General

Wow..it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted here on the ChiropracticPR.com blog. I’ve had many people email or call asking if everything is alright and where the new blog posts have been.

I apologize for the absence but we’ve just been slammed with work. Honestly the last couple of months has seen a huge influx of work that we’ve been struggling to stay on top of! We also had some issues with our hosting provider and our server lately and it took us a few days to iron all of that out.

Not to mention it’s the Holiday shopping season…and the orders are coming in fast and furious over at ChiropracticArt.com. For those of you who may not be aware, I also run ChiropracticArt.com and I do nearly all of our hand painted Chiropractic paintings. Needless to say our cool Chiropractic art and affordable prices make for a high volume of orders at peak shopping times.

That’s right! The Holiday shopping season is upon us. Wow did the summer ever fly by this year. With the holiday shopping season in mind I decided to start a new blog series: Chiropractic Gift Recommendations. Many of you have purchased nearly our full catalog of Chiropractic art and often ask for other Chiropractic gift ideas. I decided to try a new type of blog post where I recommend some great ideas for that special Chiropractor in your life. Whether you are shopping for yourself, a colleague, or someone else we have some great ideas in the works.

Many of these will be great Chiropractic specific gifts, and some will not. I don’t want this to be limited to Chiropractic practice tools or products ONLY so I’ll do my best to balance things out. Basically if it is a great gift idea and would be useful or interesting to the average Chiropractor then I’ll write up a blog post about it. It should even be useful for all of us Chiropractors because it will give us some gift ideas for online shopping. After all we simply don’t have a ton of time to get out and shop!

Hopefully this will be beneficial to all and can be an ongoing project to look forward to each year.

I’ll be putting up the very first post in this series shortly so stay tuned. Along the way if you have some great Chiropractic gift ideas or products or websites you’d like to see us blog about in the series contact me and let me know!

-Dr. James

Last night I experienced something I very rarely have the pleasure of experiencing: free time. My son decided he was tired and wanted to go to bed early (an even less common occurrence around here). I decided to seize the moment and start some online Christmas shopping. Yes I know it’s not even October yet but the truth is I just won’t have many opportunities to shop between now and the Holiday season.

Being a single dad with a busy schedule means I don’t have the luxury of browsing through brick and mortar stores without my son with me very often. That’s why I do the huge majority of my holiday shopping online.

My son has become a HUGE Star Wars fan so I decided to visit a site I haven’t visited in a few months: ThinkGeek.com.  I first discovered this site a few years ago because I’m a bit of a computer and tech nerd. Big surprise there right? On my first visit I was surprised to learn this site offers much more than computer hardware and accessories. They have all kinds of cool prank and witty novelty gifts. They have also recently started carrying all kinds of unique and harder to find Star Wars gifts. They are also now producing their own zany and original products.  If you have an intelligent slightly geeky person in your life with a wicked sense of humor, then ThinkGeek.com is definitely a great site to shop!

I know what you are thinking. “What the HELL does this have to do with Chiropractic?” Well stick with me because while I was browsing their site I came across some pretty cool gifts that really struck my funny bone as a Doctor of Chiropractic with a good sense of humor.

One of the first items I stumbled across were “Microbe plushies”. These cute and cuddly plush stuffed animals represent many common germs and microbes.

Now whether or not you, as a Doctor of Chiropractic, subscribe to the germ theory isn’t my concern. Regardless of your stance, giving someone herpes or varicella has never been funny . . . until now! I was pretty blown away with the huge selection they have. These aren’t just your typical common microbes. You have to check out the amazing selection for yourself.

If giving that special someone in your life a nasty microbe isn’t your cup of tea then maybe you could simply pick up a neuron plushie instead! While not for everyone, these plushies definitely got my attention and are worth checking out for a good laugh.

I also came across a cool new version of something I currently use in my Chiropractic practice: the Dynaflex Powerball Gyroscope. For those of you who don’t know, the Dynaflex powerball is basically a handheld gyroscope. The inside of the ball spins at high revolutions and creates a very dynamic rehab tool that is very effective for treating conditions like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. At higher speeds the ball is challenging to hold on to and actually makes for a great wrist and forearm workout. This never version lights up in a cool blue LED glow. The best part? It does NOT require any batteries!

I also discovered a couple of books I thought were very cool. One is entitled
The Complete Manual of Things that Might Kill You: A Guide to Self-Diagnosis for Hypochondriacs.

This humorous book appears to be a guide to inducing panic in hypochondriacs by describing various events and activities that might kill you. I’m still desperately trying to resist the urge to buy this and place it on the coffee table in my reception area. Although most of my patients get my sense of humor, I fear some still might be offended.

