A note to students of chiropractic.
The chiropractor of the 21st century is being pushed by the public to become more. More complete to match the classic philosophy of structure meets chemistry meets psyche. More knowledgeable about neurology. More knowledgeable about endocrinology. More knowledgeable about immunology.
These three interrelated human characteristics co-mingle to make up the human system and are becoming ever more important as the public wakes up to the power of looking at the body as a whole unit versus the sum of its parts. It just makes sense.
We have all surely heard the quote from Thomas Edison, "The doctor of the future will give no medication but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease". The public is catching on and is crying out for help and there is no one better to help than the modern chiropractor.
The chiropractor of the 21st century is also being pulled by the profession to “stay in their lane” as a subluxation removal “specialist” focusing on spinal subluxation. This is often derived from one’s own definition of what “subluxation” actually is, which is ultimately a belief system. Humans hold a kaleidoscope of beliefs that shape our perceptions, actions and interactions. From the spiritual convictions that guide moral decisions to the scientific principles that drive innovation, beliefs form the backbone of our personal and collective realities.
Much of chiropractic still operates through inherited doctrine rather than disciplined verification and tested as clinical propositions. In many corners of chiropractic, ideology has replaced empiricism.
“Above Down Inside Out”, “As above So below”
We have undoubtedly heard these phrases uttered in the halls during classes and conversations in between. And now that modern science is catching up, we now have proof that CSF bathes the entire nervous system; central and peripheral. Having said this, we also know that the brain has a set idea of where the body is in space so, if we boil it down, could we not say that subluxation is merely a disrelationship between the sensory cortex and the body proper?
There have been multitudes of analogies derived to describe what it is that we are doing, such as the pinched hose and the safety pin. Let me pose two questions:
- What if there is no water in the hose?
- What if it is the light bulb and not the circuit breaker?
Clinging to outdated models of spinal biomechanics does nothing to move the profession forward, especially when those models reverse the actual mechanics by treating the disc as the driver of vertebral position rather than the vertebra and segmental mechanics as influences on the disc. In fact, when students are taught this, not only is it incorrect, but it also detracts from our ability to have conversations with other biomechanical professionals. And when those conversations do happen to take place, it drags the perception of chiropractic education down.
I will leave this with a question:
What if we trained our students in adjusting the way surgeons train for surgery? Where could the profession go from there?
