Hello, Pain Control Center – Discovering Chiropractic
“Hello, pain control center.”
“Yes, I’m calling for my father.”
“Would he like to make an appointment?”
“Yes, my father had an accident and feels that you might be able to help him.”
“What kind of accident?”
“He says that he was bent down in a stooped position and felt something sort of ‘give’ in his spine.”
“Can you put him on the phone? Is he there?”
“Well, he is here but he can’t hear. You see, after the accident his hearing faded away.”
“Does he have any neck or back pain as a result of his accident?”
“No, he’s fine except for his hearing.”
“I don’t think we can accept him as a patient. We specialize in neuromusculoskeletal or spinal problems.”
“But father insisted that I call you. He’s convinced he needs a chiropractor.”
“I’m sorry, but we do have a list of referring physicians in the area, some of whom specialize in hearing disorders who…”
“Excuse me, father wants to speak to the doctor, or rather he wants me to speak directly to the doctor for him. Would you please put him on the phone?”
“He’s just coming out from a treatment room with a patient now, hold please.”
“Hello, Dr. Mayo speaking.”
“Hello doctor, I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m calling for my father. He feels that you can help him. He was in an accident and…”
“You don’t have to explain any further, my nurse told me the situation and I’m sorry, but if he doesn’t have any back or neck pain or related complaints, I don’t think I can help him. Did this accident happen recently?”
“Well, actually it happened some time ago, but this morning he woke up with only one thought in his head – to see a chiropractor.”
“How long ago was the accident?”
“A long time ago.”
“How long is a long time?”
“Seventeen years.”
“Seventeen years?! Look miss, I’m sure your father is a fine person, but we’re chiropractors. Your father’s problem … well, it’s just not within our scope of chiropractic practice.”
“But he is so sure you can help…”
“I appreciate the compliment. Let me give you the names of some excellent ear, nose and throat doctors. I know them personally. Now why don’t you just give me your father’s name and address and I’ll write a referral slip that you can pick up at the office, no charge.”
“Thank you, it’s Mr. Harvey Lillard, 320 West 11th Street, Davenport, Iowa.
(Thanks to the late George Rullo, DC who gave me the idea for this article.)
Dr. Tedd Koren
Dr. Koren, originally from Brooklyn, NY, lives in Montgomery County, PA. A graduate of the U of Miami and Sherman College of Chiropractic, he writes, lectures and teaches in the US, Europe and Australia as well as takes care of patients and fights for healthcare freedom. Dr. Koren and his wife Beth have two children.
Love it!
Brilliant!
Cleverly crafted story to adjust our mindsets and stop them from slipping….(.into mechanism)
Sad but true! After over 4 decades of chiropractic practice, seeing thousands of patients, I can safely say : accept all patients, always check the spine for dysfunction,aka, subluxation, no matter what their symptoms or named condition. Our leaders in educating chiropractors have become too concerned with being acceptable by academics, and are ignoring basic physiology and traditional principles that propelled chiropractic. Patients get it: brain controls body, part of brain is in the spine, nerves go to organs too, not just arms and legs and muscles, abnormal pressures to nerves or mechanoreceptors affect the control of functions; helping the spine work better is like taking a rock out of your shoe, the brain likes it! Always recruit the faith factor by being honest, ethical, caring, and listening, and of course competent in the art. Sad that so many new chiropractors pay for an education, to become a referral service to the drug profession, and then also have to learn about true chiropractic on their own. Thank you Tedd !
It is too easy to forget our origins in the pursuit of wealth!
Just what I needed to hear! Love-It!!