One-on-One With an Industry Expert

Philip H. Mattison, founder and president of Core Products International Inc, Osceola, Wis, talks to Chiropractic Products about the company and the products it offers.

What trends do you see in chiropractors’ use of therapeutic products?
It is no secret the insurance companies no longer pay as much as before for patient care. So the new trend we see is merchandising. Your patients need products in addition to hands-on adjusting to enjoy the best comfort they can in their lives. It’s our job to make sure they have the best-quality products to choose from. With properly designed merchandising displays, you can educate your patients and turn your waiting room into a profit center. Now you can offer better-quality, properly designed products that will truly provide the benefits your patients need and want. Core Products has developed several new point-of-purchase display programs that help your patient make proper product selections.

What makes the AquaCore™ pillow stand out compared to competitive products?
In development of the AquaCore pillow, we recognized that each patient must progress through three stages of care: accommodative, corrective, and maintenance. To start, the pillow had to offer gentle and comfortable, yet effective, support before you added the first drop of water. The first goal in treatment of any acute patient is to stabilize or accommodate the injury. If the support is too soft or too aggressive, then the doctor and the patient are fighting an uphill battle. After a short time, the patient will move into corrective care. With the AquaCore pillow, the level of support can be adjusted to meet the changing needs of the patient. The unique embossed center of the water bladder allows for more support to be added under and only under the neck. As the patient finally moves into maintenance care, a firm support may be needed. With the AquaCore pillow, even more water can be added and the back of the head will never float up. The neck-support area will simply continue to get firmer and firmer.

What other therapeutic products does Core Products offer to chiropractors?
We are also known for back supports, back cushions, extremity braces, and hot and cold packs, but we have some exciting new products. The Pressure Point Therapy Pack is a cold pack with two balls inside. You simply place it in the freezer, and you get the most effective combination of pressure and cold therapy that you have ever experienced. This pack will work wonders on headache patients or to break up knots in the lower or midback.

What is the history of Core Products?
I started Core Products in 1988. I was a patient of a local chiropractor and had found relief from lower-back pain and headaches through chiropractic care. When he suggested we get together to develop a pillow that he thought would be of exceptional quality and benefit to his patients, I thought, “Let’s do it.” Chiropractic had sure worked for me. Our focus right from the start was to provide the highest-quality products to health care professionals, so that they could deliver them to their patients with pride and confidence.