September 22, 2014
A Birthday Gift For Chiropractic
Dear Doctor:
January of 2015 will mark forty years since I first set foot on the campus of the Columbia Institute of Chiropractic, which morphed into my alma mater, the New York Chiropractic College. It seems like only yesterday that my face was flushed with positive expectancy, my heart was open, and my desire to serve and succeed was surpassed only by my curiosity about what I was getting myself into.
Now I see my son Daniel entering the clinic at Life West, not so much following in my footsteps as blazing his own trail, pointing consistently and passionately in the direction of his dreams. It’s inspiring to see the baton passed and the destiny of chiropractic unfolding – like Moses, I may not get to set foot in the promised land, though I can see it from here, but I am certain that this next generation will motivate the public to take the actions necessary to break through to higher health consciousness.
Between the talent of these young doctors and the burgeoning disdain that is ever-developing around the greed and malfeasance of organized health, there’s no question that a massive paradigm shift is coming, and nowhere is this better illustrated than under The DCTree.
What is The DCTree? It’s a group of committed young chiropractors and students who are dedicated to the interconnection and synergy of chiropractors and chiropractic students worldwide. The brainchild of Cory St. Denis, Lance Rynearson and Shaughnessy Reid from Logan College of Chiropractic, it aims to be a compendium of neurologically-based chiropractic thought, for chiropractic students to pool resources and learn from field practitioners and mentors and facilitate their integration into the reality of chiropractic practice.
I had the privilege of addressing this fledgling group this past weekend, and I was struck with the serious nature of their approach — with the guidance of dear friend and longtime Masters Circle member Patrick Keiran of Jay, Maine, they brought in top brain-based talent, like Richard Barwell, Tedd Koren, and Patrick Porter, and orchestrated a focused, meaningful seminar, which was extremely well-received by a roomful of engaged chiropractors.
But what set this event apart was the exuberance of the recent and soon-to-be graduates, wide-eyed with discovery and building upon their perceptions of things natural. I remember when the light first went on for me, realizing that health and wellness came from above down, inside out — for The DCTree, it’s more than lip service or dogma, it’s real, and it makes me more confident in our profession’s ultimate success. With health and wellness in the capable hands of such fine young leaders, our future is assured.
Please nurture and support this significant effort — we’re not that far away ourselves from those early feelings of wonder and awe at the magnitude of our potential contribution to society, and the intense compelling desire to do something that makes a difference. Go to TheDCTree.org and read their posts, add your two cents, and be a part of this blossoming movement. You have so much to share, and who knows, you could learn something, too.
Dennis Perman DC,
for The Masters Circle
