has skilled student interns available to help you get more out of your life. It is open to all members of the Life community, and all we ask from you is a $1 charitable donation.

Come and visit us, call 678 653 2080 or email ThatsLifeCoaching@gmail.com for more information.

The War on Funnel Cakes – Alexandra Gerdel, DC Student

The Lights of Life delicacy found guilty of causing serious IBS on campus

At Let’s Talk last quarter I heard Bill Jarr announce that funnel cakes would no longer be advertised at Lights of Life. I took the comment as a sign that the administration finally recognized the inconsistency of an institution committed to creating a paradigm shift in the arena of health and wellness serving fried dough smothered in powdered sugar and deep fried candy bars during the event that serves as our biggest contact with the outside community. I was so excited I even posted on FaceBook that words I’d written over a year ago about this very issue had been listened to and that changes were finally happening towards making our school a spitting image of what we preach: health and wellness.

Imagine my disappointment when a few days after I heard Mr. Jarr announce that funnel cakes would not be advertised, not only had the funnel cake stand taken up residence on our new green space, but in addition to the yellow monstrosity already advertising funnel cakes and deep fried candy bars, there was a new red and white banner tied to the chain link fence reading “FUNNEL CAKES.” Before I go on, let me clarify two things: one) this article is in no way intended to attack Mr. Jarr, I may have misheard or misunderstood what he said, I am merely stating how this occurred for me when what I “heard” turned out to be false from my perspective; two) I know many who will be upset at my attack on funnel cakes, I only ask that those of you already getting red in the face hear me out. My qualm isn’t with any one person or the fact that people love funnel cakes, my war declaration is a matter of integrity.

Life University has made a promise: “…Life University education will produce leaders who exemplify humanistic values and, in a world where change is constant, provide innovative approaches to direct that change to elevate society and evolve its health care system.” (www.life.edu/OurMission) The commitment of our school is to create transformational leaders ready to make an impact on the world, specifically in the arena of health and wellness. So the question stands, shouldn’t our campus and community set the tone for what that kind of transformation and impact looks like?

I return now to my issue with funnel cakes and the many other horrendously delicious and artery clogging foods served during our annual Lights of Life festival. Does it make sense that a community of future healthcare leaders and a school committed to elevating society and evolving its healthcare system throws that message out the window and supports the sales of some of the most unhealthy food imaginable for one month out of the year? This phenomenon represents IBS. For all my bodily function minded colleagues, my use of IBS here does not mean Irritable Bowel Syndrome, (though I’m sure funnel cakes are very capable of causing that). However, what I am referring to is something known as the Integrity Baseline Syndrome (this term was coined by Landmark Education).

We’re all familiar with integrity, one of our eight core proficiencies: doing what you say you’re going to do, by when you say you’re going to do it and having all your actions congruent with the words you speak. All of us have the potential to have 100% integrity in everything we do, but very few of us actually do. Every time you sell out on your word, your message or do something that isn’t congruent with you or what you stand for, your integrity baseline falls from 100%, to 95%, to 60% etc. Whether it’s for money, or because something is too hard, or because you’re embarrassed to admit something, or too scared to take a stand, the majority of people who claim to live with integrity live their lives with a percentage of integrity that is far less than 100%.

As a university, our integrity baseline is currently far below 100% when it comes to a commitment to create a paradigm shift in the worlds view of health and healthcare. As long as we continue to sell funnel cakes and fried candy, have vending machines on campus, serve soda in our cafe and allow companies like Papa Johns and QuikTrip to hand out free food on campus the shift we’re talking about will never be realized, because our words have no integrity or action to back them up. Would apartheid have been lifted if Nelson Mandela had sold out on his word or his message when he got into office? Would the Civil Rights movement ever have succeeded if Martin Luther King hadn’t stood for what he believed in at any cost?

To create a paradigm shift like the one we’ve started to envision on this campus, we must live and practice the type of integrity Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela possessed. With Lights of Life, we have the opportunity to begin making a stand in the transformation of one small part of our world—of our campus and of the community to which we belong. Would it not be more in line with the mission and promise mentioned earlier to utilize the event that brings more outside visitors to our campus than any other time of year, to educate them on how to eat well and feel well during the holidays? To provide them with recipes and samples of food that both tastes incredible AND is good for you?