The other book is entitled,  Why There’s Antifreeze in your Toothpaste: The Chemistry of Household Ingredients.

This book aims to demystify common myths and misconceptions regarding common household chemicals and explains the use and purpose of many chemicals contained in many household chemicals and products.

The last product I want to mention is something that could be of benefit to all of us and our Chiropractic patients. It’s a little gadget called the UV monkey.

The UV Monkey is a nifty little device to measure levels of Ultraviolet light exposure. When it is exposed to sunlight, the center of the device will turn to a purple color. The differening shades of purple indicate increasing levels of UV light with the darker shades equating to the means highest level of UV exosure. The UV Monkey is capable of indicating 4 different ranges of the UV Index (Index 1-2, Index 3-5, Index 6-8, Index 9-11). What a great way to protect your skin and your health!

There are plenty of other very cool gifts and products available on this site. These were simply the Chiropractic relevant ones that jumped out at me during my visit.  I personally love the site and recommend checking it out since it pretty much has products for everyone. If you have some intelligent friends and relatives with a different sense of humor then ThinkGeek.com is a great place to shop for gifts.

We’ve had a lot of requests for more of our unique Chiropractic gifts, ties, posters, and other Chiropractic products on Zazzle.

We’ve heard your demands and we are in the process of working on some new designs in our “free time”. I use the term “free time” loosely since our free time seems to amount to about 12 minutes at 3:00 am before we collapse from sheer and utter exhaustion. Well….I can’t speak for everyone but that’s my “free time”!

Have something in mind for a great Chiropractic message on a product but don’t have the time or know how to pull it off. Post your thoughts or comments in the comment section below or email us and we might be able to bring your idea to life!

Anyway sit tight and stay tuned for some great new Chiropractic products. Here is just one of many new products to come. Our new “Chiropractic is specific” coffee mug! You can choose which color and type of mug you want this design on and preview it before you buy. Very cool!

Myths and falsehoods still surround the Chiropractic profession like a dark cloud.  How many times have you heard something negative and totally off base about Chiropractic care? How much time do you spend in your practice fighting myths and uneducated inaccuracies regarding our wonderful profession?

Battling long held negative public opinions of Chiropractic can suck the energy and life out of any Chiropractic practice.  Although the perception and acceptance of Chiropractic has improved dramatically over the last 50 years , we still have a long way to go. Just last week a new patient was astonished to learn that Chiropractic education consists of more than “a six or 8 week program”!

I wanted to make this post more of an open discussion rather than a simple blog post.  We’re working on a new Chiropractic DVD and PowerPoint over at ChiropracticArt.com and our sister site ClinicallySignificantProductions.com.

Ok, that’s not entirely true. Basically we are reworking the VERY first PowerPoint presentation and DVD we ever made: the “Top 10 Chiropractic Myths”. This one has been in our archives for a few years now and it’s time to rework it and get it back out there to help you educate the public and clear up many common fallacies and misconceptions that cloud our profession.

Some of the common myths we plan to address are:

1. You have to go FOREVER.

2. Chiropractors are uneducated “quacks”

3.  Chiropractors only “twist”, “snap”, “crack” and “pop” your back and neck.

4.  Chiropractic is only for back pain

5.  Chiropractic can hurt your neck or will cause a stroke.

6.  Chiropractic is expensive.

7.  Chiropractors don’t believe in medicine

8.  Chiropractors are dishonest, unethical etc. “I know a guy who knew this guy who knows a Chiropractor who….”

9.  You MUST have X-rays

10.  Chiropractic is just for the old, the injured, etc.

11. ????? You TELL US!

These are just some of the common myths surrounding Chiropractic care. What other common misconceptions do you fight on a daily basis? What would you like to add? We want to make sure we represent the Chiropractic majority here so give us your thoughts and we might just include it in our next DVD and PowerPoint. If you REALLY do a good job and we use your idea we’ll even  send a complementary copy of the presentation when it’s completed.

No worries! There is no sign up necessary and we don’t post  your email address, so help us clear up common Chiropractic myths and leave your comments below.

What do you think? Leave your thoughts, ideas, and contributions in the comment section below!

Lately I’ve come to realize with our busy professional and personal lives we spend many days “just going through the motions.” With errands, tasks, and daily responsibilities we often spend our entire day just getting things done.

Yesterday I spent the entire day driving around with my son running errands and getting things done. I had to do some household shopping, make a trip to the library, do some shopping for my Chiropractic practice and a ton of other errands. Although it did allow me time to have some great conversations with my son, we still spent a lot of time rushing from spot to spot in order to get things on our list done.

At the end of the day we had time to watch a movie together, but all of the rushing around still left a hollow feeling. Any time spent together as a family is better than no time, but I still felt like the day was wasted getting minor things done. In the long run, these things we had to devote an entire day to don’t really matter all that much.

