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Reflection: Philosophy of Chiropractic-Lessons from the Past, Guidance for the Future

  • Anthony Ciccarelli
  • Oct 4, 2015
  • 2 min read

Chiropractic views the body holistically; a natural approach to treatment that does not use drugs or surgery. The promotion of health, prevention of illness, and healing focuses on the total individual in the context of personal, familial, social, and environmental factors. The science of chiropractic is one of diagnostic evaluation and of clinical trials and research. Together, this is what I personally believe encompasses and defines the current philosophy of chiropractic. In healthcare today, clinicians strive to treat patients in the best way possible based around their needs. Therefore I believe that relying solely on the traditional philosophical principles (i.e. vitalism and materialism) described by the originals founders of chiropractic may not be sufficient to produce the best outcomes for the patient. It is very important to scientifically prove and demonstrate why certain techniques and modalities used in the chiropractic profession are being implemented. Without this reassurance through research, the chiropractic profession as a whole would certainly not be as successful as it is today, especially through the eyes of other health care professionals. With this however, I also do feel that the philosophical roots of which chiropractic began should not be abandoned. Although research though the scientific method has advanced a great portion of what we understand in healthcare today, it has not, and perhaps will never be able to explain why or how certain practices and principles work. Therefore as a future chiropractor and clinician, I believe it is important to combine both traditional philosophical and present scientific ideologies involved within the chiropractic profession, forming an 'up to date' philosophy. By doing so it allows the patient to receive the best treatment possible in all aspects.


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CP Small Group Reflection- Should any of these activities not be permitted?

1. Has anyone seen a chiropractor that does pre-payment or blocked plans?

 

Group discussion:
 

As a group we do not think the profession should allow for blocked payment plans. We feel like it is a scam, is unethical and that it undermines the profession. We think that pre-payment options should be allowed on a patient by patient basis, and if they are discharged prior to completing the amount of treatments they paid for that the extra appointments should be credited to their account to be used at another time. 

 

Group discussion:

 

This form of payment was ok to us as a group. We did not see an issue with this form of payment but some people in our group, were unsure if they would implement this in their practice or not, but is something they would probably consider in the future. Especially if patients were asking about it as it is more convenient for the patient and front desk staff, especially if the patient comes in often.

 

 

                2. Open concept style of practice?

  • Definitely benefits to this, but also cons as well

  • Prevents individuals from discussing certain topics that they may not be comfortable with discussing in front of people

  • Can be beneficial because different patients get different treatments that these patients may not recognize our profession can help with. Example the one patient gets treated for headaches and the second patient didn’t realize we can help with these. This can promote your concept

  • This allows you to be pretty social but not seeing serious conditions

  • This makes us different from other healthcare practitioners and can further give us a negative name

 

Group discussion:

 

We did not think open concept styles of practice are appropriate. We are primary health care practitioners and some of the information patients share with us is sensitive, and therefore should be discussed in private. Furthermore, patients would be less inclined to share information with their practitioner if it was in an open concept room. We also feel that because our patients are paying for our services that they should have our undivided attention during their treatment time and that they should be our number one priority. This type of relationship is easier to maintain in a closed off space where the patient can have your undivided attention that is free from distractions or interruptions. However, we felt that an open concept style could be appropriate when passive care (ie. Modalities) is being done. 

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