For nearly a year now, I have been contemplating writing a series of blog posts on the subject of the 33 Principles of Chiropractic made famous by Ralph W. Stephensen, DC, PhC.

I have been putting it off until I find the “right time” or when I know more about the principles. But, we learn by teaching, right? And what better way for me to get a better grasp on the 33 Principles than by writing about them?

Once a week for the next 33 weeks, I will post an article on one of the 33 Principles. I will be enlisting different points of view on each principle on Facebook, so keep your eyes peeled for when that happens. Make sure to become a fan of The Atlas of Life page in the sidebar to your right to have an opportunity to give your perspective.

For a complete list of the 33 Principles, click here.

Recommended Reading

• Chiropractic Principle #1: The Major Premise
• Chiropractic Principle #4: The Triune of Life
• Chiropractic Priniciple #3: The Union of Intelligence and Matter
• Chiropractic Principle #5: The Perfection of the Triune
• Chiropractic Principle #10: The Function of Force

I am very passionate about straight, principled Chiropractic, especially Upper Cervical Chiropractic. I really enjoy blogging, social media, Internet marketing, and creating a website from scratch. And, of course, I love to write. In January 2009, I decided to throw all those things together into a big pot and see what came of it.

20 months later, The Atlas of Life is still going strong. I appreciate all the feedback I have received in those 20 months, negative and positive. The negative feedback has helped me grow, and the positive feedback has let me know that, once in a while, I’m on the right track.

That being said, I am not the only Chiropractor with a blog. In fact, there are some really great Chiropractic blogs out there, some of which I’ve given love to in the past, others which I haven’t yet discovered. But today, I want to give a shout out to some of my blogging colleagues with blogs I really enjoy. So, without further ado, here they are (in no particular order).

THE UPPER CERVICAL BLOG - Dr. Travis Robertson

Dr. Travis Robertson hardly gets any recognition for his blog and I think he deserves a lot more. His blog is great. He posts 3-4 times a week and it is always quality material. He has a passion for upper cervical just like I do, but his blog is dedicated solely to it. I think his site is a great resource for people interested in looking into the benefits of Upper Cervical Chiropractic care. Check it out here.

ST. LOUIS CHIROPRACTOR – Dr. Adam Tanase

Dr. Adam Tanase has a great blog with great info. He usually takes a real world example and successfully applies it to the importance of getting your nervous system checked on the regular basis. Check it out here.

THE BLOG OF FRANSON CHIROPRACTIC – Dr. Stephen Franson, Dr. Jesse Davis, Dr. Nicholas Ariza, Dr. Ryan Hewitt

Before I took my year long hiatus from chiropractic school in 2006, I used to be involved in the student Waiting List Practice (WLP) club. When I went to several WLP seminars, the person in charge of coaching the students was Dr. Stephen Franson. He’s very passionate about Chiropractic and is not afraid to let anyone know about it. As it turns out, he and his team of associates run a fantastic blog that I always enjoy reading. Check it out here.

UPPER CERVICAL WEBSITES BLOG – Dr. Zachary Ward

Obviously, I’ve given my buddy Dr. Zach Ward a lot of link love the past few weeks on the blog and in my newsletter, but he has a solid website with GREAT information on Internet marketing. His tag line says it all: “Web tips for Upper Cervical Chiropractors, good info for everyone else.” I couldn’t agree more. Check it out here.

THE SPECIFIC BLOG – Dr. Shawn Dill

I have heard through the grapevine that Dr. Shawn Dill, who teaches 1st quarter Philosophy at Life Chiropractic College West, tells his students about The Atlas of Life. So to return the favor, I am recommending his blog to the readers of The Atlas of Life. Dr. Dill shares a lot of great information on The Specific Blog and, again, this is a blog I really enjoy reading. Check it out here. 

Recommended Reading

• 2009 Blair Conference, Upper Cervical Commercials, And An Announcement
• Weekly Link Fest: Haters, Retracing, Ghostbusters, and Good Posture
• The Atlas of Life Introductory Video Tour
• Advocating Upper Cervical Chiropractic: An Interview With Rhonda Tomasi
• An Interview With Dr. Adam Tanase

When I started The Atlas of Life in January 2009, I originally stuck to a 3-day-a-week posting schedule. My goal was to make an impact on the Internet with a chiropractic blog that had frequent postings and good SEO.

