CHIROPRACTIC EXCELLENCE

I’ve organised a lot of seminars over quite a few years now (my first was in 1996) and as a result I have had the privilege of meeting every “type” of Chiropractor – and I have found that there is one constant trait that exists across all philosophies, techniques, practice management styles and scopes of practice – and that is a strong desire to provide the best possible therapeutic benefit from each and every “treatment”. Ignoring the very small segment of the profession that is more interested in the bottom line, than the spinal column – I know that each one of us hopes for and even expects that when we adjust someone, something good is going to happen for that person.

And that encounter can look quite different between practitioners. For example, it’s Monday morning and the first patient for the day is waiting, eagerly anticipating that they will be feeling “better” after their adjustment: Here are some possible generic scenarios:

1) The Chiropractor goes through their standard procedure of adjusting both sides of the neck, thrusts on a few thoracics, then rolls the patient onto both sides to loosen up the low Back.

2) The Chiropractor checks their notes from the last progress exam to see which segments had been determined to be needing adjustment for the next course of corrections, and then follows that recipe.

3) The Chiropractor palpates down the spine to find tight and tender points then proceeds to manipulate those symptomatic areas to improve the mechanical function of the spinal joints.

4) The Chiropractor uses some form of orthopaedic or neurological examination which can lead them to adjust anywhere between 6 and 12 subluxations on any given visit.

But there are some inherent weaknesses in the above approaches which must be reconciled if our goal is truly to deliver adjustments with that something extra:

1) If we don’t have a method to prioritise where someone really needs to be adjusted then should we call ourselves practitioners or technicians? One root of burnout is boredom: When every spine starts to look the same and when we start to diminish the value of each adjustment, then our sense of importance and passion also diminishes.

2) If we believe that adjustments initiate change, then shouldn’t the adjustments need to change through time? If a person’s spine and nervous system is healing, adapting and even evolving under our care, then why would today’s adjustment be the same as last month’s adjustment? And if someone’s life circumstances have altered since they started care, wouldn’t the pattern of Subluxation change to reflect this, and last week’s adjustment would now be inappropriate?

3) Chiropractors have long made the claim to be treating the cause. But if we treat based on symptoms, whether pain or tenderness, then don’t we make a mockery of this claim? If we claim to be removing interference from the nervous system, then shouldn’t we have some means of determining where that interference is, and how best to reduce that interference?

4) Most chiropractic techniques have talked about concepts such as primary and secondary subluxations, compensations, referral, distant effects from local interference, reflex projection. In other words not all Subluxations are created equal, and not all Subluxations need to be adjusted on every visit, because adjusting the “primary” subluxation will influence and reduce the connected secondary and compensatory malfunction. If we don’t have a method to differentiate between these types of Subluxations then won’t we be wasting some of our precious time?

Now consider a fifth option: On any given day, at the very moment that you are examining a spine, depending on the most recent physical, chemical and emotional stresses to your practice member’s nervous system, and superimposed over the long term accumulation of tension in their spinal system – there is one predominating subluxation, which if adjusted will produce bigger neurological changes than adjusting any other segment in the spine at that time. You would want to know how to differentially diagnose that segment wouldn’t you?

Watch Short Video Explaining The Concept of Primary Subluxations…

(If you can’t view this video try this link: http://www.screencast.com/t/YjliZjgwN )

This model has been developed during the research method design for a ground breaking, randomised, placebo controlled, prospective scientific project run in conjunction between Holder Research Institute, Turning Point Addiction Recovery facility, and the University of Miami School of Medicine’s famous Biostatistician Bob Duncan. This technique is today called Torque Release Technique and has been published in major journals such as Molecular Psychiatry, the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, and Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, as well as being featured on the Discovery Health Channel.

Thankfully modern chiropractic can stand on the shoulders of its technique pioneering giants: Palmer, Thompson, DeJarnette, Van Rumpt, Logan, Toftness and more contemporary ground breakers like Epstein; and the development of TRT saw the best of the best being integrated to produce an amazingly streamlined and efficient means of determining which segment of the spine needs to be adjusted, with precise correctional vectors, and to confirm the success of a single adjustment or plot the objective improvement in indicators of subluxation through time.

Another gift from the research project was the Integrator – the first chiropractic instrument to be specifically designed and patented for the correction of Subluxations. What makes the Integrator stand alone is its ability to deliver a three-dimensional correction which includes all of the defining features of a Toggle Recoil adjustment – high speed, recoil, and torque. Plus it offers a feature that takes reproducibility and reliability to new levels – a preloading trigger that means that every adjustment delivers just the right amount of force and frequency.

