Chiro-wife confessions: 5 Myths of the Chiropractic Lifestyle
It’s always a blast meeting and chatting with other Chiro-wives because a lot of us tend to have really similar experiences and it kinda feels like we are in a league of our own. I wonder sometimes if we could even have our own reality show….Ok, so we’re not as hot tempered as Basketball Wives, not as gangster as Mob Wives, not nearly as complicated as Sister Wives, and thank goodness, not as dramatic as the Real Housewives of {insert city here}…you get the point. Nonetheless, we do have our own sense of community and likeness, which I definitely do appreciate. So I said all of this to say that just about every time my husband and I are introduced to a new group of people and the topic of him being a Chiropractor comes up, it’s always the same experience. This past weekend was no different.The topic comes up and it’s like a room full of characters all of sudden – the supporter, the skeptic, the naysayer, the deal seeker (sometimes known as the guy that thinks my husband is going to drop his beer to give him an adjustment on the spot), and so on. I guess he gets pretty excited about the dialog, though, because he lives and breathes the topic of Chiropractic. I wouldn’t say it bothers me as much as just purely fascinates me the assumptions, questions, and myths people have about the Chiropractic profession and lifestyle. So, if you’re ever in the company of another Chiro-wife, here are some of the biggest myths I am going to dispel once and for all:
1. We are always up for a Chiropractic debate.
I mean, clearly, we support our husbands’ professions. That’s kind of a requirement. No, we don’t think that every Chiropractor is the best out there, but the last thing we want to have to defend is the “quack who had your back hurting for weeks.” I love a good debate just as much as the next girl, but it puts a damper on any festivity when we have to discuss your negative thoughts and opinions of the Chiropractic practice.
What I can say that we all encourage minimal use of drugs/medication and medical intervention wherever possible. I can honestly tell you that there have been many times I’ve wanted to just give my daughters meds when they’ve been sick, but my husband has refused it and I’ve {verrrry reluctantly} complied. He has been trained to heal even our children without medication, so we’ve rarely given them anything. True story, when our youngest had started day care, our kids had gotten the sickest they’d ever been. I went out and bought a bunch of over the counter stuff and my husband would not let me use them. I could’ve killed him! However, while it seemed to take a little longer for them to get better, they’ve rarely gotten sick at all since then. All of the stuff going around the daycare seemed to miss them somehow and I was happy! Plus, in the process of all of that, I’ve discovered some really good drug-free ways to fight a cold.
5. We would have it any other way. I’ve had lots of friends and family ask me if I wished my husband were a “real doctor.” Once I correct them to say, “medical doctor,” my answer is undoubtedly “NO.” Through his profession, I’ve seen that he is not only subscribed to a job or a career, he is subscribed to a faith, a belief, a philosophy, a lifestyle, and a Godly ordained science that actually heals people. He makes this clear as day throughout every debate or discussion he is a part of (even at Christmas parties) and I love it. So, despite all of the trials and tribulations that come with this or any other profession, I do believe that our lives are better for his and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
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I’m ALWAYS excited to meet another Chiro wife! If you are one, please leave a comment on this post and we can stay in touch!
I have and was a chiro for 15 years and I finally got the hell out. I worked for the fed gov and got my student loans paid off and got out finally. Me and my wife cannot be more happier. Chiroville is and will never be like the 80’s. All insurance paid so when only 10% of the public yes 10% you got paid. Now 20’years later with twice as many chiros out there and guess what 10% or less now see us quacks. This is a sinking ship unless your husband is willing to live breath eat the lie and then you might make a small living with no retirement. All his friends will feed him bullshit on how they love it and are doing great whatever. Good luck living the rest of your life in this biggest fraud called chiropractic. I did not get out because I was to far in default.
What type of chiropractor is your husband? Is he subluxation based? Does he focus on spinal curvature, or improving the function of the central nervous system? Is he interested in being able to prescribe prescriptions? I am asking all of this because there is a new group on facebook that is about subluxation based chiropractic. My DH has only been in practice for 2 years, but this group has really helped us get ourselves and what we are doing in our office and why figured out. I think one of the reasons most chiropractors fail is the lack of a common consensus on what chiropractors do. It sounds like your DH is pretty philosophically sound if he would like to be added to the group it’s called chiropractic sandbox, I think he can request to join or if you get me his facebook name and he is interested I can add him… If you want to know about my journey into chiropractic you can read about it here http://whychiropractic.blogspot.com/search/label/My%20Conversion%20to%20Chiropractic
The sandbox is a very interesting place… it has little to do with being philosophically sound, and is vile in it’s behavior and language at times, but is an interesting place for people to go to see what kind of people are attracted to certain styles of practice.
The page is very VERY hostile toward anyone who doesn’t agree with the guy who runs it.. who happens to be a practice management salesman and chiropractor. (Just don’t question him or have a differing opinion.)
This is great! As a fellow chiro wife I’ve found myself in all those situations 🙂 Thanks for your honesty and sharing!
Hi Katelyn! Always nice to meet a fellow chiro-wife!
Each and every one of these things rings true! It’s nice to know that there are others out there living the same cycle, and we are not alone in this race. My husband graduated from chiropractic school in 2005, and we are still trying to figure out how to make the ends meet. Rich? Ha! Not so much!
As a fellow chiro-wife I have to say number 2 is spot on! – and definitely an indication that the person hasn’t ever been to a chiropractor! massages – lol!
I get that ALL THE TIME! Lol
I am a chirowife! <3
Hi there Kiana! Nice to “meet” you!