A commitment to health isn’t a “whenever I feel like it” type of agreement. It’s full time, it doesn’t take a vacation, and it definitely doesn’t disband for the holidays. I like the direction Life University is heading. I like the promise. I like the mission. However, if we’re really going to create the kind of shift in thinking Life University claims to be committed to, it’s time to get our act together and raise our integrity baseline back up to 100%.

I want to be able to say I graduated from a school that said “screw you” to the high fructose corn syrup and aspartame ridden food and soft drinks of vending machines. I want to be able to reference the Life University community as one that has taken the world by storm and created the type of thinking that truly promotes health and wellness in all aspects. And most of all, when I walk across the stage in December to get my Doctor of Chiropractic degree, I want to do so knowing that the reign of funnel cakes and the promotion of unhealthy food on this campus has been squashed once and for all.

As Mahtmah Ghandi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Our university has a vision of a future for the world of health care. It is one I am inspired by and intend to carry with me out into the world when I leave. This vision is also the reason I’m calling our university out. In the immortal words of the movie Empire Records, “the time to hesitate is through.” I’m declaring war on funnel cakes, deep fried candy bars, vending machines and anything else incongruent with the image of health and wellness we claim to embody on this campus. As they say in another of the greatest movies of all time, Wedding Crashers, “Rule number 76: no excuses. Play like a champion.” Now, who’s with me? Please send any comments to submissions.vs@gmail.com or post them on our facebook page.

 

The Possibility of YOU – Kim Snider, DC Student

A students perspective on Landmark Education

Dear friends and future leaders of Life University,

I invite you to consider a possibility. A possibility to tackle any issue in your life, and resolve it. A possibility of freedom from procrastination and the “If only…” conversations going on in your head. A possibility of getting out of your own way and creating the life you envision for yourself, your family and those around you. This weekend I was enlivened to those potentials and more at the Landmark Education Advanced Course.

Landmark Education is a company that has dedicated its entire existence to the training and development of empowering people like you and I to “Live Life Powerfully and Live a Life You Love”. This is a course lead by a highly trained Landmark Forum Leader who creates an encouraging environment to confront any walls, barriers or dams that you are, or are not, aware of that you have built up in your life and BREAK.THEM.DOWN!

What is created from the Landmark Forum are Global Leaders. Naturally, hearing this term of Global Leaders, made me think of the leaders on this campus and I realized that I couldn’t keep this incredible seminar a secret!

So I would like to share with you 10 results that are in my life because I did the Landmark Education Forum:

1) I am a woman with a childlike curiosity of the world.

2) I am the role of human-being rather than human-doing.

3) I reconnected with my sister for the first time in 6 years.

4) I am a more patient driver (Yes, no joke!)

5) I distinguish that I own my feelings, they don’t own me.

6) I have more meaningful conversations.

7) I appreciatively recognize and admit the greatness of those around me.

8) I realize that I am powerful and take responsibility for my actions, thoughts and the greater well-being of humanity, including my future patients.

9) I am committed to attending more mission trips in order to contribute to something bigger than myself.

10) I FINALLY understand the term to “GET OUT OF MY OWN WAY!”

Landmark Education is not a counseling session. Counseling gives you tools to handle a current situation you are dealing with. The Landmark Forum is the possibility which gives you power to be effective in the current moment, always. I can promise you one thing, this is unlike any seminar or counseling session you have ever been to.

Many people on campus have attended the Landmark Forum, so begin talking about what you have read here and I guarantee you will find someone to attend an intro session with. You can also visit their website (http://www.landmarkeducation.com/) and keep your eyes open on campus because Landmark will be holding an intro session later this year.

No matter what program you are in, what classes you teach or what stage in life you are this program is for you. My invitation to you has now been stamped, addressed and sealed with love. Now, are you ready to take on the possibility of you and will you join me in taking on the possibility of life?

