Ethics

I found myself in another predicament today.  Whether I was looking for it, is another story.  Granted, the time change really put me in a funk having to get up an hour early and pretend it didn't affect me at school.  Dragging my sorry butt to school while pretending to smile about it was probably what caused it all.  Crabbiness is probably the culprit being that finals loom around the bend.

So, long story short, I go back to class after a nice lunch with Sadie.  We all sit down to finish our lecture series on biomechanics.  The topic of the day was Capitation.  Capitation is what happens when a vertebra is adjusted.  It lets off a 'pop' and you walk away feeling better.  What got me all hot and sweaty was the fact that much of the recent research about what is exactly happening contradicts what the popular belief has been in the profession.  If you hear an audible 'pop' you 'got it' and therefore set the patient up to heal.  This isn't the case.  In fact, much of what has been coming out in the research suggests that getting adjusted doesn't have to end with a 'pop' at all.  As long as the joint has been given greater range of motion, you are doing the patient well.  Focusing on the pop is now a thing of the past (which sounds as stupid as it is) and we now must use our brains before and when we lay our hands on a person for an adjustment.  

This sent a few into an uproar.  It is a weird phenomenon to hear those who have read the research convey the message accurately and to then have people who are not chiropractors refute the claims.  WTF!  I get so disgusted with those who just don't get it.  Why ask the stupid question?  Can't we take what has been found from observation and apply it in a modern way?  What did you expect to gain from this education?  It baffles me to think that some of these folks are in my class.

Lastly, the fact that many generations of practicing chiropractors have been chasing the 'pop' says a lot about the profession as a whole.  In the presentation, the professor showed with research that many times when a DC focuses on one spinal level they end up adjusting 5-7 other areas without knowing this.  My God, what are we doing then?  We can't be specific or learn specificity when what is being taught isn't known to be that accurate.  There was a student today who asked why the upper quarter students were evaluated on whether or not they were able to get capitation in their patients adjustment.  This to me is ludicrous.  There shouldn't be room for professors or clinicians like this in our program.  Times are changing and at this rate the chiropractic profession is going to be surpassed by up and coming professions like physical therapy in the matter of years, not decades.

To say I am on the fence gives me a great reason to try and pursue a different path altogether.  There isn't much telling me to stay beyond my friends who I think are on the fence too.  I have to listen to my gut.  However, finances tell me to stick it out another quarter.  I might get into physical therapy or PA school, just something more legitimate.  I went this route to get a clinical education without totally sabotaging the life I used to live.  It feels as if my life is changing in different, unexpected ways.  My attitude is shifting to realistic versus fantasy.  One day we all have to choose our paths.  My day has come.  And the wheel goes on and on...

For now, I must leap the hurdle in front of me which looks to be like nearly 150 pages of notes!

Food for thought... :)

Nate