Within the first 6 months, I upped my posting schedule to Monday through Friday. I felt like I was on to something with the growing traffic The Atlas of Life was attracting, so increasing the frequency of blog posts would (I believed) take this blog to the next level (Which it did).

This past March, I decided to throw in all the chips and go for a 7-days-a-week posting schedule. I wanted to really make a good impact on the Internet, more than I had in the past, and getting out there as much as possible was the way to do it.

In June, my family and I moved down to Austin, TX where I have been training and practicing in a very busy office. My time down here has been intense, to say the least. It has been a very interesting, and sometimes difficult, juggling act.

Because of that, there have been times throughout the weeks that I have simply not had the time to post as frequently as I wanted. So I’ve had to resort to re-posting old content to keep up with the 7-days-a-week schedule. In fact, the last 3 days here have been old blog posts, as I’m sure some of the long-term readers of this blog could tell.

I believe having to do this has compromised the quality of content on The Atlas of Life. My life is not going to get less busy anytime soon. In fact, it’s getting busier and busier with each passing week.

I have no intention of quitting The Atlas of Life, but I do want to raise the quality of the content. Because of this, I have no choice but to decrease the posting schedule here. I will return to my original posting frequency of 3-days-a-week.

I will be working on doing more interviews, as this aspect of the blog has been slacking. If anyone is interested in being interviewed you can let me know as well.

Occasionally, I might set up an extra blog post during the week, but I’m not going worry about it much.

As far as the specific days I will post new content, you’ll just have to check in frequently to find out if it’s that day or not. I would say it’s to keep you on your toes, but truthfully, I haven’t made a final decision on which days I will post new content.

With all this being said, I really do appreciate YOU, the readers of The Atlas of Life. I’m grateful to each and every one of you for keeping up with this blog for the past 20 months. It’s been fun, and will continue to be fun, I have no doubt.

Recommended Reading

• 2009 Blair Conference, Upper Cervical Commercials, And An Announcement
• Epic Fails = Epic Need For A Chiropractor!
• Seasonal Allergies, Your Immune System, & Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care
• Drugs & Surgery or Chiropractic… You Decide!!!
• Chiropractic Principle #5: The Perfection of the Triune

My friend Dr. Zachary Ward has created a business in which he creates websites specific to Upper Cervical Chiropractors. Why am I blogging about this today? Dr. Ward is one of the most technical and web savvy docs that I know, that’s why. He has done a lot just with his own website and is looking at doing the same for others.

Dr. Ward was practicing in Ames, IA, but decided to move up to the Detroit area by family. He has created this business while getting things together to begin an upper cervical practice near the Motor City.

Dr. Ward’s resumé also includes ghost-writing for some of the chiropractic profession’s most successful coaching consultants. If you’ve seen an ad by a top chiropractic coaching consultant in the American Chiropractor, Chiropractic Economics, or some other trade magazines, chances are it was Dr. Ward who actually wrote it.

Below are some of the things he will do or teach you, the Upper Cervical Chiropractor, to do:

* Offer you a complete website package that has all of the i’s dotted and t’s crossed for basic search engine optimization—the kind of stuff that lazy web developers don’t do—or the kind of stuff that Chiromatrix or Perfect Patients will charge you thousands to maintain over the next three to four years.
* Write custom web writing that’s built for the upper cervical chiropractor—not just the general chiropractor, and is keyword specific for your area.
* Set up your WordPress site with some common security best practices that will make it less likely to hacked, attacked, and or spammed, and leak your valuable personal information out into the open. The kind of things that have probably left you extremely vulnerable if you’ve already set up your website yourself.
* Give you access to an email list builder (up to 500 contacts) that will help you build your contacts, and keep in touch with people who visit your website and opt-in.
* Set up an “opt-in” email capture that actually inspires people to opt-in with proven copy writing. And a seven-step auto-responder email that helps you stay in touch.
* Give you coaching on how to get involved in Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube and do it in a way that helps drive traffic to your website.
* Design a clean and functional website with inspiring web-header that’s all about you and what you can do for your patients.
* Offer instructions for building back-links to your website that you can hand off to a CA, a spouse, or whomever, to help you grow the importance of your website in the eyes of Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
* Optimize your Google Places listing so more people are likely to find you when they search for a chiropractor in your area.

