Surviving and Thriving in the Great Recession of 2009? – Part 1

Is it over for Chiropractic and your practice? Will we ever experience the golden days of practice when almost anyone could hang out a shingle and develop a great practice in a relatively short time? Maybe an old timer can help you out.

There are some in the profession and the political arena that would have us believe that life as we knew it will never be the same. If you accept those pronouncements and beliefs then it will most definitely be true for you.

I have been around long enough to know that if you have the right attitude, and the right tools, any negative situation can be turned around. When I say that I have been in the profession for awhile, perhaps I should clarify that just a bit. You might learn something from someone, like me, who has been an active participant in our beloved profession for over 40 years.

I was 17 years old before I ever heard the word “Chiropractic” – can you imagine that? No, I was not raised in a cave by wolves. I am originally from the great state of Tennessee and back at the time that I was in high school, back in the sixties, there were probably less than 50 Chiropractors in the entire state. I met my first DC in a slightly unusual way.

My “field doctor,” which is what we used to call the person who referred us to chiropractic, or the particular college we attended, was not in practice at the time. In fact, strange as it may sound, he never did take a board, become licensed or, open an office.

He was one of 3 brothers who all attended Chiropractic college on the GI Bill which was a kind of precursor to today’s loans with one small exception – you didn’t have pay them back. All you needed to do was serve in the military. These brothers served in Korea in the 50s.

If you would like to know the circumstance under which we met, and how I went from no understanding of chiropractic to ending up at Chiropractic College… check the next installment!