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Money is not a four-letter word
By Dr. Paul Varnas | August 13, 2008
Money, to many natural health practitioners, is a four-letter word. This is not because they are learning disabled or that they cannot spell, but because they feel that it cheapens a noble calling. It is an unfortunate attitude and one that is not only harmful to the practitioner, but to the public in general.
If you cannot make a good living, how will your message get to the people who need it most? The Bible says that the worker is worthy of his hire. It is important that people who practice natural health have practices that thrive. The more of us that are out there educating and healing people, the better it will be for the public.
Health care costs in the United States now exceed $2 trillion annually—a figure that represents 15% of the American GDP. If it were its own economy, it would be the fourth largest in the world. In other words, Americans spend more on health care than the entire economies of all but three of the nations in the world. And, as you well know, with all of this expenditure, Americans are not particularly healthy.
We go to seminars that focus on how to fix problem cases. Many of us are excited by finding the esoteric treatment that helps the problem case. There is satisfaction in that, but sometimes it doesn’t pay as well as it should.
The smart practitioner knows that most of the problems suffered by most patients are very easy to fix. Chemical exposure and poor lifestyle choices are the cause of most of the health problems that walk through your door. You can easily make a very good living with a system that addresses these very common health problems. A good system will save you time in the office, so you can focus on those interesting, difficult cases.
Many chiropractors (and other health practitioners) want to see more patients in order to grow their practices and make a good living. There is an inherent flaw with this idea—there is a ceiling on how much you can earn. Running from room to room, and working very hard, will not create financial rewards that match the amount of effort and stress involved. Many find themselves at the mercy of insurance companies—dealing with shrinking coverage and shrinking incomes.
Some practitioners don’t utilize nutrition in their offices because it is not covered by insurance. This is exactly the wrong idea. More than 40% of Americans already take supplements—and they pay cash for them. They are taking them without guidance, and in many instances are taking inferior products. You can help these people—and increase your income more than you can imagine. You may not suddenly be able to have an all-cash, all-referral practice, but nutrition will help you to develop cash patients who refer. It is almost like having a business within a business. You can actually go to www.thebetterhealthnews.com and get free MP3 files that will help you to develop a nutritional practice. You can also get a free marketing e-book. While you are at it, go to www.practiceseminars.com to learn how to completely transform your practice into a profitable, stress-free entity that is fun to work in.
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