By Robert Braile, D.C.

For years I have been a collector of rare and exotic turtles and tortoises. Several of these include species that are rarely even seen in zoos. On many an occasion when I would have guests to my house I would proudly display my collection either in their outdoor pen or in my climate-controlled room in my basement. Most people look at these animals with amazement, not only because of the animal itself but because someone like me actually went through so much trouble to collect them.

Most people see no fascination with these reptiles. They are certainly not cuddly or friendly, you wouldn’t sit one on your lap and pet it, and they seemingly have no personality according to the casual observer. But for me most of these conclusions are untrue. I do see personalities in these animals. I can tell when one of them is not feeling well. I can also see a measure of intelligence that sometimes escapes us. Turtles and tortoises are persistent creatures. For as slow as they move they can get almost anywhere given enough time. They can figure out how to overcome barriers while puzzling me in their attempt. But they also learn from their failures and adapt to new situations.

At one point I was feeding my collection at a certain time and place every day. Each morning I would place a bowl of fruits and vegetables in the same place in their pen. Within moments the pride of my collection, Gilligan, a four-year-old Galapagos Island tortoise, would crawl over and start to eat. Within a few days of this routine, Gilligan was anxiously sitting right where I would place the food for his feeding. In fact I would have to move him most mornings to get him out of the way of where I wanted to place the platter.

One day I changed the routine and placed the food dish somewhere else. Gilligan was sitting in the old spot where I had previously placed the dish waiting for me to put the food there. He looked around, almost puzzled or disgusted and remained seated in the same spot. It took a few minutes before he decided to walk over to where the food now was and start eating. I repeated this pattern for the next several mornings placing the food in the new position. Gilligan was always waiting in the old spot for the food to be placed by him.

One morning as I entered with the food I found Gilligan sitting right in the middle of the new place I had been placing the food. From that point on he would be sitting in the new place where I was now putting the platter of fruits and veggies. Gilligan had learned to adapt to where the food was, and to stop searching in the old place.

The difference between Gilligan the tortoise and many chiropractors is that many chiropractors will continue to sit on the old spot the rest of their lives. We chiropractors could learn a valuable lesson from Gilligan. For the longest time we got our "practice food" from the same place. That being a backache musculoskelital pain model reimbursed by insurance and other third party payers. But for many the food seems to have disappeared from this spot. Managed care has drastically reduced payments and visits. Lists were developed to try to force people to head in a certain direction. More regulation and paperwork have engulfed our professionals in their offices to where many believe it is not worth it anymore. They are right its not, the food has been moved.

The tragedy is that many of our practitioners and leaders, even after seeing these changes, continue returning to the same place to wait for the food to be brought to them. Many in chiropractic have decided that the way to beat this managed care situation is to get better at it. The way to be accepted in healthcare is to comply with current allopathic thinking and approaches. Many have decided that if we look even harder in the same place we can find more food where less is being placed.

Gilligan figured out that in order to be fed he had to go to where the food is. In chiropractic we need to realize that to be "fed" we need to move to here the people are. So the question that remains is, where are the people? One quick objective look would answer that question. People are moving toward wellness and self-responsibility.

Unlike the Gilligan scenario, the food hasn’t disappeared completely from one area and moved to another. Rather, we have seen a gradual shift in the payment sources from third parties to individuals. And while insurance is not gone, there is much more food in an approach that markets wellness to the masses.

The ICA recognizes these trends. It is not our job to tell practitioners how to practice. It is not our job to only support those who practice one payment mode over another. But is our job to inform the profession of the market changes and prepare the best transition possible for the future. This being said ICA continues to work on all avenues of equality in healthcare reimbursement. The ICA continues to work to eliminate discrimination against our patients in various plans both private and governmental. But ICA also continues to focus and work toward education of the masses about the true benefits of a chiropractic lifestyle.

For over 72 years ICA has promoted the message of the chiropractic principles even when not popular, or when drastically ahead of its time. But, today the time has come. The message of subluxation correction for a healthier life is now in vogue. The message of a healthier lifestyle free from pollutants or interference is not only popular but also sells very well. The message of the time tested chiropractic principles is now finally the message that the public is seeking in ever increasing numbers.

As the ICA membership continues to grow, we continue to expand our sphere of influence in all aspects of chiropractic practice. We do so without the thought of legislating how a chiropractor "should" practice, but rather by teaching how a chiropractor "could" practice. As the truth of chiropractic is brought to light more of the consuming public will step up and ask for our services. As chiropractors all we have to do is remember the simple lesson of Gilligan the tortoise. His basic principle remained the same, yet he learned to move to where the food is. Without having to change or alter chiropractic’s basic principles, all we need to do is move to where the people are, where

Proud to be, Chiropractic!