Integrating the Organic Movement into Chiropractic

During the two week break I found myself reading a lot about the organic movement or better yet, the green movement.  I have always had an interest in this subject primarily because I believe most disease is caused by our lifestyle choices.  Many books have been written showing an enormous amount of data linking pathology to diet and exercise consumption.  One of which is, Native Nutrition.  Another more recent addition to this collection of disturbing data is Food Inc.

I purchased the book, Food Inc., at the beginning of the break at Powell's bookstore, which is a documentary style book focused entirely on our nations food supply and its production.  It was eye opening to read about how much of our food is genetically engineered, hormonally enhanced and nutritionally flawed.  My initial belief that lifestyle causes most disease was firmly supported after each and every chapter I read.  It disgusts me to think the poor can only afford the cheapest food which is supplied by the major industrialized farms.  Mass production of food is made quicker, dirtier and cheaper so the parties involved in the process can make the most money they can.  All the while, the workforce involved in this vast game of philanthropy gets to work in horrible conditions and is paid minimally.  To top it off, the disturbing rate at which hormonally enhanced animals grow has been equated to a newborn child growing to be 350 lbs by its second birthday!  Ethically speaking, these animals cannot sustain this growth rate structurally, which leaves them in chronic pain during their short lives.  If we are what we eat, I guess we too are genetically engineered, hormonally enhanced and nutritionally flawed.

The organic/green movement targets all of these issues with industrialized food production by approaching food growth naturally.  No pesticides, growth hormones or antibiotics are used in the production of organic foods, all of which have been linked to health problems in those who consume them.  Many believe the green movement is all about being a hippy or unrealistic but I am not a hippy or unrealistic.  Before the industrial revolution our food supply was completely organic and natural.  And guess what?  The diseases that run rampant in our country today were not the main killers back then.  The way of life these folks lived was much more active than today's society too.  Of course, they had other issues like starvation and infection.  We must try to balance the equation so we don't starve but rid ourselves of disease though proper lifestyle choices.

I have thought a lot about how to integrate my future chiropractic practice into the organic movement.  Out of any health care profession, chiropractic has the potential to really push this concept forward.  As the leading alternative medicine profession, we should adopt the organic/green ideology and integrate ourselves into the abundance of research being produced on this important social change.  If we want to prevent disease we must look beyond merely adjusting people.  

The way in which we choose to practice chiropractic is a personal decision each of us has to make.  In my opinion, these decisions take work and a far greater understanding of what the health of our nation needs than what our personal convictions are.  I know my ideology will change as more time passes in this program, as will many of my colleagues.  I am open to learning and growing.  In my opinion, if we stay unconvinced until evidence proves otherwise, we will set ourselves up to grow into logically sound doctors.   Those who are searching for a quick answer to bite onto so that uncertainty begins to wain, I feel bad for you and only hope you can be strong enough to take the time to search for your OWN answers which are based in science and evidence.   That being said, I know chiropractic palpation skills rely heavily on the individual doing the palpating.  Therefore, there will always be significant difference between each and every chiropractor.  There is still a logical and ethical way to practice even if the actual science of chiropractic is not fully developed.  It seems to me that there is an incredible amount of gray area when it comes to the decision to adjust or not to adjust due to this lack of evidence.  And most of the time science or evidence is left to the individual doing the palpating - not equipment or instruments showing evidence.  I think we can all help people regardless of the evidence as long as we do not convince the patient a "certain" theory is the answer to all their health care needs (I think we all know which theory that is).

If we choose to practice outside the realm of science, we will be looked down upon by the majority of the public and the continued scrutinization of our profession by our medical counterparts will continue.  We need to "buck up" and do the work to be competitive in the healthcare market.  Personally, it disgusts me when our professors say it is okay to believe in magic or high volume/low quality practices.  There shouldn't be a choice as to whether we practice witchcraft or focus entirely on adjusting quickly.  How will we keep enough room in our schedules to be a quality doctor without jeopardizing the real needs of our patients?  I can't answer this currently but I can speculate that this will take an enormous amount of work and practice to become efficient.  I also believe it will take a fair amount of knowledge in Health Psychology and behavior modification interventions.  Of which, we have no scheduled or formal training in this area to speak of in the program.  

Two weeks ago, I took the liberty to go to the public library downtown to find books on how to manifest my worldview as well as integrate psychological teachings into my future practice.  I hobbled away from the library with 5 books to read.  It is my hope that by figuring out how I view the world and by learning how to integrate psychology into my bag of tools, every class I take in chiropractic school will develop my foundation further.  By pursuing this, I have an enormous amount of motivation this quarter to succeed.  

It is my hope through writing about these topics, not only will I formulate my own ideas for the future but also help others do the same - regardless if my opinions rub you the right or wrong way.  I know there are quite a few folks who read my blog that do not "sign up", if you will.  There is nothing wrong with this.  I encourage those who wish to discuss these things further to add a comment at the end of the blog post.

Thanks for reading