 

Becoming Role Models of Health – Nico Staples, DC Student

The Essentials Of Maximized Living

There comes a time as you progress down the road to becoming a doctor when you make a choice whether or not to be a role model of what you will be teaching. For the Maximized Living Student club choosing not to be a role model of the principles of health is out of the question. So in order to encourage, not only the members of the club, but the students of Life University as a whole to change their unhealthy habits the club started the 30-Day Weight Loss/ Muscle Gain Challenge. What makes this challenge different is that they do it all together as a team, using a clear roadmap to lead them to success. The challenge starts off with a presentation and explanation of the roadmaps, rules, and regulations. Maximized Living’s Nutrition Plan Book is the roadmap being referred to; inside are the keys to healthy nutrition. To further the outstanding directions of this book there are two different options to follow. In the challenge the club focuses solely on the Advanced Plan – one of the keys to help reverse sickness and dis-ease in the body. The main rules of the plan are to cut out sugar, bad fats, and toxins; then increase healthy proteins, good fats, and vegetables.

Alongside the life-changing eating habits is a regular regimen of exercise. The Maximized Living Club gives guidance to everyone about workouts developed by a Maximized Living Doctor. The work-outs are simple to do and only take a good 20 minutes to complete at the most. The results from the workouts and the nutrition are undeniable.

The first 30-Day Challenge was during fall quarter 2010. The results were truly astounding, with a total of over a 100 pounds lost by the club. What is truly fascinating is that a lot of the club members actually gained muscle weight but lowered their body-fat percentage. The key to success is the dedication of the students in supporting each other with helpful hints, and even trading recipes they enjoyed. The varieties of healthy foods that can be made according to these guidelines even include a chocolate cake made without sugar and flour. The food is absolutely delicious, and the perfect fuel for a healthy body.

As James Chestnut says in his book The Wellness Prevention Paradigm, “Adopting a healthy lifestyle, a genetically congruent lifestyle, is the only viable solution for wellness and prevention. It is also the most evidence-based healing solution for those already suffering with chronic illness, and it SAVES LIVES, SAVES MONEY, and can SAVE HEALTHCARE.” That is exactly what the Maximized Living Club is trying to do with the 30-day challenge and the Maximized Living 5 Essentials. We are trying to model the principles of health in preparation of being able to truly teach it to our future patients. The passion these students share for Chiropractic and a bettering Lifestyle is truly inspirational. The second 30-day challenge started January 31^st of winter quarter 2011. I encourage all students at Life University to check it out, to join in and to try to start living a healthier, congruent lifestyle along with the principles of Chiropractic. Doing this will show the world that Chiropractors have the keys to long-lasting health and are dedicated to saving the people of this world from sickness and dis-ease.

Producing Miracles and Results – Alexandra Gerdel, DC Student

An introduction to the Pierce Results System

Do you ever feel frustrated by the reliability of motion palpation and guessing where a subluxation is, based on what you feel, a leg check, or tight muscle fibers? Have you ever wondered what you’re really feeling? Or wondered if it’s really truly possible to find THE subluxation causing problems, versus a vertebrae that may be fixated but isn’t necessarily the main problem? Can you objectively prove that you have helped a patient and removed their subluxation?

The Pierce Results System provides a protocol for analysis and adjusting that takes all the guesswork out of your patient care and allows you to deliver the right adjustment, in the right place at the right time. The system combines the use of three important aspects of analysis to develop the when, where and why a patient needs to be adjusted.

Plain film x-ray: In the Pierce System, we use plain film x-ray to tell us why we’re adjusting a patient. Cervical and lumbar films give us information on the state of the spine. Through a series of rules and analyses, developed by Dr. Vern Pierce, we are able to tell how long the spine has been injured, how long it will take to correct itself, and how much correction we can expect it to achieve.

Video-fluoroscopy: In addition to using plain film x-ray, the Pierce Results System uses video-fluoroscopy, or motion x-ray, to see exactly how the spine is moving. This tool allows those using the Pierce system to know exactly where to adjust without any guessing. This tool is the biggest reason Pierce produces the results it does, as quickly as it does, because seeing the motion or lack of motion in the spine allows you to adjust exactly where needed. This means adjustments are less frequent and hold longer, allowing your patients to get to a state of optimum function much more quickly than other techniques.

Instrumentation: Instrumentation is probably the most important aspect of the Pierce Results System. Full spine digital thermography is used every time a patient comes in to get checked. The significance of this extra step is that instrumentation tells the doctor exactly when to adjust. This allows the body time to adapt to the adjustment. Rather than constantly over stimulating the nervous system by osseously adjusting a patient every time they come in, the Pierce System uses a scan of how the nervous system is functioning to determine if the patient needs to be adjusted that day. If the nervous system is in flux, no pattern is established when a patient comes in, so there is no need to forcefully adjust the patient at every visit. There are other lower force techniques utilized in the Pierce System, such as Logan Basic or holding pressures on areas of concern found on video fluoroscopy, that are utilized to continue facilitating the changes made by the first or most recent adjustment.

