Necessity is the mother of invention, as the saying goes, and in this case, a dying tree has become a striking symbol of chiropractic. David T. Ryan, BS, DC, CSAC, a 1988 graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic who practices in Columbus, Ohio, was notified by several of his tree-savvy patients that the large silver maple in front of his office was doomed.
Always wanting a spine figure of some sort in his front clinic area, this provided Dr. Ryan with the perfect opportunity to take a doomed tree and turn it into a powerful statement about chiropractic. According to Dr. Ryan, it was only a few hundred dollars more for the chainsaw artist, Jack Cantley (from Centerburg, Ohio), to carve the bone replica out of the dying tree.
"The best part of the whole thing is we are our own landmark," said Dr. Ryan." It is lit up at night with bright white lights shining on it and a pulsing red light in the area of a bad disc. I am dedicating it to all the chiropractic physicians and their patients. Yes, it is here at 6040 Cleveland Ave., Columbus, Ohio, but it is for the enjoyment of everyone who has been touched by chiropractic. I invite any doctor to have their picture taken with the spine in the background. It makes a great picture for the media."
While the national and state organizations are hard at work campaigning for chiropractic, it's important to appreciate the role individual doctors can play in informing the public about chiropractic care and sharing the positive message of all you do to promote health and healing. So, what have you done in your office or surrounding area to promote chiropractic? If your office features a unique representation of the spine or similar pro-chiropractic element, send a high-resolution photo and a short (300 words or less) background story to
. We'll publish a few of the most creative ideas with accompanying photos in a future issue of DC.
Dynamic Chiropractic editorial staff members research, investigate and write articles for the publication on an ongoing basis. To contact the Editorial Department or submit an article of your own for consideration, email
.