Hello! My fiance and his twin brother are both chiropractors. We’re getting married in April and the boys are planning to open up shop in August. I’m not a chiro wife yet but very excited to become one 🙂
How awesome! Congratulations on the upcoming wedding!
I have been looking for a site like this since my husband graduated, which was about 40 days ago. I know it is a short time, but let me tell you, it feels like FOREVER. He has had to wait to get his license, wait to establish an LLC, wait to get into Medicaid and Medicare and I am still the only one with a “job”. I am scared. He is wonderful at what he does, he graduated at the top of his class, received honors and was magna cum laude!
I am scared because it’s not like one day, all the patients come flooding in. Or is it? I say “job” in quotes because he has a career, a passion with which he wants to heal people. I am the one pulling in the paycheck, albeit not much. How long does this evil, “getting-started, don’t have any patients, going insane and getting depressed” phase, last? I want so much for him to succeed. He has a real propensity for Chiropractic and truly wants to do something where he gives back, and helps. Any tips for getting through this phase? Please God let it be a phase…
-Phased&Confused
Dear Phased and Confused,
Thank you so much for your comment! If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I was reading one of my own journal entries from a few years ago. 🙂 Being a Chiro-wife is truly a unique experience and can be very difficult at times. Chiropractors are brilliant and passionate healers, but unfortunately, they don’t come out of school with much business experience and that tends to slow down their success. For a period of time, the most successful Chiropractor I knew was this guy selling these ridiculously expensive ebooks sharing “How he made a fortune through Chiropractic”…and to this day, I don’t even know if he actually practices.
Point is, I know exactly what you are going through. I was the breadwinner for the vast majority of our marriage (11 years married and he’s been out of school for 8). What makes it worse is that he bears the title “Doctor,” accompanied by student loans of a doctor, but nowhere near the salary. You find so many other Chiropractors give up on the profession and become more successful working in other careers, but knowing that it’s his passion makes that impossible to even suggest. So what do you do?
First of all, let me tell you it does get better. Thankfully, my husband has managed to build a fairly successful business in Chiropractic, but I’d be lying if I told you it didn’t take a long time for us. Once your husband gets set up with all of the insurance companies, he’ll start to get more referrals. Depending on his specialty, there are certain avenues through which he can market himself. For example, my husband focuses on sports injury and family Chiropractic, so while he doesn’t really take much advantage of accident cases, he also has the opportunity to reach local athletes and things like that. Also, does your hubby own his own practice? My husband works independently along with another established Chiropractor (actually the one he did his internship with in school), so that has helped him slightly, since he doesn’t have to do all of the marketing himself. If your hubby’s trying to go at it alone, I would suggest he consider getting a little more practice and establish a reputation and clientele for himself first.
Another tip I learned recently from another Chiropractor is that Chiropractic Management Groups can be quite helpful in getting in a more steady stream of patients. They are quite a substantial investment, but if you can afford it, I’m told they’re worth looking into.
Lastly, although my husband is not into social media AT ALL, he did let me set up his website and social media pages, which are also a good way to reach new patients.
Meanwhile, really all you can do is support him and remind him that you truly believe in him and all that he is trying to do. Help him believe, just as you sound like you do, that sometimes the most important thing is that you follow your heart. 🙂 Good luck to both of you and please keep me posted throughout your journey!
My chiropractor husband has used his position to solicit sex from patients. Transference is one of the biggest problems in Chiropractic if your husband doesn’t practice proper boundaries. We are now getting divorced because of this. He has had more access to women because he is looked at as a “Doctor” and can ask probing questions to find out who would be vulnerable to take advantage of. Plus, he makes women feel better and touches them all over. I’m disgusted by his behavior and recommend every Chiro wife get involved in her husband’s practice.
I am so sorry this happened to you! Thank you for sharing your story! I think his issues go far beyond his profession and it’s a shame that people like him abuse their power in such a way. Good for you for taking YOUR power back and moving on! 🙂
I appreciate this post and totally agree with everything you said. My husband and I started our own Chiro office together and I run the front office and billing, he does the rest. It has been a joy working together and watching him help countless people over the years. My only complaint is some of the female patients and the way they come in dressed so immodestly and their flirtatious behavior with my husband when I’m at the front desk!! It’s really starting to bother me as I start dreading the day before, certain women’s appointments. I don’t want to seem rude or jealous but it’s so inappropriate and I’ve talked to my husband and he “covers” some of them with a “Dr. Dons” t-shirt but it’s really taking a toll on me and I’m wondering if any of you have had this issue? I guess you can’t control someone else’s behavior but I don’t want my husband around these women. Thanks for your input. ?
Haha! YES! I’ve seen some of the inappropriate behavior also! I’d have to share with you offline! Email me at lovepeacemommy at gmail dot com. Thinking about starting a FB group just for venting Chiro-wives!
My husband has been applying to chiropractic schools and has been accepted to a few starting this fall – however, I’m very nervous about this career path and the amount of student loan debt we will be accruing. My husband and I both have experience in business which I believe will be useful, but I don’t want to be in debt forever and unable to ever pay it off. Advice??
I think if your husband has good business sense, he will be fine. That’s the one thing they don’t teach in Chiropractic School and hurts a lot of Chiropractors as they try to run their own practices.
I really enjoy coming here the staff is great and always friendly . It’s was about three years since I have been adjusted and I swear I had to adjust my rear view mirror after because I was so slumped over ! Now I come atleast once a week just to keep me standing tall
100% agree! I am a chiro soon-to-be wife and this is so true! Love when people say that Chiropractic care isn’t real, but when they finally try it… they think its the best thing ever!