What is That Doctor Thinking?

March 9, 2009 at 7:35 am (Chiropractors & Chiropractic, Rochester, Spinal Decompression)
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seminar

You remember my post about the honest spinal decompression guy?  I just had the pleasure of spending two days hearing him speak more truths about spinal decompression and it’s application.  Once again, no lies and more honesty.  The remarkable thing about this seminar, however, wasn’t that the instructor did exactly what you’d expect an instructor to do.

The truly bizarre thing was that sitting in the room was one of the most egregious local offenders of the spinal decompression scams.  This doctor charges “patients” thousands of dollars in advance for a treatment that should basically be covered by a normal office visit (it certainly is in our office).  This chiropractor has ads on television touting the superiority of one machine and technique over another and claims to have level specificity only achieved by a surgeon.

Bull!

But, what is this doctor thinking while sitting in this seminar?  The speaker says something like, “There is no way doctors should be charging thousands for this treatment.”

Crazy Doc thinks “Get whatever you can out of these suckers!”

The instructor says, “Chiropractors are driving people away in droves with the misinformation and mistreatment of traction devices like these.”

Crazy Doc thinks,”I still have some patients left that I’ve been able to sell.”

Instructor says, “The people plastering the newspapers and television with false advertising are poisoning the well and making people mistrust your profession. I just saw one this morning and it was so full of lies the doctor should be jailed.”

Crazy Doc thinks,”That was my ad and my ads are so pretty… I’m sure glad they get picked up by the hotel TV stations.”

Of course I don’t know what this doc is thinking but I would sure like to know.  I found out at this seminar that a lot of local chiropractors are reading my blog.  Thanks.  Nice to have you here…feel free to comment.  But if this spinal decompression doc is one of you reading, won’t you please tell me what the hell you are thinking?

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NY Chiropractors Are Going To Be Losers

October 29, 2008 at 1:34 pm (ACA, Chiropractic Legislation, Current Events, Website Recommendations)
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I have just been informed that New York State chiropractors are about to lose something very important. If we do not reach the threshold of 500 members of the American Chiropractic Association by the close of business 10/31/08 NYS will lose a delegate. This would be more than unfortunate.

I believe in a few things in this world. I believe there is a general intelligence to the universe with the exception of certain parts of some states. I believe that personal freedom is usually better than it’s opposite. I believe it is easier to tell the truth than to remember a bunch of lies. And I believe in supporting my state and national chiropractic associations.

The ACA is the only real voice we have as a profession that serves the national forum and we need to support it. Five hundred members in NY is pathetic…falling below that mark is ridiculous. You may not always agree with your national organization but it is the only way we have to protect our rights in this country for the chiropractic profession.

You need to take action on this…..NOW!

If you are a chiropractor who practices in New York, please go to the ACA website http://www.aca.org

Click on Member Center and click on join ACA.

Thank you for being part of the solution, not the problem.

If you have comments about the ACA or other chiropractic associations, I would love to hear them.

 

Dr. Brett L. Kinsler is a member of the American Chiropractic Association and the New York State Chiropractic Association among other Associations.

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Chiropractic in Brazil is in Trouble

July 24, 2008 at 9:27 pm (Chiropractic Legislation, Current Events)
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I love physical therapy as a profession…I really do.  I don’t have the time or interest in walking patients through long rehabilitation procedures or exercises.  I do not enjoy working with stroke patients and teaching them how to walk again.  Not my area of expertise or specialty.  I’m thrilled there are people willing to do those things and who excel at them.  I am friends with some of them and have good, respectful, working relationships with others.

That being said, this situation that is happening in South America is getting my goat.  It seems in a new threat to the independence of chiropractic, physical therapists in Brazil, Peru and other countries in South America are lobbying governments for laws that would make chiropractic a sub-specialty and part of the physical therapy profession.

Since chiropractic is not yet licensed in those countries, the PTs feel that by acting quickly, they can absorb a profession that is more than simply spinal manipulation, and make it their own.  The Brazilian Chiropractors’ Association (ABQ) has been campaigning to establish the chiropractic profession but their 200 members are going to have a difficult time against the 95,000 PTs already in Brazil alone.

Chiropractic has been growing rapidly in Brazil since the opening of two university-based chiropractic colleges in the late 1990s – Feevale Central University in Novo Hamburgo, in partnership with Palmer College; and the University of Anhembi Morumbi in Sao Paulo, in partnership with Western States Chiropractic College. The legislation to protect chiropractic and being promoted by the ABQ was approved by a third and final parliamentary Commission in late November 2006 and must now go back to the full house or Camara for final vote. It is being stalled by legislators working with the PT profession, while PTs are providing short courses in chiropractic to try to create a competing chiropractic profession.

Advertisement claiming chiropractic is a specialty of physical therapy, and placed in Brazil’s national newspaper The Globe in February by Brazilian physical therapists.

Advertisement claiming chiropractic is a specialty of physical therapy, and placed in Brazil’s national newspaper The Globe in February by Brazilian physical therapists.

 Recently, the fight for chiropractic in Brazil took a turn when the Federal Police, acting upon a complaint from physiotherapy leaders, challenged visiting doctors of chiropractic for being engaged in the illegal practice of physiotherapy in southern Brazil. 

As chiropractors, what happens in other doctor’s backyards will eventually affect us. The World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) is asking for chiropractic associations, colleges, other organizations and individuals to assist the ABQ and chiropractic in Brazil financially. We need to stop the PTs in Brazil from succeeding in their attempts to hijack this profession.

For more detailed background, a list acknowledging donors to date, and a donation form go to the Newsroom at www.wfc.org

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