I reflected on this a lot this morning and I actually talked with my eight year old son about doing more to make each day special. It’s an idea I’ve tried to live by in the past, but it’s nothing I’ve openly discussed. It’s also something we can easily lose sight of.

The very same thing easily and often occurs within the confines of a chiropractic practice. We spend so much time focusing on procedures, and getting patients treated efficiently we often get lost running the through the motions. At the end of the day we may have met all of our deadlines and goals but what have accomplished beyond that? What have we done to improve ourselves, benefit our family, and support our community?

I’m not implying that daily errands and treating Chiropractic patients aren’t important and beneficial…but these are also our jobs. We should ask ourselves what we can do above and beyond these daily tasks to make each and every day special and meaningful.

Raising a young son as a single father I am beginning to realize just how short life really is. We need to seize the opportunity to make each and every day special and meaningful. Dedicating even 10 or 15 minutes out of each and every day to do something special for family, friends and community doesn’t seem all that difficult. It’s certainly a small price to pay to make the world a better place!

Hi everyone! I recently came across a site that I wanted to share with all of you.  ShopAnatomical.com is an awesome site that offers some very cool and very affordable anatomical models, wall charts, gifts, and many other items you’ll want in your Chiropractic practices.

As the name suggests, they offer many high quality and affordable anatomical models. I was actually pretty blown away with the products offered. This isn’t your standard anatomical model site that offers 2 overpriced spine models and a few chiropractic relevant wall charts.  This site has nearly anything you can think of with countless variations of spine and vertebrae models.

Want a small and affordable desk-sized spine model? They have it.  Want a deluxe muscled spine model? They have those too. How about a color coded and muscled spine model with disorders?  You betcha! Want a spine with a rib cage? How about a complete skeletal torso? You get the idea. This place has it all.

Have something a little more specialized in mind? They have some awesome cervical spine models, including life size and oversize atlas/axis models perfect for upper cervical doctors.   You can also find spinal degeneration models and models explaining osteoporosis and disc herniation.  I also noticed some very interesting, and large, spinal cord models.

In the market for some anatomical wall charts for your Chiropractic practice? They have loads of those too.  You simply can’t beat their amazing prices. At the time I wrote this article they boast several Chiropractic relevant wall charts for only $7.95!

If you can’t tell, I am pretty impressed with this site. It is much better than some of the anatomical model and chart companies I have dealt with in the past.  I could go on and on, but I think you get the point.  I’ll wrap things up by providing my handy breakdown and summary.

What’s Hot:

• Tons of products
• Amazingly low prices on many items. Many choices under 50 bucks.
• Free or affordable shipping options
• Ties, T-shirts, Keychains and other great gifts.
• Many of their products are Made in the USA
• Shopping by price, category, and profession
• 128-bit secure server for safe ordering
• Order by faxing purchase order
• Gift cards
• Powerful store search function
• Discounts on large orders
• Clear and easy site design that’s easy to navigate and use

What’s Not:

• Tons of choices (I want 2/3 of their inventory!!!)
• No print catalog (but if it helps keep overhead and prices low, who cares?)
• I could get myself into trouble by ordering too many things!
• I wish I would have known about this site when I was a Chiropractic student or BEFORE I purchased spine models for my Chiropractic practice!

10 Products you Can’t Miss

Although you definitely need to spend an hour or so browsing this site, I wanted to share 1o of my favorite products.

1. Vertebral Simulator: Lumbar Disc Herniation Model – This nifty little model demonstrates the process of disc herniation in one of the best ways I’ve seen yet.  A shopanatomical.com exclusive.
2. Understanding Low Back Pain Chart: An attractive and extremely affordable chart explaining many concepts and topics about low back pain.  A ton of information on an attractive chart wall chart.
3. Lifesize Atlas/Axis model: A handy model for any doctor and under $20 at the time of this writing!
4. Oversize Atlas/Axis/Occiput model: A larger than life version perfect for an upper cervical practice!
5. Exploring the Spine 3D Anatomy CD-Rom: A great way for the modern Chiropractor to educate patients. This computer CD-Rom is also priced below the retail price of most other sources.
6. Spine X-Ray Tie: A very cool neck tie featuring an image of a full spine a-p x-ray. 100% silk and an Awesome Chiropractic gift!
7. Spine Anatomical T-Shirt: Spine anatomical chart T-shirt that would make a great affordable Chiropractic gift.
8. Muscled Cervical Spine Model: A beautiful muscled cervical spine model on a walnut base.
9. Osteoporosis of the Spine Model: A spine section mounted on a base showing details of osteoporosis.
10. Spinal Nerve Function Chart: A more colorful and modern version of the meric type chart listing spinal nerves and related organs and potential dysfunction.

