Chicken Soup for the Chiropractic Soul

Book Review by Linda Cancellieri-DeTurck, DC

Title:

Chicken Soup for the Chiropractic Soul

Authors:

Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Dr. Fabrizio Mancini

Publisher:

Health Communications, Inc.

Part #:

T-254

Chicken Soup for the Chiropractic Soul offers encouragement, inspiration and insight for the chiropractor or chiropractic staff member. The book is a composite of anecdotes contributed to the authors by various doctors of chiropractic, chiropractic patients, and chiropractic assistants or staff.

The book is divided into eight sections: Optimizing Peak Performance; Miracles; Say Goodbye to Pain; Pediatrics and Chiropractic; Chiropractic and Kids; Added Years; Beyond the Call of Duty; and Defining Moments. Each section contains brief stories of positive and sometimes miraculous experiences with chiropractic care. The stories are brief and easy to read. Since they are grouped according to subject matter, rather than chronologically, the reader can select a piece from a section that may be 100 pages ahead of where they read the last piece, without sacrificing a story's lesson.

The book opens with stories of athletes maximizing their performance through chiropractic. My only criticism of this section pertains to the first story. Perhaps it was just my perception, but the anecdote seemed more focused on the greatness of the athlete, rather than the power of chiropractic that restored the athlete to peak performance. The piece was, in a word, egocentric. A more appropriate selection would have engaged the reader in the understanding of chiropractic and the power of Innate, more than the power of the great athlete. It was an appropriate story to include in the section, but it was a bit of a turnoff for this reviewer as an opening piece.

I was pleased to see the inclusion of anecdotes sharing the powerful and beneficial effects chiropractic can and does have on animals. It serves as a reminder that animals have spines, too, and can therefore fall victim to the subluxation complex. I was nearly moved to tears by a piece about a chiropractor who was able to offer comfort and relief to her ailing elderly dog, improving the dog's quality of life.

This is exactly the type of reading material I enjoy sharing in my reception area. In fact, I am considering purchasing a few more copies to lend to patients who become engrossed in the book while waiting for their turn in the treatment room.

Other wonderful elements of this book are the appendix of contributors and cartoons. The appendix of contributors allows the reader to learn a little bit more about the person who offered the anecdote to the book. The authors include e-mail addresses, Web sites, and other means of contacting a story's contributor. The cartoons affectionately poke fun at chiropractic. The inclusion of these cartoons, which demonstrate misconceptions of chiropractic or spoof the chiropractor, adds levity and balance to the book.

This book serves as a great reminder of why we have chosen to embrace chiropractic as our calling in life. In the day-to-day activities of a chiropractic practice, we sometimes get lost in the mundane - the usual cumulative traumatic injuries; the patients who fail to grasp the concept of preventative care; the difficult patients whose personalities try our patience; the "I-expect-one- adjustment-to-undue-30-years-of-spinal-neglect" patients. Reading this book brought back the memories of the miraculous cases we are fortunate enough to experience, but tend to forget over time. It is a philosophical rejuvenation. After reading some of these experiences the contributors of this work were generous enough to share, I felt as though I had experienced a "second honeymoon" with our great and noble profession.

Dr. Cancellieri-DeTurck's Rating:

9.5 out of 10