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call the heating and air specialist. I can repair a leaky faucet, but when the hot water heater leaks, I call a plumber. After all, none of us knows everything.\u00a0 It reminds me of what Will Rogers, the famous satirist wrote \u201cWe’re all ignorant, just on different subjects<\/em>.\u201d[1]<\/a><\/p>\nWe can\u2019t be expected to know everything, that\u2019s why we depend upon the expertise of others to handle the things that we don\u2019t know. In fact it might be really foolish to do otherwise. But here\u2019s the thing, sometimes the lines of expertise get a little fuzzy, which is what this article is about. In many cases the distinctions are so obvious that there could be no confusion. When it\u2019s time to have a family portrait we use a professional photographer. Sure everyone could go down to the Department of Motor Vehicles, where they also take photos, but the DMV has neither the expertise nor desire to produce that treasured family portrait. Seems like a silly analogy, right? Yet crazier things go on all the time. The recent conversation is a good case in point.<\/p>\n
In yesterday\u2019s discussion with the woman in our practice, she said that a few days ago her medical doctor advised her not to continue her chiropractic care. This troubled her because she wasn\u2019t having any medical problems, and she attributed much of her good health to the chiropractic care she had been receiving. We talked it over and I asked her if the physician had reviewed our records before offering advice about it. She laughed and said, \u201cNo, until I told him how pleased I was with my chiropractic care, he didn\u2019t even know I was seeing you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo let me see if I understand. He has no idea what your chiropractic needs are, no idea what we do for you, no idea how much or how often, nor any idea why we are doing what we do for you. Is that all correct?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s right\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo then has he offered advice about something he knows absolutely nothing about?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, when you put it that way, yes\u201d she answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know your physician, but I will say one thing with absolute certainty. Offering advice concerning something about which we know nothing is just foolishness.\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Seeming a bit upset with him, she declared \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with doctors? Does he think I\u2019m stupid, or doesn\u2019t he even care about me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure he cares about you. The problem is that he\u2019s been so well educated to treat injury and illness. But everyone tends to forget that physicians aren\u2019t nearly so well versed in living healthfully. Chiropractic is one of the most essential basics that a person can do for their health and well-being, yet physicians generally know little or nothing about it.\u201d I answered.<\/p>\n
Physicians have studied long and hard about pathology and disease, and we must remember to value their advice on that, while realizing that their advice on things outside of their field is doubtful if not downright dangerous.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t offer medical advice. As a chiropractor I offer to improve a person\u2019s life by addressing vertebral subluxations because they interfere with that person\u2019s ability to function. People need this, whether or not they have a medical problem. In rare instances a medical issue may affect how, where or when we do an adjustment. That\u2019s because it can impact how certain procedures are performed. Chiropractors are well trained to know how to be safe and effective in delivering chiropractic care.<\/p>\n
So when experts disagree, who are you supposed to listen to? Seems dicey, doesn\u2019t it? Well actually, this isn\u2019t so difficult to sort out. Keep in mind that chiropractic is a separate and distinct profession, not a part of the medical profession. So if your physician has a concern about your chiropractic care there\u2019s a proper way to handle it. Give the doctor permission to request our records and encourage them to ask us questions about things they may not understand in the file. Once the physician knows how much you are benefiting from a life free of nerve interference, they should be all for it.<\/p>\n
[1]<\/a> Rogers, Will, From Nuts To The Soup<\/em>, New York Times, August 31, 1924, https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1924\/08\/31\/archives\/from-nuts-to-the-soup.html<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Yesterday, in conversation with one of our practice members, we touched on an interesting subject. Since we\u2019ve run into this issue a time or two before, I thought it might be a good idea to jot down a few thoughts … Continue reading