Chirocast

A repost of the popular podcast from a few months ago! Happy Holidays!

There are so many things to consider when starting a pediatric practice. Dr Rubin answers many of the common questions that you might be thinking about creating that practice of your dreams from locations and contracts to financing and getting new patients in the door!

A recent article in The Atlantic magazine mentioned that researchers think by 2025 we will see a lot more pediatric obesity & asthma. My prediction is that we will also see more learning disorders, Autism & ADHD. Why? Due in part because of the isolation of the 'Covid-babies' born late 2019-2021, and the massive increase in 'world-stress' since the start of the pandemic. See article here: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/12/pandemic-hygiene-kids-microbiome/672362/

Walking through a forest, you see the entire circle of life all around you. If a tree has an obstacle in it's growth, it just grows around it. Trees use patience and discipline for their success...something we can learn from!

The Polyvagal Theory has revolutionized the way I think and practice regarding pediatrics. Safety first has become our motto...not just in having all the outlets covered but in making sure that our neurodivergent kids feel safe as our top priority, since that is the key component of their potentially malfunctioning ventral vagus nerve. Want to learn more? Dr Rubin did a seminar with Dr Stephen Porges and it is available here: https://bit.ly/34X5MOk

An adult had leg pain and was given a CT scan of their brain. It turns out that this person was missing large portions of their brain due to hydrocephalus that they had as a child, that worsened after they had a shunt removed during their teenage years! Yet through the power of neuroplasticity, they were able to use the brains that they did have to lead an otherwise healthy life. What does that mean? That anything is possible with the right neuroplastic combination! Article here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(07)61127-1/fulltext

In the 1960's, those born as females were hitting normally reaching puberty at around age 11. By 1997 that had shifted to 10 years old, and now puberty is defined as normal if it occurs between ages 8 & 13. Early onset puberty is potentially being driven by stress, increase in endocrine disrupting chemicals, body-mass index(BMI). According to recent research, poor sleeping habits also contribute to this due to less melatonin which comes from a massive increase in screen time! Article here: https://www.newyorker.com/science/annals-of-medicine/why-more-and-more-girls-are-hitting-puberty-early

I see everything through a chiropractic lens. While reading a book, "Slouching Towards Utopia" by economist by J Bradford Delong, I was struck by the chiropractic parallels, even though chiropractic is not mentioned at all. Apparently there is a long twentieth century in economic-speak (1870-2010) in which world economic growth was unprecedented. My thought: How about the "long chiropractic century", 1985-2020? Listen on for more details...

Why isn't chiropractic the obvious first choice in health care? A momma who just had a successful VBAC after having chiropractic care most of her pregnancy said, "I don't know why every pregnant momma isn't getting adjusted!" A new momma recently brought her baby in because she said "I heard that chiropractic care is good for alignment and proper functioning." Wow!

Awaken to the reason you wanted to become a chiropractor in the first place. Seek the best information you can find on what you want to focus on. Find that source and learn everything you can from it. Control that new information by taking massive action. That is how your life can have 'that extra something.' Title quote from "The Bigness of the Fellow Within" by BJ Palmer, 1949, the Story of That Something.

Keeping it simple doesn't seem oversimplifying. Rather we see that practice members like detailed understanding of what's going on with them or their children. The concept of simple doesn't mean easy either. Simple means clear, focused, concise, transparent, telling it like it is. People appreciate that in today's overly stressed-out society.

Chiropractors are brain and nerve system specialists. No matter how we practice, whether we are pediatric or geriatric DC's, focus on kids or PI or seniors or athletes, chiropractic changes the brain first! The spine might be the conduit, the way we enter the nerve system, but it's not the last step. It's just our way in!

Functional neurology is the basis of a solid pediatric chiropractic exam. We are not only looking at spine, posture, shoulder & hip height or anterior head carry. We are looking at the child's brain through simple neuro exams that tell us how well that child is connected or disconnected.

Questions haven't really changed over the years. "What are the most important points in a contract?" "How do you find a place to settle?" "How do you know if an office is right for you?" The salient point that runs through all this can be answered with a Zen-like statement: "When it seems right and it goes smooth, you'll know."

Patagonia, valued at $1 Billion, just sold the company, but instead of selling to a person or a group, they sold Patagonia to a 'trust', whose intent is to help save the planet! WOW! Instead of selling for a profit, they sold for a purpose. Now that's commitment!

When someone's been getting adjusted their whole life, they naturally think that everyone gets adjusted. It's so embedded in their lifestyle that it's what they do! It's part of their health habits like exercising and eating right. Do you have kids like this in your practice, who are being raised as chiro-kids?

BJ Palmer asked years ago, "which side of the yellow line are you on?", referring to the double yellow line on a highway. The term diagnosis means "between 2 possibilities." What are you thinking when you examine a child or pregnant momma for the first time? Which side of the line are you on?

A patient said to me a few days ago, "you have the dream job, having all these kids around you all day long." They were right...there is nothing that brings me more joy than looking in an infant, toddler, child on the spectrum, or a pregnant momma's eyes, and seeing the gratitude. How thankful I am that chiropractic found me and that Dr Larry Webster turned me in the right direction!

There is a sense of urgency that exists when you feel that if you fulfill your mission, no-one else will. That was the message delivered to a packed house at the 2022 ICPA Gathering, where pediatric chiropractors from around North America came together with one common purpose...taking care of the kids and pregnant mommas that we have been chosen to serve.

There are actual brain changes in kids with ADHD, according to recent research. This has also been seen in kids with Autism. Why is this so important? Because if there are brain changes, through the power of neuroplasticity, brain-based chiropractic can help rewire their nerve system! Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01706-4