If you are an Upper Cervical Chiropractor and this interests you, click here to learn more and contact Dr. Ward personally. I think you’ll be glad you did.

Recommended Reading

• Gold Standard of Defining Clinically Meaningful Subluxations
• NUCCA to Offer 1 Scholarship Per Chiropractic College to the Atlanta Conference
• Multiple Sclerosis/Upper Cervical Connection Explained by Dr. Zachary Ward
• The Doctor of Last Resort: Noble Endeavor or Dead End?
• The Atlas of Life August Interviews

This is an excerpt from an interview I did with Rod Campbell not too long ago.

Dr. Brandon Harshe: What is the best online marketing tool a chiropractor can use?

Rod Campbell: “Facebook and a well designed website. Those two resources can easily double your patients, if you know how to use them. Unfortunately, 80% of chiropractic websites a horribly designed. They’re crammed full of gizmos and links and look unprofessional. Here’s an example of a well designed website. It’s easy to navigate, simplified, personal, and the website design feels professional. It has some very powerful devices, like the How Chiropractic Works widget, but it doesn’t feel chaotic or overwhelming.

Your next best tool is Facebook, a social media site with over 450 million active users. Creating a Facebook profile is a free and easy way to promote your chiropractic practice. If used correctly, it can be your best resource. I usually tell chiropractors to think of Facebook like a giant dinner party. Nobody like the guy who runs around the party trying to sell something- in fact, most of us would throw him out. Don’t be that guy. Instead, become a valuable resource to the community by providing well-written educational material and offering it to people who are in pain. Become a valuable resource and a respected expert- not an annoying spammer.”

Recommended Reading

• Decluttering and Prioritizing…Starting With Deleting Facebook
• An Interview with ChiroHosting Marketing Director Rod Campbell
• From Transportation to Chiropractic: An Interview With Dr. Andres Jimenez
• A Reminder on the Importance of Ergonomics
• The Truth of Chiropractic

So I’ve received some messages and such congratulating me on quitting Facebook, and others questioning my decision. I felt very comfortable with my decision.

Then I got the following email from someone I really respect and even look to as a role model for much of what I do online.

Take what I’m about to say as friendly, completely friendly, because, come on, in the grand scheme of things, how important is a Facebook account really?

I’m a little miffed at your decision to leave Facebook, particularly for the reasons you gave for leaving.

You have become a powerful voice for straight, and in particular, upper cervical chiropractic online.

That’s nothing to sneeze at, it’s a very altruistic and important thing you’ve accomplished.

We both know that the most powerful form of marketing, or, screw that word, let’s say, the most powerful form of getting the word out is through word of mouth and community.

If there is anything resembling a community and word of mouth online, then it’s Facebook and Twitter and Web 2.0.

41% of traffic online now goes through Facebook – that’s all traffic on the web.

You have just removed your very very powerful and influential voice from a very very large town square…

…Put your presence back on Facebook if for no other reason than it does get attention to your blog…

…I hate to say it, (please forgive me) but I use Facebook as an aggregator of sorts, and I often won’t go to your blog post, or any other, unless I’m teased by Facebook.

When it comes down to it, what’s more important? Your blog, or what your blog has to say? If the message is what’s important, then get it out there any way you can…

…When I see you abandon ship, I wonder who’s going to follow you, and the negative impact that will have as a whole. We exponentially add to the universal conversation just by having a presence.

Quirk says in his book Socialnomics being involved or not involved in social media now is what will determine relevancy 5 years from now.  I don’t know if it’s that important, but it’s something to consider.

Anyway, this is just my opinion, and like I said, it’s not the end of the world whatever you decide, but I hope you decide to come back.

You can’t change the world if you remove yourself from it.

My goal has always been to get the word out about upper cervical and straight chiropractic. Obviously. Otherwise I wouldn’t do this as much as I do.

This person is right. I know this. January and I have been able to inform a lot of people through Facebook. If I want to help as many people as I can, then obviously that includes Facebook.

So, disregard Monday’s blog post. I am back on Facebook. If nothing else it served for a really good traffic day for The Atlas of Life!

I still won’t use MySpace though.

