Vanity Affair

Why is it that many people knowingly risk their own health and well-being and are reluctant to pay for a more healthful lifestyle? Yet they willingly fork over large amounts of money for maintenance or improvements on their physical appearance. Take, for example, an acquaintance of mine who had a pack-a-day smoking habit. The threat of lung cancer did not deter her, but wrinkles definitely did. After her dermatologist recommended that she stop smoking after one of her microdermabrasion sessions, she quit cold turkey. Apparently, appealing to her vanity did the trick.

The popularity and abundance of makeover reality television proves that the public is obsessed with physical appearances. TV-show participants are willing to go through several major surgical procedures to attain beauty. But how many are aware that these surgeries can be traumatic to the body? And that recovery just does not mean decrease of swelling and bruising since their muscles and tissues have memory?

According to the latest National Clearinghouse of Plastic Surgery Statistics 2003 report, the total number patients for the top 10 cosmetic procedures in 2002 was 6,589,886. These patients chose elective surgical and nonsurgical procedures to improve their physical appearance with liposuction and Botox injections rather than spending the time and effort to change their lifestyle with diet and exercise.

This is a good opportunity for you as a chiropractor to appeal to the vanity of your patients and potential patients. I do not mean you should jump on board the cosmetic procedure train. As I have mentioned before, you already have the best patient education program of any health care profession. All you have to do is share some of the physical improvements, such as clear and rejuvenated skin and improved posture as benefits of chiropractic care.

I sheepishly admit that I started drinking 12 glasses of water and two cups of green tea daily and stopped drinking coffee because this could help improve my skin and delay the dreaded wrinkles. Has this helped my overall health? Of course. My initial motivation was to try and slow the aging process. But now, I continue this regimen because I have seen and felt the improvement to my overall well-being.

Do the means justify the end? Appealing to the public obsession and affair with vanity can be an effective way to start your patients on the path to wellness and health. The end result will benefit us all.

Miwon Seo
mseo@medpubs.com