Chiropractic Has Always Been Organic

 
Chiropractic has always been organic. Earth Day, goaldriven

You can improve your marketing by aligning your services with positive causes in society.

A fitting example occurs this time of year.

Earth Day is on April 22 (Saturday). It promotes a healthy planet and stands for protecting the earth’s natural resources for future generations.

Earth Day had several early separate beginnings but was finally pushed home by a senator from the great state of Wisconsin, also its former governor, Gaylord Nelson. The first Earth Day was in 1970 and “brought 20 million Americans out into the spring sunshine for peaceful demonstrations in favor of environmental reform.”

But Senator Nelson was also a proponent of natural health and fought for chiropractic.

In a statement to Congress in 1963, Nelson said, “Chiropractic has become increasingly accepted as a safe and effective form of health care…I believe it is time that Medicare beneficiaries be given the opportunity to receive the benefits of this form of health care.” Nelson’s efforts helped pave the way for chiropractic care to be included in Medicare in 1972.

If you distill it all down, it is all about health: a healthy planet and a healthy body, naturally.

People want this – your patients and your community. They want a healthy planet and a healthy body.

This may not be apparent because of advertising and corporate news. There is a relentless pitch to your patients and community to eat cheap bad food, that a toxic environment is no big deal (“move along, nothing to see here”), and that drug stores are health stores.

But despite the billions spent on promotion and lobbying for bad food, bad medicine, and covering up the poisoning of our planet, the innate (and tribal) wisdom of us all prevails. The sales of organic foods and health supplements are booming. The natural healthcare industry, including chiropractors, acupuncturists, and integrative health providers, continues to grow. And there is increasing concern about how pollution causes deaths and illnesses, not to mention climate change.

I bring this up for two (2) reasons:

Reason #1: Marketing: Chiropractic and Earth Day

By aligning your office with Earth Day, eco-conscious consumers who value natural and sustainable products and services will see your services as a desirable alternative to medical practices. You are the obvious choice as health doctors.

Years ago, we put together some posters and pins related to Natural Health Week, coinciding with Whole Earth Week and Earth Day. Some offices still use versions of them! (Link below.) You can do something similar this Friday, next week, or all month. For example:

  • Hand out seeds to grow vegetables in the backyard. Include a coupon for a family member or friend.

  • Support a local health food coop and bring in healthy muffins for your patients.

  • Create a community clean-up drive.

  • Partner with environmental and health organizations. You can share events, newsletters, and create allied relationships.

But there is another reason I bring this up.

Reason #2: This reason is BIG. It will have to wait till tomorrow,
Wednesday, April 19.

But please stay tuned!

See you Wednesday!

Ed

Link to Posters and References at our blog.

 

GMOs… enough to scare any ghost or goblin away.

Having worked in chiropractic offices, Petty Michel & Associates, and being a chiropractic patient myself, I have become more health conscience over the past decade and becoming more aware of the health concerns sugars cause in children,  I began to look for a different approach to the traditional passing out of candy for this Halloween.  I stumbled upon an article put out by the Green Halloween Organization that put it into perspective and solidified my concern to make a difference in promoting a healthier life style for the little ghouls this year.

GMOs or genetically modified organisms are not something new, yet we often times fail to think about them and how they affect our health when it comes to a holiday such as Halloween and all the fun candies we traditionally pass out to all the costume wearing children that ring our door bells.

Many common GMOs are found in the favorite trick-or-treat candies on the market today.  Genetically modified organisms are plants or animals created through the gene splicing techniques of biotechnology (also called genetic engineering, or GE).  It is an experimental technology which merges DNA from different species, creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.

Picture The Mad Scientist in the lab mixing varies potions(GMOs) to create monsters(candy) and then feeding it to your children and/or grandchildren.

Listed below are 10 GMO ingredients found in Halloween Candy.

  1. Sugar (GMO sugar beets)
  2. High fructose corn syrup (GMO corn)
  3. Corn starch(GMO corn)
  4. Soy lecithin (GMO soy)
  5. Soybean oil (GMO soy)
  6. Modified food starch (GMO corn)
  7. Fructose, dextrose, glucose (GMO corn)
  8. Cottonseed oil (GMO cotton)
  9. Canola oil (GMO canola)
  10. “Other” ingredients: isolates, isoflavones, food starch, vegetable oil.

The number one reason to avoid GMOs as listed on the Institute for Responsible Technology is that they are just plain unhealthy.   The article states: The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) urges doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets for all patients. They cite animal studies showing organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility. Human studies show how genetically modified (GM) food can leave material behind inside us, possibly causing long-term problems.  To read the full article go here [Link]  Chiropractic has known this information for years and has always promoted an organic or unmodified diet for a healthier lifestyle in addition to getting adjusted regularly.

Studies show some of the most common illnesses linked to GMOs are. Is this what we want for our children or grand children?  I don’t think so.

  1. Rheumatoid arthritis
  2. Inflammatory bowel disease
  3. Osteoporosis
  4. Atherosclerosis
  5. Various types of cancer
  6. Allergies
  7. Lou Gehrig’s disease

With at least 10 GMOs found in Halloween Candy, you ask yourself what can I do to provide a healthier treat selection for the ghost and goblins at my door this year?  As a grandma wanting a better life style for my grandchildren I ask myself, what can I put in their trick or treat bag that will make me feel better about the choice I’ve made and still be as enjoyable to them.

Here are a few ideas I came up with for healthier treats:

  1. Halloween themed pencils
  2. Money
  3. Balloons
  4. Stickers
  5. Organic snacks

This Halloween treat your trickers with a healthy treat that will lessen the toxins they may currently be exposed to.

More information on GMOs and additional ideas for healthier treats and snacks can be found at:  http://www.greenhalloween.org/2011nongmoguide.pdf

This helpful guide is provided by the partnership of Green Halloween http://www.greenhalloween.org and Non-GMO Project http://www.NonGMOProject.com

Organic Health Week

Special Promotion:  Earth Day and Organic Health Care Week

Earth Day is celebrated this year on Tuesday, April 22.   As general awareness increases about the harmful affects of toxins on our body, as well as on our planet, chiropractic continues to rise as the shining star in the world of true health care solutions.

Earth Day is a great opportunity for you to promote the benefits of your chiropractic services.

You can set aside one week as a “Buddy Week” and encourage your patients to bring in family and friends for a discounted check-up and introductory service.  The discounted fee that they pay you for the introductory services can be used as a donation to a local park fund, or earth related charity.

You can place posters in your office and at key locations around  town, such as coffee shops, hair salons, etc.  A simple press release or notice can also be placed on your web site, newsletter, patient statements, newspaper and community calendar.

You can also order some buttons for you staff to wear. 300 of them cost about $120 and you can use them next year as well.  For a sample button provider, go here (www.affordablebuttons.com)

Here are some sample buttons:

This is an excellent time to take pride in your profession.  Chiropractic:  always organic, healthy, and ahead of its time.

Sample Posters