Allowing the body and nervous system to dictate when to adjust, along with having a system and protocol to follow for the order of what vertebrae to adjust, is the biggest reason the Pierce Results System produces changes in people’s spines and health as quickly as it does. While the results that have been produced in patients under Pierce care are incredible, the system is also strongly grounded in the concept of subluxation as the cause of dis-ease, and educating patients on the importance of getting their nervous system checked regularly. In the Pierce Results System, structure is function. The system is streamlined to effectively restore spinal structure and integrity so the nervous system can function at its optimum level. When structure and function are restored, miracles are produced. Diseases disappear, quality of life drastically improves and medical doctors are perplexed, wondering what happened when their patient no longer needs drugs or surgery.

There is much more to the Pierce Results System than can be explained in a single article. If you have questions or are interested in finding out more about Pierce, come to Pierce Club. The club meets Tuesdays from 11-12p.m. and Wednesdays from 5-7p.m. in room CUS-109.

My Maximized Living Experience – James Beuerlein, DC Student

You think you know, but you have no idea

I’ll admit from the start I had my doubts. Though it was actually a Maximized Living doctor who inspired me to become a chiropractor, I had heard, (and experienced,) some of the stereotypes that made me uneasy. I became a member of the club because I believed in their program, having seen what it did for my health, but I still didn’t quite “get it” until I went to my first seminar.

What is Maximized Living? I used to think it was just another one of the chiropractic coaching programs out there, and I didn’t know what made it any different from the others. That assessment was totally thrown on its head at the seminar. As it turns out, Maximized Living is a healthcare delivery system, based on the “Five Essentials” of health:

1. Maximized nerve supply (through chiropractic)
2. Proper nutrition
3. Exercise and optimized oxygen supply
4. Mental/emotional/spiritual health
5. Eliminating toxicity

As doctors, they believe that God put the most amazing power (innate) in the body, which has the ability to heal itself when sick, prevent it from getting sick, and ensure a full, healthy life until the clock of destiny stops ticking. The organization was founded by Life graduates Dr. Ben Lerner and Dr. Greg Loman.

I went to the seminar expecting to hear a lot of hype, (and in that respect, I was not disappointed,) but I didn’t think my opinion of the organization would change that much. What I didn’t expect was to find out that the ‘hype’ and ‘scare tactics’ I heard about were actually raw, genuine passion misrepresented. These people really want to change the world, and they have a tangible plan to do it! The more I listened to doctors speak, sharing stories of victory and breakthrough from their practices, and challenging each other to reach more people, the more I found myself inspired – not to build a big practice so I could make a bunch of money, but to be the best doctor I can possibly be and help as many people as I possibly can. They are absolutely committed to their principles and aren’t satisfied with half-assed practices that aren’t changing the community and the world.

As I mentioned earlier, I thought this was simply a coaching program, but discovered it’s actually a network of doctors dead-set on making themselves better and radically changing the health care system not only of this country, but of the entire world. As a form of accountability, they are instituting “certifications” in each of their five essentials to ensure their doctors are the best chiropractors and general health practitioners in the world. Once the program is fully developed, it will be impossible for docs to be in the network without being committed to continuing their education, not only in chiropractic, but also in nutrition, exercise, toxicity, and mental health.

Beyond these extraordinary ‘basics’, they offer amazing programs in other specialties. One incredible program, called “The Autism Whisperers,” focuses on bringing optimum health to families dealing with autism. The testimonies of the families that have been transformed are heart-wrenching. The speaker, who was also the founder of the program, declared that we have a responsibility to reach those families living in such difficult situations, and a duty to use the power in our hands to release the power of innate in them. Not to do so is selfish and unacceptable.

They are also a part of the Wellness Advisory Council for Team USA’s Olympic teams. Currently, they work with Olympic athletes in weightlifting, wrestling, Judo and swimming, and they’re expanding into more sports all the time. What a priceless opportunity to work with elite-level athletes and travel with them to the Olympics!

