There is phenomenon that occurs in practices across the nation. It’s called the “why don’t patients get ‘it’ after one or two visits” phenomenon.

When patients don’t understand chiropractic after a thorough exam and report of findings, it can be frustrating to even the most veteran chiropractors. Fortunately, science can provide the solution to this phenomenon.

The brain can learn anything

The brain is programmed to learn and discover, just like your lungs know how to breathe.

The outer layer of your brain has about 100 billion cells called neurons. As you learn something new, threadlike branches — called dendrites — grow out of each neuron. When the dendrite from one neuron grows close enough to the dendrite from another neuron, a connection is made.

So, learning equals the growth and connection of dendrites. Educating your patients is only the first step. More importantly, patients need to remember what you’ve taught them.

After all, chiropractic is much more than an adjustment and education is the key to understanding health. The most successful practices build lifelong relationships through consistent patient education.

Repetition encourages memory

When patients have only heard a new concept once or twice, the dendrite connections associated with it are very weak. If they don’t continue to hear the concept repeatedly, the dendrites will wither and die back.

In other words, the patient will completely forget what you’ve reviewed with him or her, what your recommendations were, what chiropractic is, and why it’s important to come back.

When patients hear a lesson constantly, however, the dendrites become stronger, thicker, and smoother, which allows the signals to move faster and with less interference. As a result, memories of the lesson can occur more often and more easily.

Full story