The procedure is simple. First, determine which foreign cultures are represented in your practice. Because the practice of chiropractic involves the laying on of hands in a very special and personal way, patient trust is an absolute must. Just telling a patient to relax is not enough. The doctor must make every effort to flesh out cultural similarities, not differences, between himself and his patient.
Similarities instill trust, differences invite mistrust.
As I have indicated in previous columns, words mean different things to different people. This distinction is particularly evident when one crosses cultural lines. To assemble a list of verbs, she had to act them out for the informant. You rarely receive a no from a Japanese, even when he means no, he would use yes in the verbal form. The doctor who is aware of such a linguistic distinction would find himself in a better position to interpret what Japanese patients might really mean when they say yes or no.