Lastly, they are spreading the message of chiropractic around the globe. They recently opened their second international office in Zimbabwe, and the Vice President of the country came to the grand opening ceremony! They did an educational workshop for the people, and 1400 people signed up for care in one weekend! They work with a very special group of HIV positive children and offer their service on an almost pro-bono basis – most of their patients pay only $50 per month for three visits per week. The world has such a HUGE need for chiropractic. We can’t get doctors out there fast enough!

Despite whatever rumors you may have heard, these doctors are the real deal, and you owe it to yourself to at least check out Maximized Living. Yes, they teach ‘scripts’ for their doctors to use, however, these are NOT verbatim speeches for robotic recitation. They are more accurately a framework put in place to create smooth office flow and to allow the doctor to speak with passion and confidence about the principle of chiropractic and the transforming power it can have in people’s lives. Yes, they aim to have high-volume offices, but at the seminar I came to understand that this is merely to increase the number of people that they are able to reach with chiropractic. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but their intricate network and strict accountability actually ensure that their doctors provide BETTER care by being able to analyze on a much larger scale what works, what doesn’t, and what is the most efficient way to bring someone into vibrant health.

Don’t take my word for it, come to one of their free seminars and see for yourself! They have two coming up:
January 27-30 in Orlando, FL
April 6-10 in Colorado Springs, CO
Come visit us in club Mondays at 5pm in CCE-1!

When Words Are as Mighty as the Adjustment – James Williams, DC Student

Find out how life coaching can help you succeed in practice

How can words work wonders when it’s a chiropractor’s hands that make an adjustment?

The power of your words can make a huge difference to your patients, and do more than help them feel more relaxed and confident in your efficacy. As a doctor of chiropractic, you can use a coaching approach to communicate with, educate, and motivate your patients.

Coaching is a way to help people make changes in their life that is more empowering than simply telling them what to do. If you practice like most doctors, you’re probably acting like a consultant, where you tell your patients what they need to do before they ask, or the patient asks you a question, and you give them an answer. Often, patients will nod and seem to swallow the information you give them, but you don’t know whether they’ll act on it.

The medical model has advocated the doctor as being the knowledgeable person in patient-doctor interactions, and this has led to doctors giving orders and not engaging patients in the decision-making process. Patients are left feeling disempowered and unmotivated, which results in them not taking responsibility for their health, not being proactive, and doing the bare minimum, which is often just taking a pill once or twice a day.

But here’s the crunch; people come to you for help. You’ve got some awesome information and practical tips, yet most patients don’t perform the self-care activities you ask them to do.

Have you ever wondered why that happens, and more importantly, what you can do about it? If you’d like to learn how to increase the success rate of patient compliance then read on, because using the coaching approach, you’ll discover how you can help your patients take better care of themselves between visits.

But hold on, why should you use a coaching approach ?
-       Clients stay pain free for longer;
-       They’re happier;
-       They see the value of your work;
-       They refer you to others;
-       You help more people;
-       The referrals keep coming in;
-       You make more money.

Before you start asking your patients to engage in between-visit activities, you have to know how ready they are to change. If you don’t, your message won’t resonate with the patient, and they won’t act on it.

Knowing which stage of change your patients are in for the activity you want them to do is important. It will help you pitch your message in such a way that you’ll plant a seed of change in your patient’s mind. That seed will grow at some future, unknown time; initially it needs the patient’s mind to nourish it by ruminating on the topic.

The rumination leads to the patient becoming more aware of the importance of having a healthy spine. Education helps, but ramming information down their throat when they’re not ready to hear it will bring up feelings of resistance to your message, which is generally counterproductive. Engaging in self-care and regular office visits will become a priority for your patients when they’re ready to commit to making change. But before they can commit, they need to contemplate why they should change, and mentally and emotionally know that the pros of the activity you want them to do outweighs the cons.

Even though you don’t know when the seed of change will sprout, sadly for some people, this might involve them feeling more pain.  When they’ve experienced enough emotional discomfort they’ll move a stage closer to committing to act, and then to acting. You need to trust their seed will sprout, and they’ll do what they need to do when they are ready, not when you, the doctor, want them to. All it takes is for you to trust it will happen, and be there to support them. Stop trying to change your patients – help them change themselves and watch miracles happen.