Because of these breakthroughs TRT developed the reputation for being the twenty first century technique for Chiropractors to shift their practice model away from a mechanical and orthopaedic paradigm, towards a neurological and tonal application of our wonderful vitalistic philosophy.

And the consistent feedback from the hundreds of Chiropractors who have now completed TRT training is that it provides that missing piece in the technique puzzle – how to provide an adjustment which responds to the current physiological needs of the practice members’ nervous system, and how to generate big changes in state of wellbeing on each and every adjustment – physical, chemical and emotional.

2010 sees TRT in its 8th year of training Australian Chiropractors with Dr Nick Hodgson offering training programs in varied locations each year. Nick has organised numerous TRT training programs, has been personally mentored by the developer of TRT, Dr Jay Holder, and is one of Australia’s most experienced practitioners.

Click Here To See Upcoming Dates and Locations…

Do you need more new patients to feed the growth of your practice? Are you tired of those training programs that claim to provide the missing piece in improving your effectiveness; only to find that it is yet another technique that is only applicable to a small segment of your patient base? Have you been grappling with how to increase your cash flow and profits in spite of rapidly rising overheads? Are you investing too much of your time and energy in your practice, and not enough time living the lifestyle that you spend all day telling everyone else to live? Are you sick and tired of the public perception or misconception of what you do? “Oh you’re a chiropractor? I’ll come and see you one day if my sore back doesn’t get better by itself!” Have you ever struggled with your confidence and certainty in practice?

My name’s Nick Hodgson and I face all the same struggles that you do in private practice. I’ve started two practices from scratch, bought and managed a successful practice for eighteen years, employed and mentored associates. And at the same time I have organised countless training programs featuring some of the world’s top chiropractic presenters, culminating in my being awarded the Victorian Chiropractor of the Year in 2005, for contributions to the profession. More recently I have been honoured to be the Australasian Training Provider for Torque Release Technique and would like to invite you to join me at one of our programs this year.

TRT is the first chiropractic technique developed through a scientific research project, published in major medical journals, and then featured on the Discovery Health Channel. But the real benefit occurred when TRT escaped the peer reviewed journals and entered the average chiropractic practice. The overwhelming conclusion has been that TRT is the 21^st century upgrade that improves a chiropractor’s life without compromising clinical results or ethics.

You see it has answered the two biggest chiropractic questions: “How do you offer your patients the best possible improvements in their health and quality of life, AND AT THE SAME TIME minimise the amount of work that you have to do to achieve these great results?”

Solving these two dilemmas resolves all stressors in the life of a Chiropractor: If your patients get great results, they get excited and they refer and spread the word, and they comply with your recommendations, because they are impressed. And if you get great results with the minimum of effort then you can either make more money by seeing more people, and/or you can spend less time in your rooms and more time on your lifestyle.

But don’t just listen to me: Here’s a sample of some Chiropractors’ personal experiences…

“I have been amazed at the results I’ve been getting out of this process. I would never have believed this to be possible with such a simple technique.” AC, South Africa

“Certainly this technique changed my life… has really helped me finally understand what Chiropractic is and man was I wrong.” CS, USA

“With your help I am able to make a very smooth transition from a pain practice to a wellness practice. ” TG, USA

“It was the best conference and technique seminar I have ever been to. It provided me with some very timely answers to a lot of questions that had been coming up for me, especially about knowing that Chiropractic and being a Chiropractor is truly what I am here for, but being endlessly frustrated by it (me) just not working the best I knew it (I) could. That was until I learnt about primary subluxations and non-linear adjusting.” JR, Australia

“I have found TRT to be the first technique to be superior to what I have done in the last twenty seven years… I have seen intriguing and wonderful results with TRT.” PR, Australia.

It’s so rewarding to get lots of this feedback after every training program…

And the huge advantage of TRT training is that what you learn can be implemented in any style of chiropractic practice:

You love to manually adjust? TRT will show you how to get bigger changes by adjusting less segments – the ones that really need it: You’ll become more specific, more precise and more confident with your adjustments.

Looking for a low-force alternative? We’ll introduce you to the Integrator, the adjusting instrument which was purpose designed, built and patented to correct subluxations. Not like those instruments which are adapted medical instruments. The Integrator offers pre-loading trigger, incredibly high speed, recoil and torque to produce a three dimensional adjustment which has been measured to produce big shifts in state of wellbeing.

See yourself as more of a craftsman than a technician? You will love the fourteen diagnostic indicators of subluxation, and the precise differential diagnosis system to identify the Primary Subluxation at any moment in time, with built in safe guards and review methods to track the response to each and all of your adjustments.

