OBJECTIVES AND RESULTS Many of the problems within our profession, namely, the dissension, the wide variations in practice, and even the lack of acceptance comes from a confusion between our objective and the results of that objective. The objective of chiropractic is to locate, analyze and correct vertebral subluxations in order to enable the innate intelligence of the body to better express itself. I believe it can be demonstrated historically that this has been our objective since D.D. Palmer realized that the ramifications of his initial adjustment were more than just a cure for deafness. The problem appears to have arisen historically when we began to confuse our objective with the results of meeting that objective. Ironically, some of the results of the chiropractic objective just happen to be the objectives of medicine. The medical objectives are to treat symptoms and to prevent, treat, and cure diseases. Those have always been their objectives and while the techniques and procedures may have drastically changed over the years the objectives have remained essentially the same. Perhaps there are slight changes in the degree of emphasis (today the emphasis appears to be on prevention). The above are not the objectives of chiropractic, however, they are among the potential results of meeting the chiropractic objective. At times an individual free of subluxation, whose body is more capable of expressing its innate intelligence, is cured of a disease. Sometimes diseases are prevented and symptoms do disappear. Increased well being and better health may result. Every cell functions better when a subluxation has been corrected. These are all results of meeting the objective and not the objective itself. There is nothing wrong with the results provided we do not confuse the results with the objective. Those results are objectives of medicine. Focusing on the results rather than the objective can create many real problems that confront our profession today. Perhaps an analogy would help our understanding. The objective of a basketball game is to win. That objective is the same whether it is a pickup game at the local playground or being played on the professional level, although the techniques and degree of skill may vary. On the professional level the results of meeting that objective are numerous. If the objective is met on a continuous and consistent basis, the result is momentary and perhaps lasting glory. The objective of the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers was to win every game, one game at a time. While they did meet it sufficiently, over the season, to receive the momentary glory of winning the N.B.A. championship and the lasting glory of being considered by many as the greatest basketball team in history, those were results. While going about the task of meeting their objective it was necessary to concentrate on each game's objective. If they met that objective the results would take care of themselves. Other results of winning would include receiving money, perhaps an increase in salary the next year or a longterm, lucrative contract. Are these results bad? Of course not! But, you can easily see the potential for problems if the results became more important to an individual than the objective. Before long five players would be out there for themselves, with no thought for the team or the objective. It would not matter to them if the team won or lost as long as they did well as an individual. As long as they look good, score points, get a fat contract for the next season and an opportunity to endorse Adidas basketball shoes, the heck with the team! Even as a team, concentrating on results can cause you to fail to meet your objective. Many a team has lost a game because they were "looking ahead," that is, focusing on the next team rather than focusing on the objective, that of winning one game at a time. No straight chiropractor would deny that it is good when people are "cured" under chiropractic care. Everyone is happy to see patients feel better. However, when the results become our objective or even when they take precedence over our objective we have the potential for problems. Some chiropractors will do anything for results. Our history is replete with examples of chiropractors using all kinds of worthless or harmful therapeutic devices to achieve a result. We have criticized medicine for using harmful procedures and techniques to achieve their objectives. If we are more concerned with results than our objective we have the same potential for harm. Whether it is basketball or chiropractic, concentration on results rather then objectives always creates the potential for problems. The greatest problem for chiropractic, of course, is the danger that the results can become the objective. When that happens we are merely practicing medicine. Most people who practice "therapeutic chiropractic" do not do so because they are dishonest. They do so because therapeutic procedure do produce results. These results, however, are the medical objective. Throughout the history of our profession there has been confusion between our objective and results. B.J.'s scientific research into results has given some the excuse to focus on results rather than objective. However! if you look at all of his writings in the proper context, it is obvious that B.J. always had in mind the objective of correcting vertebral subluxation in order to enable the innate intelligence of the body to better express itself. While some have strayed very far from our objective, others have come to the realization that the objective is in and of itself worthwhile even if it produces none of the tangible results. When it comes right down to it we all realize that. You do not refuse to adjust a child because they have no symptoms, nor do you stop adjusting a person's subluxations because he or she fails to demonstrate tangible results. Every chiropractor, mixer and straight, adjusts some person or persons without the necessity of seeing results. We all believe we did something of value for that patient. If we didn't we could not in good conscience accept a fee and allow that patient to walk out of the office. The difference is that the straight adjusts every patient without the necessity of seeing results and knows he has done all of those patients some good. With what we read in the papers concerning the situation in college basketball today we would have to say that the only pure basketball is that which is played on the "sandlot" level. When I play basketball with a bunch of guys every Thursday night, I play to win because winning is, in and of itself, a worthwhile objective. There is no glory, nor money, just the fun of playing, playing well and winning. Perhaps if we had more chiropractors practicing their profession with that attitude and focusing on the objective of chiropractic and not the results, we would have a lot more pure chiropractic being practiced and a great deal less problems within our profession.
STRAIGHT CHIROPRACTIC
Attempting to identify yourself as a straight chiropractor is becoming rather ludicrous. It's ironic that the term was begun years ago by B.J. and resurrected again in the mid 70's in order to clarify a chiropractor by his objectives. It seems that so many chiropractors with such diverse methods of practice are calling themselves straight that one wonders if there is not a conspiracy to confuse. Another possibility is that there is, in the minds of many chiropractors, certain status attached to being identified as a straight chiropractor. You never see a sign in front of an office, a business card or an ad in the yellow pages saying "John Doe, D.C., Mixer Chiropractor." The third possibility is that many "straight" chiropractors really do not understand what straight chiropractic is all about. We see the chiropractors who have graduated from straight colleges and who identify themselves as straight chiropractors doing some pretty strange things. Some of the advertising done by straights looks no different than the average mixers. They advertise the "eight danger signals" or list conditions or symptoms. If challenged about it they would say "I realize it's not chiropractic but it gets the patients in the office where I can educate them to what chiropractic is." That's dishonest advertising! Many straights advertise "auto and work accidents" or "personal injury cases" or "sports related injuries." The worst part is that most never even think about those things as not being straight chiropractic. Chiropractors correct subluxations and don't relate to their cause. I could keep going on, the point is we can hardly say who is straight anymore. Thom Gelardi, D.C., who must be considered the spokesman for the straights, once said "Principled people use terminology to clarify, unprincipled people use terminology to confuse." We have "straights" who diagnose to know whether the patient needs to be referred out for emergency medical care. That's not consistent with our philosophy. If a person is coming to us as an alternative to medical care we have missed the boat in educating them or worse failed to realize our true objective. We have "straights" who claim not to diagnose but do all kinds of diagnostic procedures to monitor the health of their patients. That's not consistent with our philosophy. We are not in the business of monitoring health. Perhaps we have reached the point where we must think up a new term to describe the chiropractor who only locates, analyzes and corrects subluxations. Personally I hate the thought of doing that. I never liked having to use the adjective "straight." As far as I am concerned, and I'm sure I speak for others, there is only one chiropractic. But, language is supposed to clarify. When it ceases to do that we must look at the reason or reasons and then we need to develop clearer ways of expressing ourselves. If that necessitates a new adjective such as "orthodox" or "traditional" then we must be willing to make that change. However, when you think about it further, you realize those "conspiring to confuse" would just assume the new term. Those who think there is a certain status to being recognized as straight would also assume the new term. We will never resolve that problem no matter what we call ourselves. The last group, however, those who really do not understand what straight chiropractic is need to realize that they do not and then need to learn. Perhaps the greatest need in our profession is in the area of continuing education in the philosophy of chiropractic.
