The best patient is a compliant patient. And guess who’s your most compliant patient?
Ever had your spouse or best friend tell you that you should do something for your health and you kinda ignored it? But then your doctor tells you the same thing and you’re like, “Shit, I’d better get on that. Stat.”
Or, maybe you’re the practitioner in this example and your patient admits that everyone told them to give up dairy but it wasn’t until their trusted acupuncturist told them to do it that they actually did it.
How many times does a given person hear that acupuncture works for back pain in Oprah magazine from Dr. Oz or from their wacky co-worker or their wife and they’re just like, “Yea, I should try that sometime.” Or, perhaps, they’re more like, “Um, yea. No.”
Take that same person and put them in an exam room with their white-coated MD who tells them, “I want you to go see Dr. Elie Cole over at The Nourishing Medicine Clinic to get acupuncture for your back pain. I’m writing that in your chart. Now, let me know how it goes next time I see you.”
Well, guess what? They’re gonna make that appointment. And you know what else they’re gonna do? They’re gonna do everything that Dr. Elie Cole tells them to do because it’s a prescription from their medical doctor to be there. My favorite patients are the ones who are referred by their MDs because they are the most compliant.
