Question:

As a chiropractic physician, I have this feeling that functional medicine is not very well accepted in our own profession. On the other hand, if an MD were talking to these people about functional medicine, I feel they would be better accepted. I am not sure how to market FM to my patients or to the public in general for that matter. I do not know how to package this for a presentation to the patient. Perhaps if I did, I would feel more confident.

Answer:

Doctor, this is very good question and one that I am confident I can help you with. First and foremost, the real issue simply comes down to an issue of "credibility" and "believability". Doctor you can have the most detailed brochures, videos and/CDs on the benefits of functional diagnostic medicine and unless you have gained the "trust" of your patients and/or the public, I agree it will be difficult to spread the good news about functional medicine without some degree of mental resistance. So the first thing on the agenda is "how do chiropractors and for that matter any of the healing arts other than MDs, change the paradigm of the average health consumer to accept the practice of FM from non-MDs? Doctor, the way it is done is one patient at a time and I have say something LOUD and CLEAR. Do NOT waste time on folks who are NOT moving in the direction of seeking alternative methods of healthcare. Look around and we see a growing interest in health and wellness via alternative methods. Stores like "Wholefoods" and other health food establishments are already paving the way for functional medicine. One of the ways that I am confident will "shake" the paradigm of "open-minded" medically oriented folks is via mini-seminars on top of the mind topics. In addition, writing articles and having them published in general circulation magazines is a sure fire way to escalate your perception in the eyes of your patients and the community. As I mentioned, you will do this one patient at a time. Dicken and I have given serious thought to this issue and we have a massive grassroots marketing plan that has tremendous potential of moving the non-MD to the forefront of healthcare consumer. Remember, for many years Coca Cola had been the leader in the soda industry. Along came 7-Up and they decided to create a "new" ladder and claimed the title: The UnCola. That is my passion and that is to OWN the paradigm of patient specific health care (Be the UnCola of healthcare) and let the allopathic physician claim disease specific health care. It is doable and who better to gain this position than chiropractic physicians, naturopathic physicians and other health care providers embracing the same paradigm.