Prefer High Volume? With the assessment and adjusting system you take back to your office, you will be stunned with how quickly you can deliver a magical adjustment. No matter how many patients you currently see – you will be able to see more in less time.

Believe that Chiropractic is more about the nervous system than the musculoskeletal system? Then you need an assessment and adjusting system that breaks out of the mechanistic orthopaedic mould.

You have a Wellness focus? Then you’ll need an approach which breaks out of the mechanistic back pain model and into a neurological state of wellbeing model – TRT offers a unique selling proposition which has the ability to improve quality of life.

You like to be on the cutting edge? TRT has a pedigree of research and development and the next few years promise some revolutionary upgrades to what is already one of the most exciting breakthroughs in chiropractic’s history.

You’re committed to excellence? You see profits and patient numbers as secondary to the quality of the service that you provide, and you are more interested in the product than the profit: TRT is definitely for you as there are no hard sales techniques attached – it’s less about convincing patients that they have to see you forever; and more about providing such great results that they tell you they’ll be seeing you forever.

What’s involved with TRT Training?

ü  A two-day intensive highly interactive training program

ü  Plenty of hands on demonstration and workshop so that you are ready to use what you have learnt

ü  Training manual included with your registration

ü  Tea breaks and lunches catered for inclusive

ü  Free email support following the program to answer any questions

ü  Regular email newsletters and practice tips

ü  Follow-up advanced hands on training opportunities to further your technical mastery

ü  Access to online and phone referrals from the numerous enquiries we get for TRT practitioners

How can you register?

1.      Use our online registration gateway which connects into the international safe and secure PayPal shopping cart. You can pay with your PayPal funds or use your credit card in the safest possible payment gateway

Click Here To Register Online…

2.      Download a registration form and pay us by cheque or electronic transfer

Click Here To Download A Registration Form…

3.      Call us and register over the phone

Call 0419 104 076 (ISD 61 419 104 076)

What happens after you register?

1.      Upon completion of your registration we will mail your invoice with some free preliminary resources

2.      Your training manual will be given to you at the training program

3.      Equipment and resources will be available for purchase at discounted rates at the program

4.      Notify us of any special dietary needs at least one week prior to the event so we can cater

5.   If you are unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances make sure you give us at least 72 hours notice prior to commencement of program

The brain is sexy! Let me put this another way – Talk about the brain and how to make it work better, and people sit up and listen.

Let me illustrate this with three examples: I contribute health related articles to a number of online magazines and forums, and I have to tell you that it is hard work finding topics and content that pulls readers. You probably already know this as a Chiropractor – especially if you have run regular “spinal health” workshops, covered your coffee table in health brochures (which gather dust), or grappled with how to get people to line up at your booth at a health expo or shopping centre? On one site that I contribute to my articles usually get just over 100 hits with about ten comments. This disappoints me as I believe the message I share is applicable to everyone searching the net – and when you can log onto YouTube and see some chick in knickers getting millions of hits. But to put this in context, most of the other contributors receive 60-80 hits to their offerings. Recently however I ran a piece on “how do you keep your brain healthy?” I posted this a few weeks ago now and it is still running with over 1,000 hits and 50 comments.

I regularly send in article submissions and short health tips to the local media, with the all too common cold shoulder response – “we had too many other news pieces to run this week”, “we didn’t think this would appeal to our readership”, “if you’d like to run a half page ad I’m sure we could get that article included”. Recently I promoted a “healthy brain workshop”, and received a number of “bites” and coverage from the local media with much larger than normal attendances to my workshops.

In May I was privileged to be invited to train a group of Chiropractors in Johannesburg in Torque Release Technique. The organiser had struck up a conversation with a PhD Psychologist who specialises in Brain EEG mapping, and when he had suggested to her that he believed that a chiropractic adjustment changed brain function, she had politely snubbed him based on her scientific experience. When he asked me what to do I suggested that he invite her to our program and ask if she would be wiling to do pre and post exams on the Chiropractors that were adjusted at the end of a long day of training. She happily accepted the challenge. We only had time to do a limited (“statistically insignificant”) number of trials, and afterward when we asked her what she had observed she commented that each participant had experienced a “shift” in their brain function. Most of us being EEG novices we pressed her further to explain this – apparently it usually takes approximately 6 months of neurobiofeedback to achieve this phenomenon – not bad response to the carefully selected delivery of 1-3 primary subluxation adjustments? Her response was to demand that I adjust her before she left – I think her scientific opinion had been shifted.

Some research supports this observation that chiropractic adjustments change brain function (1-3): Hang on a minute – don’t skim over that statement – CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENTS CHANGE BRAIN FUNCTION. Do you own that statement yourself? Do you comprehend the implications to the community IF that statement is correct and consistent?

