Considering I am still waiting for answers to interview questions from several people, I thought this would be an interesting change to answer some of the very questions I ask of others.
One of these questions has been on my mind for some time and I’ve been wanting to address it. I’ll let you guess which one it is.
Why did I decide to become a chiropractor?
My wife January. I can remember driving along Speedway Blvd in Tucson, AZ in 2002 and January suggested we go to chiropractic school together. My reaction was “No way! I can’t do that, it’s too hard.”
On my birthday in 2003, January came to me with a package of baby shampoo and baby wash. I stared at the gift with some confusion before I realized she was pregnant with out first child. I freaked out for about an hour until I realized that I needed to give that chiropractic thing more thought.
I narrowed my choices on schools down to two: Life West and Parker. I chose Parker, and the rest is history.
How did I get into Upper Cervical Chiropractic?
In April of 2007, on the Friday before finals in Tri 6, I quit chiropractic school. I hated it and everything about it. At the end of May 2007, we moved back to Arizona. I worked for my in-laws doing real estate in Scottsdale during that time.
On New Year’s Day 2008, I had a dream that I was going back to Parker. It was real and vivid and I believe it was God giving me an answer that it was time to go back to chiropractic school. That was my calling in life and that’s where I was needed.
Before we moved back to Dallas at the end of April 2008, I had a very deep prayer with the Lord concerning my future in this profession. I wanted to know what avenue I should take in chiropractic. Before I quit, I was into CBP a little bit, but I found it hard to really want to do that deep down.
Over the course of the next few weeks, I got very strong answers that Upper Cervical Chiropractic was the path I was supposed to take. So there you go. God told me to do it. If He had given me a different answer, this blog might very well be Activator Central instead!
How has it been since graduation?
It’s been a lot different than I expected. Mainly because getting my TX chiropractic license took forever. I thought I would be getting licensed in October, but I just got it at the end of December. It forced me to abandon my Plan A and my Plan B as far as practicing Upper Cervical Chiropractic. I’m working on Plan C now, which actually looks like it will come to fruition.
This is something I’d like to address for students. No matter what your plans are after graduation, they WILL change. Be prepared for it. The thing you want to be prepared for the most is the time it takes to get your license. You might get licensed fairly quickly, or like me, it might take a really long time. It has been rough in the sense that I’ve been wanting to practice in the Dallas area, but I’ve had to sit on my hands and wait.
What are my future plans?
First and foremost, starting up a successful practice. I should be opening up my practice this month, finally. I plan on opening up in Dallas. Eventually, I plan on opening up multiple successful upper cervical clinics throughout the DFW area.
I plan on doing more things with this blog to really increase its website traffic. I also have some ideas on further monetizing this blog beyond my e-book, which you can buy if you click here. I even plan on starting up another blog, possible two. Stay tuned for that.
Speaking of my e-book, I plan on writing two or three more e-books in the near future: one for students, one for patients, and another one for chiropractors. Eventually, I plan on publishing a hardcopy book, but I’m still brainstorming that idea.
I do plan on getting into speaking. In fact, I already have a speaking engagement lined up for late May, which I’m really looking forward to.
All in all, I should be busy for years to come!
What do I envision for the future of Upper Cervical Chiropractic?
This is the question I really wanted to answer.
Within the upper cervical world, there are two mindsets. One wants to break away from the chiropractic profession altogether. It sees chiropractic as negative name equity, being associated only with things like low back pain, neck pain, and headaches. They don’t want to be in the same sentence with people who don’t even believe in their own profession and will rack and crack people to no end, zap ‘em with Hi-volt, and diagnose NMS conditions ’til the cows come home. I completely understand that line of thinking… it’s why I set up this blog.
The other group believes they are practicing chiropractic in its purest form. They are proud to be chiropractors and they are proud to be practicing REAL chiropractic, not ACA/CCE medipractic.
On one hand, I completely understand wanting to get away from a profession that has completely changed and is on its way to assimilation by medicine, just like the osteopaths.
However, the initials after my name say D.C.- Doctor of Chiropractic. Until that changes or is no longer valid, I am a chiropractor through and through.
In fact, I feel like it gives me a way to explain upper cervical to every person I meet. When people find out that I am a chiropractor and start talking about cracking and popping their back, it gives me a potential patient education opportunity. And I’m talking about every time, too.
What I will do is address the future of the chiropractic profession as a whole.
When I was at Parker, I remember hearing Dr. Mancini touting chiropractors as the wellness providers of the future. Well, we aren’t the only ones. Guess who else are wellness providers?
Physical therapists.
In fact, the American Physical Therapy Association has made it their goal that physical therapists have the opportunity to be recognized as Doctors of Physical Therapy (DPT) by the year 2020.
Currently, physical therapists treat patients via physical rehabilitation, physiotherapy, and spinal/extraspinal manipulations. That sounds like what I learned at Parker.
If this happens, and we see the Doctors of Physical Therapy by the year 2020, chiropractors will not be looked at as the wellness providers of the future. They won’t be looked at by much of anyone, especially insurance providers.
DPTS will do exactly what we do as a profession, except that they will be united, diagnosing neuromusculoskeletal conditions, and supportive of drugs, surgery, and vaccines. Why wouldn’t they take their place as THE wellness providers? Especially with the AMA endorsing them, which will happen.
When this happens, many in the chiropractic profession will leave it, either retiring or moving on to another profession. Those that don’t leave chiropractic, will be forced to be different from their DPT counterparts in order to survive. They will be the straight chiropractors, full spine and upper cervical.
Then chiropractic will have no choice but to be what is was always intended to be in the first half of the 20th century:
Restoration of 100% function to the nervous system by removal of the vertebral subluxation via a specific adjustment.
At least, that is my vision.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
So true! Loved the interview Brandon!
Nicely written – Upper Cervical Care will be elevated in 2010!
It is great to read your thoughts from this perspective. Awesome ‘interview’.
Brandon, this is great. LOVE your positive outlook:
“When people find out that I am a chiropractor and start talking about cracking and popping their back, it gives me a potential patient education opportunity. And I’m talking about every time, too.”
I see the logic in your vision. The sooner the better in my opinion. Great interview Brandon!
That is a great perspective on chiropractic. I am surprised that this came from someone who is so new to chiropractic. Right on, follow B.J. Palmer and you can’t go wrong.
Who’s Dr. Brandon Harshe?
Awesome stuff!
Keep the vision!