Review

A Chiropractic Paradigm -- A Model of a Chiropractic Practice

By -- J.C. Smith, D.C.

Please see pages xx, Parts #T-136 for information on how to order

This could quite appropriately be called "the anatomy of a review." Some believe that all that has to be done is send in a text and it automatically gets on the preferred readers and viewers list -- not so. In fact, just about half of everything we receive is rejected. We at "DC" will only review those things we feel will be of the greatest value to the profession.

Being in general practice and a voracious reader, I've had many opportunities to review some of the best, as well as some of the worst texts ever written, with the jaundiced eye of one who counts the value of something in relation to its value to the general practice of chiropractic. I sometimes cringe in disgrace with some of the things that come across my desk, and just about burst with pride with others.

Maybe I just got up on the proverbial wrong side of the bed with A Chiropractic Paradigm, but when I first read it I didn't like it at all, and told the author what I felt.

Some might just get mad and walk away from such a rebuke -- but not Dr. Smith. With great and sometimes annoying persistence, he produced a fourth edition and wouldn't leave it alone. He was convinced that he had developed a good product and that it should be placed on the preferred list.

Maybe he significantly altered the text from the previous edition, or maybe I just got up on the right side of the reviewing bed for this one, but I've taken a 180 degree turn. This quite simply isn't merely a good text -- it's a great one, filled with useful material for any doctor who wants an ethical practice increase.

There are still things like patient contracts and scripted interviews with prospective patients that I can't handle too well, but upon reflection some in the profession might honestly need the direction that such things as scripting offers. On page four, the author quotes a 1934 text that states, "Take the best and leave the rest," and this is exactly what we should do with any text. Probably one of the most enjoyable things about this volume is the author's style. He pulls no punches and tells things as he perceives them to be. It's filled with grit and honesty and packed with great ideas.

In fact, it's one of the most quotable books I've read. One I particularly liked was in the foreword when discussing the big idea of chiropractic. He states, "the small idea of chiropractic is that it is good for backaches, the big idea is that it is good for the entire body." To that I say, "Amen."

What follows is essentially the diary of a successful chiropractor. He takes you through every nuance of his practice regimen and in the process challenges or credits the methods of just about all the other entrepreneurs.

Our chiropractic schools are almost cocoons for the students -- protecting them from the outside world of professional trench warfare. Smith addresses this in the first chapter, "It's Tough Being a Chiropractor." As he states, "Being a chiropractor is tough, and it cannot be understood until one enters the field." He goes on to say, "There is an iconoclastic story behind the role of a chiropractor -- it's a role that challenges orthodox medical beliefs, evoking the inevitable skepticism. I dare say no one is adequately prepared for this role."

The following nine chapters cover patient education programs, pricing chiropractic services, case management, staff management, a program for whiplash injuries, marketing your business and what he feels is the ideal paradigm for the chiropractic practice. All this is augmented with charts, questionnaire, tips, and a glossary.

Smith has taken verbal plowshares and beaten them into professional swords, ones that most chiropractors can and should use. This book is like a diamond -- it's filled with sharp points that can cut -- but it's priceless.

RHT