Chiropactic Clinic Seminole and St Petersburg - Florida Chiropractor

The Up-sell

My family and I recently took a short trip to Gatlinburg, TN. We had a great time in the Smoky Mountains. It was partly inspired by what we thought were bargain priced plane tickets. We literally found advertised flights for $9.99. Those were one way - to get back the flights were a reasonable $29.99. Hard to pass up, wouldn't you think? By the time we added airport fees, taxes and checked baggage fees ($40 per bag!) the tickets rounded out at about $120 a piece - still a bargain but what a sneaky way to get more money. Luckily there's been a recent amendment to the FAA reauthorization bill that will prevent airlines from continuing these practices.

In the past few months I've had some new patients that had experienced a similar introduction to chiropractic from another office. They had responded to a free dinner and/or a free examination/x-ray offer only to be cornered into signing up for a year-long chiropractic contract. In my colleague's defense, the patients that do relent to this tactic probably invest the best few thousand dollars of their life, getting well needed chiropractic care at an overall economic rate. Fortunately my philosophy doesn't allow for this method. How can I know how a patient will respond to chiropractic care before they've ever been adjusted? Some patients will require multiple treatments over a length of time, but others can get all the benefits of a chiropractic lifestyle with just a few visits and transitioning into a once a month maintenance plan. Every patient condition is unique.

If you hear of anyone shunning chiropractic because of a fear of the above schemes let them know that our offices are nothing like that. We are very economical with no long-term commitments. Our patients get all the benefits of chiropractic and quickly find that the value of their care far outweighs our reasonable fees.

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Pill Mills

You can't open the paper or turn on the TV these days without hearing of the societal detriment of pain pills: Young people overdosing, clinics being raided and drug rings being arrested. I agree that there is a place in healthcare in which pain medication is a necessary treatment option but in most cases a conservative approach to pain management is non-addictive, less risky and the healthier route. Chiropractic has always been the very best conservative treatment method for injuries such as car accidents or falls. Why risk the potential addictive effects of pain medication when healthier options such as chiropractic, massage therapy and exercise can help solve all of your pain problems.

Chiropractic treatment works by treating the cause of the pain. Vicodin works by covering up the symptoms. Pain is the way your body lets you know that something needs help. We can locate that cause and treat from the inside out, offering your body the best method to get healthy and stay healthy. Tell your friends and family to call our office first after that accident or injury. Calling an attorney or 1-800 referral service could easily introduce someone to the pill mill system, regardless of whether they take pain medicine or not. We take care of injuries and if an attorney is needed, our office can suggest one that cares as much about your future well being as we do.

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The Announcement - Serialized Story of My Accident - Part 6 of 6

(You can read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5 in our web archives)

I hope you have been enlightened by the story of my car accident. For those of you who have missed some of the previous installments, just go to our website to get caught up. The entire experience was educational but also inspirational.

From an educational perspective everything that I had to deal with regarding my accident gave me an opportunity to empathize with what many of my patients have to deal with: An exhaustive treatment regimen, flare-ups, missing work, finding an attorney, going to depositions, testifying in court, etc... There's something about having felt the pain of sciatica, for example, that opened my mind to the real suffering that some of my patients have to deal with. It's allowed me to become a better doctor. It also taught me how to help my patients protect their rights, insure their future health expenses and how best to deal with auto insurance companies.

Now for the announcement: Shortly after my trial, I began looking into Stetson's part-time law program. I had always wanted to be an attorney but never more so than after the lackluster verdict in my case. I signed up for the LSAT and did well enough to apply to the school. I was accepted and starting in late August I will begin my path to becoming a lawyer. The program is only part-time and will hardly interfere with my practice of chiropractic. That's the only way I would do it because I love being a chiropractor. I love treating patients. I plan to continue my practice for years into the future. Although it was a disappointing trial that finally pushed me into this decision, my future plans for a law degree will be for positive things such as helping my profession and working to make sure chiropractic patients are treated fairly by insurance companies. Soon you'll be able to say that your chiropractor not only is great at treating your injuries but can also fight for your rights as well!

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