Brushing off your biochemistry knowledge from college courses won't be enough to adequately apply herbal medicine in practice. It's important to get to seminars to keep current, and to continually improve your knowledge of the mechanisms of natural healing. Without knowledge and the ability to teach, incredible doctors can appear ignorant and unfocused. It goes without saying that improved clinical outcomes will follow even one informative weekend seminar. A commitment to working with herbal medicines in your practice must come with a commitment to continue your education in this field.

Step Up Your Patient Education Efforts

It's my personal belief that although displays like posters and brochures can start a conversation, it's the responsibility of the doctor to convey the true value of nutritional support to the patient. Experienced clinicians know that compliance goes down and the potential benefits to the patient are lost if the purpose of a nutritional protocol can't be conveyed.

Good communication: "The herb Boswellia in this supplement works through the same chemical pathways as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, by inhibiting inflammatory chemicals in your body." True, and it may help you on a board question, but the patient may not resonate with this statement.

Better communication: "The herb Boswellia in this supplement works like Ibuprofen but without the side effects. And unlike medications, it's actually healing to the body as well as pain-relieving."

Office Organization

As with any other aspect of office management, organization with regard to your nutrition practice will maximize profit and minimize stress. The first area to consider is that an office is divided into a clinical area and an administrative area, each with its own function in day to day operations. The area where these two worlds collide should be at the front desk.

Our front desk and our office systems are designed to maximize the education and compliance of the patient so that he or she can achieve the best clinical results. We have a large flat screen television displaying workshops put on in the office as well as small advice column pieces that answer client questions from the doctors. These have proven a wonderful education tool and can be found at functionalhealthminute.com.

Our staff training always begins and focuses on communication and relationship strengthening. We are aware that in any fast moving office there can be stress in the procedures. Common topics of conversation are always converted into patient education handouts and made available by the staff. Often times we have programs that would be right for one patient but not as effective for the next. We listen to the patient, we understand the care profile, and we offer specific education for each specific patient.

Revenue

Profit, although never the prime driving component of a practice, is necessary for a successful practice. Incorporating herbs into the practice will allow you to generate significant income by adding a very powerful service component. They keys to maximizing this service would be to find a streamlined system to minimize the stress of integration.

A common fee structure for a clinical nutrition clinic may be:

• Clinical Exam: $135 (30 min).
• Follow up visits: $95-110 per 20 min.
• Supplement fees are based on a standard 100% mark up.

While the above model would be specific to a nutrition-based practice model, you can also use supplements to generate additional income streams within a chiropractic model. If you see an average of 100 different patients per month, each of which is given a basic program of a multi-vitamin, organic trace minerals, and a high quality fish oil, you would be able to increase your gross monthly profit by $6000 or $72,000 per year. And this basic program of quality supplements will accelerate results and increase patient excitement.

The biggest draw from incorporating herbs into the practice is the magnetic effect it has on stimulating referrals to the practice. Patients see that in your office you are using very powerful natural systems to help patients succeed and they talk to their friends about it. Using herbs also provides the data to pull together very interesting in-house education talks that are often well attended with interested new patients. Using proper marketing techniques we can fill up a room with twenty-five or thirty interested people in just days.

Nutrition, as a practice model or a secondary service inside a chiropractic office, can be a professional extension of natural healthcare and lucrative business model when properly applied. The keys to remember are first, the clinicians who are truly interested in the mechanics of how nutrition effects change have the edge; secondly, profit follows your ability to use nutrition successfully in patient programs; and finally, the key to marketing and practice growth is telling a story that someone else is interested in. Virtually all patients in your office are interested in better health, and how to gain it.

Dr. Jeannette Birnbach has been a leader on Nutritional Healing and Alternative Healthcare for over 8 years. Her knowledge of Natural Anti-Aging Solutions and expertise in Women's Health has brought her many opportunities to lecture and educate. She operates the Nutritional Healing Centers in Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Florida, where she has has helped hundreds of women regain their health without the use of pharmaceutical drugs or medication.