Chiropractors face a daunting task in marketing their services: Divergent philosophies among chiropractors have created a lack of understanding among consumers about what chiropractic can do for them.
Chiropractic has two extremes: One defines the profession as a quick fix for back pain, while the other promotes chiropractic as a magic cure for all ailments.
The quick-fix school of thought limits chiropractic service to a one-time engagement, while the other extreme sets up patients for disappointment by over-promising.
NEEDED: A MIDDLE GROUND Add to this, the negative press coverage that chiropractic has received over the years, and the profession faces a steep uphill public relations and marketing climb ahead.
To meet this challenge, a "third way" that appropriately positions the profession as the middle ground between these two extremes is needed.
Chiropractic would not be the first industry to benefit from a "third way.
" For example: The organic food industry was once perceived as a radical fringe movement that used product disparagement and "food fear" marketing, but it has since gained widespread acceptance.
Once the organic food industry demonstrated rational health benefits of eating organically and moved away from its polarizing extremes, it shifted consumer food shopping habits.
Today health-food stores such as Whole Foods are capturing market share, and to compete, conventional grocery stores are broadening their choices of natural foods.
In 2003, the USDA Economic Research Service found that organic products could be found in nearly 20,000 natural food stores and 73 percent of conventional grocery stores.
This followed the USDA implementation of national organic standards in 2002, and according to Organic Monitor, the organic food market saw a 10.
1 percent global market increase that same year, bolstered by rapidly increasing demand in North America.
CHIROPRACTIC'S 'THIRD WAY' Similarly, a "third way" will work for chiropractic - and progress is already being made.
In 2005, the World Federation of Chiropractic's (WFC) Biennial Congress announced an international agreement on the proper public identity for chiropractic in healthcare.
According to the WFC, chiropractors are "the spinal healthcare experts in the healthcare system.
" This and other like-minded statements set the basis for adopting a "third way.
" As experts in spinal healthcare, chiropractors are uniquely positioned to facilitate an intelligent and fact-based discourse with patients about the connections between the spine, the central nervous system, and all of the body's systems.
Whether a patient suffers from back pain, seeks greater flexibility, has a goal of improved athletic performance, or simply seeks to optimize the body's ability to self-regulate and heal, chiropractic as the purveyor of spinal health can make a difference in a long-term relationship with patients.
There are several ways the chiropractic community can achieve the balance of this "third way," starting at the professional network and association level.
If chiropractic networks and professional associations collaborate to define and support a set of cohesive values and message points, the unified message at this level will serve as a cornerstone for all other communication opportunities.
Chiropractic is not about muscles and bones, and it is not only about nerves.
The two perspectives are not mutually exclusive.
If your focus is on structure, improved neural function is a beneficial side effect.
If your primary focus is on improved neural function, structural improvement is a beneficial side effect.
Collaboration on a clearly defined goal will redirect the energy spent debating why chiropractic benefits patients toward making healthcare consumers aware of the importance of spinal health.
Then, as consumers turn increasingly toward wellness alternatives such as organic foods and other lucrative, related markets, chiropractic will have a unique opportunity to cross-market itself in this arena.
Framing spinal fitness through chiropractic care as an important component of a wellness-focused lifestyle will allow our profession to reach many of these consumers who actively seek natural methods to improve their overall health.
Benefits of chiropractic, such as better sleep patterns, increased energy, and treatment alternatives to drugs or invasive procedures, would be particularly compelling for those interested in overall wellness.
Of course, to educate people you need to reach them when they are most receptive to your messages.
The consumer's hunt for health information has become increasingly Web-based.
According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, the Internet drives consumer health decision-making and education, with 79 percent of Internet users having searched online for at least one major health topic.
Presenting this "third way" and clearly conveying the importance of spinal health and chiropractic on association Web sites and other health-related Web sites will maximize the exposure of the message.
News - on the Internet, on television, or in print  - also affects consumers' perceptions.
Rather than draw attention to negative messages found in chiropractic press coverage by fruitlessly combating those messages head-on, we should utilize current headline news as a platform for discussing the benefits of chiropractic.
For example: Googling the term "osteoporosis" brings up more than 2,000 news hits in the last month alone.
Leveraging the media attention surrounding current health issues such as osteoporosis to reinforce the message about spinal fitness and overall health, chiropractic and its benefits have the opportunity to take on a mainstream position in health discussions.
The vehicles to relay our message are available, and there is a clear, growing market that is interested in alternative approaches to wellness.
Our goal of well-informed patients, long-term patient relationships, and an increased focus on patient care is attainable.
Yet, all of this is only possible if we can free ourselves from the pendulum of chiropractic extremes through a third way, speaking in one language about our profession and how it can improve patient health.