Now that everyone has recovered from their Independence Day break, I wanted to take a moment to update you on some  new and exciting changes we have coming very soon at the ChiropracticPR.com blog.

We spend a great deal of time creating content and writing articles that help you market your practice via the internet and social media, but we don’t feel it’s enough.  We’d like to introduce you to products, software, services and tools that can help better manage the day to day activities of your chiropractic practice, improve the health of your patients and much more.

We’ll soon  be introducing a new category, or categories, of posts here on the ChiropracticPR.com blog.  Why? Due to the nature of our work we spend a great deal of time surfing the internet and communicating with a wide variety of companies and websites.  As a result we often encounter some very cool products, services, and websites that we want to tell other Doctors of Chiropractic about. What better way to do this than in our blog?

When we come across a cool product or service that we think can benefit you or your Chiropractic patients we’ll blog about it.  If we come across a product or gadget that is way cool we’ll post a short blurb about it on our site.

Posts about Chiropractic marketing and social media are great, but even as Chiropractors, writers, and bloggers we need to break up the monotony.  So be on the lookout for more editorial type posts, discussion forums, product ratings and reviews, and “off topic” posts.  We want to create fun and dynamic content to both educate and entertain our Chiropractic readers.

If things get too far off topic, or if we stray to far from the world of Chiropractic we’ll definitely pull the plug and go back to the basics. I sincerely doubt this will happen.  Since we have a passion for Chiropractic everything will end up being related back to our wonderful profession in one way or another.

If you have an idea for a topic, website, or tool you’d like us to blog about leave us a comment below or contact us with more information.  If you’d like us to take a look at review your Chiropractic (or non-Chiropractic) product, service, or website on our blog simply contact us with details and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Stay tuned!

-Dr. James

Pause for a moment and imagine what BJ Palmer would have done with the power of the internet. Envision the Chiropractic marketing tactics he would have employed if he had access to the entire world via instant electronic communication. Can you even fathom what BJ would have done with YouTube and Facebook? Can you imagine the insane SEO domination campaigns Dr. Palmer would have waged!? What I wouldn’t give to read BJ Palmer’s Official Blog! Just imagine what he could have accomplished with access to millions of people with a few clicks of the mouse or some simple keystrokes.

My point here is the vast majority of the Chiropractic profession is missing the boat. I’m amazed how many practices still don’t have a website. I’m even more amazed how many practices are content with using the same website they had designed in the mid 1990s. I’m probably just as puzzled and perplexed by the large number of Chiropractors who simply dismiss web 2.0 and social media as a passing fad.

Many Chiropractors are happy to dismiss the internet and social media as unimportant, a waste of time, or a passing fad. If that was true would huge corporations and fortune 500 companies like Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, or Boeing even bother with a Twitter account or websites?

Wal-Mart, by the way, currently has no less than 15 official Twitter accounts and profiles in use to promote the U.S. side of their business alone! I haven’t even touched on how many major corporations and huge companies have blogs, or facebook accounts. That all seems like a lot of time, effort, and money to invest if social media and the internet aren’t beneficial forms of marketing!

Even those Chiropractic practices with a website and accounts on most of the main social media sites probably aren’t using these tools to their full potential. Chiropractic internet and social media marketing is a dynamic and immensely powerful tool if used correctly. However, a stale website or social media profile that sits without attention or updates for months are essentially as useless as no internet presence at all.

With the internet and social media, we have at our disposal the most powerful marketing and patient education venue we’ve seen in our lifetime. Ask yourself if you are using these opportunities to their full potential. What would BJ do? Would he sit on his hands and let these amazing opportunities pass him by? Would he half halfheartedly fumble together a website or blog, leaving it sit without attention, and call it good?

I’m confident BJ Palmer would tap into the immense reach and power of the internet and social media and take it to the next level. Not only would he fully utilize all of the Chiropractic internet marketing opportunities available, he would create revolutionary new opportunities for himself and our profession. BJ Palmer would have used the internet and social media to promote Chiropractic care across the globe and he would have done it in bold new ways amazing even by today’s standards.

Are you using the unique opportunities provided to you with the internet and modern technology? Are you seizing the moment and fully immersing your Chiropractic marketing plan in the internet and social media pool? If you aren’t, NOW is the time to start. If you ARE doing something, now is the time to step up and double your efforts! Yes, keeping up with the constantly changing demands of Chiropractic internet marketing is a challenge, but it’s a challenge worth meeting.

BJ was fond of the saying, “Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise”. Would his attitude be any different toward Chiropractic internet marketing? The opportunities are there, we all just need to spend more time seizing them and less time making excuses.

-”Nuff said”