Let me propose two shifts that may need to occur in our profession for this secret to get out to where it needs to be heard:

1) Our comprehension of the spine as being ligaments, muscle, discs, joints and biomechanics; needs to mature to neurones, neuropeptides, tensegrity, brain holography and quantum physics.

2) Our model of analysis, adjustment and communication needs to shift from a bone/back focus to a nerve/brain focus.

Are you ready to make this shift yourself? Torque Release Technique training provides you with comprehensive training in the Art, Science and Philosophy of adjusting from a more neurological, quantum physics and vitalistic model.

Check out the next training program at http://www.torquerelease.com.au/TRT-Seminar.htm

1) New Technique Introduced - EEG Confirms Results: (Jay Holder. ICAC Journal, May 1996.) http://www.torquerelease.com.au/ICAC-EEG-Confirms-Results.pdf

2) The effect of the Chiropractic adjustment on the brain wave pattern as measured by QEEG. A Four Case Study. Summarizing an additional 100 (approximately) cases over a three year period. (Richard Barwell, D.C.; Annette Long, Ph.D; Alvah Byers, Ph.D; and Craig Schisler, B.A., M.A., D.C.) http://www.worldchiropracticalliance.org/tcj/2008/jun/n.htm

3) New Science Behind Chiropractic Care http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0711/S00116.htm(Altered sensorimotor integration with cervical spine manipulation. Haavik Taylor H and Murphy B. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. Feb 2008. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=18328937)

Beating addiction may take an extra nudge from the chiropractor.

When Jose Mehlman enrolled in the Exodus addiction treatment center as a study participant, he had hit bottom. Years before, he tried treatments that fell into his lap—anything that might help him. But they were “nowhere near effective.” Today, Mehlman is living a viable, drug-free life. Why was his Exodus experience so successful? “I think that chiropractic care was an integral part of my recovery,” he says.

But what does the spine have to do with addiction? The connection may be explained by the presence, or absence, of brain chemicals that make us feel good. When the spinal chord and its nerves are in proper order, chemicals known as neurotransmitters are released in a specific sequence, like falling dominoes. The result: A state of well-being. However, subluxations or misalignments of the spine can cause pressure and tension on surrounding tissue, interrupting this feel-good sequence.

Jay Holder, a chiropractor and physician with the Exodus Treatment Center in Miami Beach, wondered how patients would fare on a traditional rehab treatment program supplemented with chiropractic care. Some 98 subjects, including Mehlman, participated in the study, which was published in Molecular Psychiatry. Holder’s research found that when an addiction treatment program was supplemented with frequent chiropractic adjustments over a 30-day period, the patients displayed an unprecedented 100 percent program completion rate. In addition, initially rampant depression and anxiety dropped significantly.

In comparison, the study’s two other groups—one, a passive group who underwent only standard rehabilitation, and another, a placebo group who received sham chiropractic care—displayed significantly lower retention rates, and were about as likely to finish the program as the average recovering addict in the U.S. (a probability of about 55 percent).

Holder’s study used a specific chiropractic technique called the Torque Release Technique, which focuses less on the alignment of the bones and more on what he calls the “neurophysiology of the spine.” Certain types of subluxations can interfere with the tissue that extends from the brain stem through the spine and into the coccyx, hampering systems like the limbic system (known as the “seat of emotions”) and throwing off neurotransmitters that keep us feeling our best. Holder’s research suggests that drug treatment programs prove to be more successful with this type of chiropractic care…

Click Here To Read The Full Article At Psychology Today…

Click Here To Find Out More About Chiropractic And Addictions Recovery…

Improvement in a 3½-year-old Autistic Child Following Chiropractic Intervention to Reduce Vertebral Subluxation.

This case study describes, discusses and tracks the subjective and objective changes of a 3½ year old autistic girl following chiropractic adjustments over a 10 week period.

The female child with reduced social interaction and language skills and learning difficulties had been diagnosed with autism 1 year earlier.

The child received full spine adjustments where indicated to reduce vertebral subluxation, using the Torque Release Technique protocol and Integrator instrument. Strong verbal and physical apprehension to initial care was observed, however no signs of this were present after 5 visits, along with further improvements in social interactions, language skills and increased symmetry in surface EMG and thermal scanning over the 10 weeks of care.

The subjective and objective improvements observed by both practitioner and parents following chiropractic care indicate a link between subluxation and autistic behavioral patterns…

Click Here To Read The Research Abstract At The Journal Of Vertebral Subluxation Research…

Click Here To See More TRT Research Papers…