Below is a brief description of each of the six stages of change. Reading the book, Changing For Good by James Prochaska, John Norcross and Carlos DiClemente is highly recommended if you want to understand your patients, how to pitch self-care and even sales messages to them.

Precontemplation: patients are not thinking about making changes and may be actively resisting the need to make them.

Contemplation: The decision to change has not been made, however the patient is considering the pros and cons before committing.
Planning: The pros outweigh the cons, and the patient has committed to change. They’re looking around for information to guide them on what changes to make.
Action: Here the patient is taking steps to change their life. People in this stage represent less than 20% of the population according to research by Prochaska, Norcross and DiClemente.
Maintenance: After starting to take action, the patient is continuing to change for an extended period of time.
Termination: a change in values has helped the new behavior become part of the person’s way of living.

As you read this, maybe you realize you are in fact powerless to force your patients to change, no matter how many times you ask or tell them to engage in a self-care activity. You change no one; your patients change themselves. The patient must be aware of the need and benefits of changing. They must buy into change with their heart as well as their mind.

This is where coaching comes in. By building rapport and an ongoing relationship with patients, you connect with them deeply and open the door for them to change. Connecting with them deeply allows them to relax around you, trust you, and feel accepted for who they are – bulging discs and all. When people develop this kind of relationship with you through coaching, the way you talk with them will plant seeds of change that will sprout between office visits or over the course of several visits.

We’re not using coaching to manipulate.  Instead, we’re joining with the patient to create a powerful relationship allowing them to safely explore the possibilities for change, and which gently allows them to convince themselves they can make it happen. Your patients will pick-up on your belief in them, and once they can believe they can change, it’s time to start planning and have them tell you how they can easily incorporate self-care activities into their life.

Let’s see some of these coaching principles in action. Below is an example of a discussion you could have with a patient to increase their self-care.
Scenario #1: John, a patient comes in with lower back and leg pain. He is in precontemplation with regard to doing anything between visits to prevent another subluxation.

Some of the conversational tools that can be used when a patient is in precontemplation include increasing their awareness of the issue, confrontations, and providing feedback that creates a discrepancy between their view of the situation and what’s really happening.
Doctor: “There we go John, your adjustment is complete for today.”
Patient: “That’s great doc. Thanks so much.”
Doctor: “There’s something else I’d like to do for you.”
Patient: “What’s that.”
Doctor: “You were in considerable pain today when you came in”
Patient: “Sure, now it feels much better, but my back is probably getting better, right?”
Doctor: “I’m going to be really honest with you John. Now, I don’t want to scare you, it’s just that when I look at your x-rays, I see that the subluxation of your L5 disc is creating a damaging bulge, and that the annular tear I told you about is getting worse…” [Consciousness raising and discrepant feedback]
Patient: “So what does that mean Doc?”
Doctor: “It means that your disc is changing shape, and that it may touch your nerves more often. What happens when your discs touch your nerves John?”   [Consciousness raising]
Patient: “I feel pain, right?” [Increasing awareness]
Doctor: “As the tear and disc movement increases, how is this going to affect your pain levels?” [Increasing awareness]
Patient: “They’ll get worse?”
Doctor: “Yes, and I know that you don’t like being in pain, and that you don’t want to do things at home to prevent the pain…What I’m saying is that adjustments on their own will only help so much, and that if you want to have less pain, you’re going to have to do something at home between office visits.” [Confrontation]
Patient: “Let me think about that Doc. I appreciate your honesty, I do. I’m just not sure right now.”
Doctor: “I understand John. You might be feeling shocked about what I just said about your spine changing and the likelihood of there being more pain. And I know that you’ve felt uneasy about doing a two-minute exercise once a day. Just know that it will help to reduce your pain…I’m here for you John, so let me know how I can help.”
Patient: “Okay Doc, thanks.”
Doctor: “Jodie will take care of you at reception. See you next week.”
Although this is a short, two-minute conversation, it raises the patient’s level of consciousness regarding their pain, and makes them aware of the consequences of their present course of action. It also acknowledges that they feel resistant about self-care and accepts their decision. Instead of rushing them into action, it plants the seed and permits the patient to inquire about what to do, when they’re ready.

Learning coaching skills, such as those taught in the coaching certificate program at Life University, gives you the ability to listen and plant seeds in your patients’ minds. Your words will become a powerful ally to your adjustments, and your practice will flourish.