By Michael Dorausch, D.C.
A recent Now You Know chiropractic newsletter authored by Bob Braile, D.C. discusses the issue of chiropractors and the internet and asks a question that I so often ask myself… What would BJ Palmer do?
Following a recent speaking engagement at Palmer Lyceum Dr. Braile stated that BJ Palmer would be pleased at the turnout and excitement of Lyceum, “but I bet he would not be as pleased by the number of chiropractors not yet embracing the communication technologies available.”
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The following is from Bob Braile, D.C.
BJ was always on top of the newest forms of communications technology available at his time. Ask yourself what you think BJ would have done with the Internet? What we found at Palmer Lyceum was what studies have been telling us. Doctors, of all kinds, lag behind the general public when it comes to Internet usage. As a rule, chiropractors are marginally better than our medical counterparts in being online. But we fall several percentage points behind the general public. Considering the fact that the public (at least in the US) is already using the Internet, and they are looking for health information, why would we even hesitate to get involved and tell our story?
What would BJ have done? Well I believe his quote would sum it up best. “All that is necessary for the anti-chiropractic forces to win is for enough good chiropractors to do nothing.” Even if you choose another provider for your Internet needs, please get involved!
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The public is looking for health information and as Dr. Braile stated, our medical counterparts are behind us by a slight margin. I cannot express enough the importance of chiropractors as a profession to work towards closing the gap between us and the public. We as chiropractors have several opportunities that give us an incredible advantage in accomplishing that task.
The Truth
As Ian Grassam had said, ignorance must be part of the medical paradigm, darkness must be part of the medical paradigm, and in the information age those two things will not last. (unless we do nothing) Remember, the truth will eventually get to the people.
As chiropractors, we each have a responsibility to insure that the message of chiropractic is not delivered through some third party filter or system of dis-information. A corporate owned, publicly traded “healthcare” information site is a good example of that filter.
The Power Of One
We have the ability to come together much faster and move far more swiftly than our medical counterparts using internet technology. A problem plaguing the medics is the fact that by the time they institute new technologies on a large scale, those technologies have already begun to become obsolete. Also, boards must be addressed and approvals must be made before decisions to implement those new technologies go into effect. These things are to our advantage as long as we choose to see them that way and more importantly, to act on them.
A chiropractic office could implement patient education internet technology with the virtual click of a button. Our printer ready news format is one example of the tools now available. With teamwork, a single article has the potential to reach the entire profession within hours. That same article can be printed, photocopied, and potentially shared with millions of “folks” beginning with the ones in your community.
I suggest when you print our articles to use in the office, put a sticker on the top or bottom with your office info before making copies. If you ever have questions or suggestions, just email us.
Having a website is another valuable tool. A service such as Now You Know can probably get you up and going with a chiropractic website faster than you might think.
The Focus
Eyesight of a hawk and the vision of a clam is what BJ used to say. How could so many “healthcare” sites lose billions of dollars in less than a year? (see my article titled “The Health of HealthCare Stocks“) Is it possible that the message they deliver is not quite what the public wants? Is it possible that the message is distorted in some fashion and that the public is innately aware of this? With that, let me stress that we as chiropractors need to remain laser focused in our objective to serving others.
As I see it, a chiropractor has two objectives:
1. take care of the folks
2. remove any barriers keeping one from accomplishing objective number one.
Dr. Braile makes the statement that “even if you choose another provider for your Internet needs, please get involved!” I agree wholeheartedly on this issue and would like to add that if you have not already done so, pay a visit to Now You Know.
Also, if you have internet questions regarding domains, hosting, email, or anything else you can think of, please email me at the address above and I’ll assist you when I am available. Working together, we can remove the barriers that keep us from taking care of all the folks.
To find out more about the Now You Know services, please visit their Web site at: www.nowyouknow.net
planetc1.com-news @ 1:11 pm | Article ID: 967493511
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