Last week, Scott Livingston sent me an email regarding how he had been trying to find a Blair doctor in another state for a good friend. He checked out UpCspine and found one. He cross-checked it with the Blair website and found no listing for this particular Blair doctor in that state.
Not wanting to send his friend to some poser, Scott sent this particular doctor an email. Here is the email. The doctor’s name has been changed for privacy’s sake.
“Hi Dr XXXXX,
I’m looking for a Blair doctor for a friend of mine in your neck of the woods. Can you please tell me how much Blair training you have had and from whom you’ve received your training. Please be specific concerning classes / electives / seminars.
Thank You, Sir!
Scott M. Livingston“
Here is the response from Dr. XXXXX:
“Hello,
I was trained by Tom Forrest over the course of 4 seperate and complete Blair Series seminars. I don’t know if I can be any more specific than that, sorry.
Be well,
Dr. XXXXX“
If you read my interview with Scott last week, you will remember he was an engineer for 13 years. Engineer’s can get REALLY specific. Here’s Scott’s follow-up email:
“Dr. Forest is amazing man to listen to. If you don’t mind me following up?
1.) When did you take these seminars – start and end dates?
2.) Have you been to any other Blair seminars / meetings / training?
3.) If there’s a need, do you use rotary breaks or hip rolls? Any full-spine work – what kind if any?
4.) Do you have x-ray on site and head clamps?
Scenario… if you were presented a listing of C1 ASR/LSA 30/39… are you comfortable w/ this sub-arch contact and slope?
I know you good docs are busy and so you might not be aware… your web site mentions that you are a member of the Blair Chiropractic Society, but I went to their web site and they don’t have you listed in the directory… you may want to call ‘em.
Thank you for your time, doc! This is a really good friend of mine and I want to make sure the doc that treats her is completely trained and confident in their specialty.
Have a great day!
Scott M. Livingston“
My first thought as a doctor would be “Sheesh, this guy wants to know some serious details!” But I would look at it as someone who really cares about their friend and wants the best. Understandable, right?
Apparently not. Here’s Dr. XXXXX’s response:
“Dear Scott,
With all due respect, I am a practicing Doctor. I don’t care for the email. Sending a Doctor a “Scenario” and asking if they are comfortable with an opposite side sub arch approach as if proctoring a Blair primary cert is out of line. I suggest you send your “friend” to the Atlas Orthogonal Doctor here in town. I care for relocated patients out of Dr. Kuhn, Dr. Hall, Dr. Forrest, Dr. Hilpisch and Dr. Pierce’s offices…you do the math.
Dr. XXXXX“
Scott responded like this:
“With all due respect, to the practicing doctor. I’m very disappointed in the response I just received in simply trying to gain further understanding into your qualifications, as they relate to a specialized field within Upper Cervical Chiropractic.
Sending a doctor or any specialist a scenario based question is sometimes the quickest way to determine (in the context of other known’s) ones experience – being an engineer for 13 years I know this first hand….having D.C. after a name and attending the Blair seminar series doesn’t opt anyone out from scrutiny – I needed to know if your experience was sufficient to help my friend.
You name dropped some very impressive leaders in your email. I wonder how these humble men might think of how you just treated someone looking for some help for their friend who is suffering… even if my line of questioning was silly or weird.
As a student of chiropractic, in just a few short weeks, someone who is currently going to Blair and KCUCS clubs to learn more about those wonderful techniques I’m very disappointed to see this level of elitism being displayed from a representative of Blair and more importantly, Chiropractic.
I’m sure there are more appropriate ways to get a better understanding of your expertise doctor, and I’m sorry if I, as a lay person, have offended you, but this was my best way to do it and in a timely manner (friend in pain, needs help). I don’t regret my line of questioning as it has revealed to me things no paper certification / society directory could have told me – I did the math… going AO!
Sincerely,
Scott M. Livingston”
As I alluded to earlier in the post, I checked out this chiropractor, too. I don’t want to throw anyone under the bus, so I am keeping the identity of this doctor between me and Scott.
I will say this: He’s not listed on the Blair website. There is no way to find out if this guy is properly certified or trained. He had an elitist attitude, completely skirting the issue whether he could competently take care of an ailing patient utilizing the Blair technique and protocol.
As a future Blair doctor myself, I was shocked to see a doctor acting like this with someone looking to refer a friend. Just the fact that he was name dropping established Upper Cervical Chiropractors to a lay person makes no sense. What if Scott had no clue who these people were? What does name dropping prove?
So I pose the question to the readers: If you were looking for a Blair doctor to send someone to, and this was your only choice, would you send them to this doctor? Or would you go AO, too?
I know I would.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
There are many good things you will learn when you enter the “real world” after graduation, and unfortunately you will find out that poser UC docs are out there in numbers.
I had a 6y/o Down syndrome boy who had dramatic improvement with speech/cognitive function and behavior, so much so that the school told the mother that he could be moved to the normal first grade class and was set to start the 2nd grade. Unfortunately when gas went to $4 bucks a gallon that summer, the mother couldn’t afford the 2 hour ride so she found a “Blair UC” listed doc closer to her home, who did not have an x-ray nor did he have a UC table. After 3 weeks of rotary breaks (according to the mother) the boy’s behavior and speech returned to what it was before, and the child spent the entire 2nd grade back in special Ed classes.
After awhile when the poser docs find that the grief from disappointed patients and from your inquiries are not worth the financial gains from new patients, then suddenly their names disappear off the lists. And when that happens everyone benefits!
Keep up the good work.
Thanks Dr. Mehl. That’s really unfortunate about that boy. I think it’s important to note that people should check out the technique organization websites for verification. If they aren’t on the Blair site, they aren’t Blair, and so on and so forth…
I believe we each choose the UC technique that best allows our passion to flow. Beyond that, only the basics are left: are you well trained & proficient? Do you have a good attitude?
I want to practice NUCCA, because nothing gets me more excited than watching a gentle NUCCA adjustment. Still, deciding between a skilled & well mannered knee-chest doc and a “NUCCA” doc who isn’t even interested in paying their association dues is a no-brainer. Thanks for bringing up the issue.