Now it is patient driven. The difference is merely in the amount of money shifted from doctor gifts to TV advertising. It is estimated that drug companies spend an estimated 800 million dollars annually advertising prescription drugs. As we reflect on the fact that there are approximately 8,000 deaths annually from accidental poisoning by drugs, improper utilization, and misprescribing by professionals, the total becomes significant, yet acceptable. Yet when the one in a million probability of a stroke occurring following a cervical adjustment is discussed, the numbers are unacceptable.
Double standards are at work in the media, the scientific community, and the public.
There is a simple lesson to be learned for chiropractic from the tobacco disfavor and drug advertising euphoria. The marketplace is changing, and the marketplace will create the demand or fuel the demise of any and every product or service. If chiropractic is to survive in the marketplace, it will have to create a positive image, a marketplace demand, and a service which is perceived by the public as valuable. Image is everything, and the collective image of chiropractic is developed from every facet of the profession. With each encounter, positively or negatively, the public image and perception is formed.