Recommended Reading

• 5 Reasons Why I Am Quitting Facebook
• “I was devastated…”
• “I was in such pain that I did not know what I was going to do…”
• Epic Fails = Epic Need For A Chiropractor!
• Talking TIC #1: Attack of the Chicken Pox

For those of you who are visiting this site for the first time, I made a video that will take you on a guided tour of The Atlas of Life. Enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Recommended Reading

• 2009 Blair Conference, Upper Cervical Commercials, And An Announcement
• 5 Top Quality Chiropractic Blogs For Your Blog Reading List
• The Atlas of Life is now on Twitter! Plus an E-book Excerpt
• Advocating Upper Cervical Chiropractic: An Interview With Rhonda Tomasi
• Epic Fails = Epic Need For A Chiropractor!

It has taken us long enough to get around to this, but we have finally created The Atlas of Life FREE Monthly Newsletter. Newsletters are a great way to cover news and information regarding The Atlas of Life that we might not cover here normally.

What we’ll cover in each issue:

• Opinions and/or other written material not covered here on the site
• Useful home remedies to compliment a subluxation-free lifestyle
• Delicious recipes to make your mouth water
• Useful links to popular blog posts
• Upcoming seminar information

Newsletters will be sent out the 10th of each month, so check your inbox around then. Click here to subscribe to The Atlas of Life FREE Monthly Newsletter today!

Recommended Reading

• “I was devastated…”
• “I was in such pain that I did not know what I was going to do…”
• Epic Fails = Epic Need For A Chiropractor!
• Talking TIC #1: Attack of the Chicken Pox
• Seasonal Allergies, Your Immune System, & Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

Starting today, I am making Trauma, Thoughts, & Toxins: The E-Book available for the readers of this site to download for free.

I decided to do this before I even wrote the series here on The Atlas of Life. I wanted to put together a miniseries that I could easily wrap together in PDF format. This would allow people who haven’t read the blog posts to gain an understanding of what we address as chiropractors.

I didn’t change anything whatsoever in converting the series from blog posts to e-book, except there aren’t any pictures to illustrate my point like there are in the posts themselves. But I don’t think that will be a big deal to people.

The Introduction covers the vertebral subluxation itself. Chapters one, two, and three address physical, emotional, and chemical stress, respectively. Chapter four focuses on managing stress properly. As I said before, not much changed in converting these posts into an e-book.

I enjoyed writing the series and putting it together for you in an e-book. Enjoy reading it!

You can download Trauma, Thoughts, & Toxins: The E-Book right here.

Recommended Reading

• Trauma, Thoughts, and Toxins = Vertebral Subluxation Part 4: Managing Stress
• Find Me Someone Without An Agenda
• Trauma, Thoughts, and Toxins = Vertebral Subluxations Part 1: Physical Stress
• Sherman Lyceum May 27-29, 2010 at Sherman College of Chiropractic in Spartanburg, SC – From Passion to Action
• Winner of the Done By Hand Contest is…

Just in case you were wondering why it looks a little different around here, I changed the theme of my blog to Thesis. For those of you not familiar with Thesis, it is a theme that was custom designed to aid the blogger in increasing his/her search engine optimization (SEO). I’ve had my eye on the Thesis theme for a while. I believe it will only aid me in my objective of getting the word out to the masses on the internet.

As far as the theme design goes, I’m not quite finished with some minor details, so you will inevitably see some of those changes in the coming days and weeks. Overall, I have decided to go with a minimalist design for The Atlas of Life.

Because of my newfound minimalist approach to the blog’s design, this means I had to reduce my link list significantly. I have kept links to Upper Cervical Chiropractic Organizations and Recommended Patient Resources. These are links that will aid patients or potential patients in finding helpful information and answers to their health related questions that don’t get answered here.

No more blog links, business links, or practice links. If I don’t make this change now, eventually I would be looking at 400 links. Not very aesthetic and not very minimalist. Not to mention, people wouldn’t be able to tell which links have the information they are specifically seeking and which links do not.

There are additional changes in store for The Atlas of Life, but none of them I can reveal yet. Stay tuned!

Recommended Reading

• “I was devastated…”
• “I was in such pain that I did not know what I was going to do…”
• Epic Fails = Epic Need For A Chiropractor!
• Seasonal Allergies, Your Immune System, & Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care
• Drugs & Surgery or Chiropractic… You Decide!!!