You're Living in the Information Age!

There are a few things you have to remember when you're building your website, and one of them is that this isn't the 1940s. You're living in the information age. Your patients have no shortage of places to go to find valuable medical information; the problem is, just because they found it on the web doesn't necessarily mean that it's fact. You should already know that!

Since you want to make sure your patients are well informed and armed with real facts rather than junk they picked up off the Internet you're going to have to make it your business to deal in information. That usually comes in the form of writing what are known as SEO Articles for your website-informational articles that help plug the gap in their education and present them with simple, clear facts about their disease, their available treatments and their options beyond traditional medicine.

Not only will adding these articles to your site guarantee that your patients are going to be able to find the information they need, it's also going to improve your standing with the search engines (hence the SEO in SEO Articles). Any way you want to look at it, dealing in information is going to be what sends your site to the head of the class.

Choosing Your Keywords

I could sit here all day and lecture you on the importance of choosing the proper keywords, but there are plenty of sites out on the web that are going to do that for me-and chances are you've already read enough of them! Because of that, I'm going to keep this blog post short and sweet and leave you with a few simple thoughts before you move on to the next stage in your Internet marketing campaign:

1) Keywords are going to be the words that your patients type into the search query box. Because of that, you have to think like a patient rather than a doctor or a chiropractor. Small words, simple concepts. Your patients aren't stupid, but they usually like it when you talk to them as patients rather than colleagues. Remember, it does you no good to optimize to the Nth power if no one's looking for the terms you're optimizing.
2) Keep it relevant, and don't spend too much time reading through the list of most popular keywords that day. Those words change just about every day, so the keyword phrase that has you at the top of the list today could dump at the bottom in less than 24 hours when Google changes its algorithms or people just stop looking. Stay true to your products, your brands and your services and it'll all be just fine.

Turn Your Website Into a WalMart of Information

I've heard it said that the best way to maximize the exposure your website gets is to turn it into the WalMart of information for your patients. The idea being that without breaking their wallets on hundreds of expensive books they can come to your website and get all of the information they need. By finding current, factual and easy to understand information on all of the topics surrounding their conditions and treatments they'll not only be able to walk away as happy, educated consumers, they'll also come back to you time and time again for answers to their questions.

The Importance of SEO to Medical Websites

It seems like you can't turn around these days without hearing someone raving about SEO, how important it is and how your website and/or online business are going to tank without it. As much as I hate to credit doomsayers with getting anything right, in this they're spot on. SEO is one of the most important elements of any successful Internet marketing campaign, and it's important for you to be familiar with it before you begin building your website.

If you're unfamiliar with the concept, SEO means search engine optimization. It's basically the process of setting up your website so that it waves a big, red flag in front of the search engine's eyes and says, "Hey! I'm here! Don't forget to list me at the top of your index, because I've got what web browsers really want!"

When you're dealing with SEO it all comes down to two things:
1) Keywords
2) Relevance

If you're working with the wrong keywords the search engine isn't going to know to send people to your site when they type in their search query. If your site isn't relevant to your keywords you're not going to have a very high search engine ranking, and you could actually find yourself Google slapped and taken out of their index for violating ethical marketing codes.

Since 99% of web browsers use a search engine of some kind every time they go on the web, this isn't traffic you want to lose just because your site wasn't properly optimized. Your patients are going to type in their questions, and if you don't have the right info the search engine isn't going to send them to you to answer! Take the time to do your homework and learn about SEO before going out on the web. Your patient list and profit margins will thank you.

Cardio Training? Do I Have To?

Last week I started talking about the merits of exercise. That's something I want to pick back up on this week. Why? Because not only is regular exercise great for helping to keep your body in shape and operating at peak efficiency, it also goes a long way toward relieving burnout and depression and giving you the energy you need to get through your day.

In other words, exercise is the original holistic cure-all!

When you start exercising there are two types of exercise you want to focus on: Cardiovascular training and strength training. Today I'd like to talk about cardio training, and why it's something you need to do on a regular basis. Cardiovascular refers to the heart and the systems that carry blood from the heart through the rest of your body. Cardio training forces the heart to work a little harder, and like all your muscles your heart is going to work better if you force it to get some exercise every once in a while.

Most experts recommend that every once in a while be at least thirty minutes, five days a week.

The good news is, anything that gets your heart pumping a little faster is great cardio exercise. Jogging is a great cardio exercise. If you're looking for something a little more low key, walking and swimming are great not only for your cardio strength but also to keep you moving, since you don't tire out as easily.

Have you done your cardio today?

It's Playtime!

If you'll remember, last Friday I told you that Friday's blogs were going to be dedicated to working on ways to minimize your burnout and learn how to relax and have a good time! Well, I said it, I meant it, so here we go!

Before we can start working on decreasing your burnout (although the exercising we've been talking about doing for most of the week will do wonders for that) we need to talk about what burnout is. The society we live in practically begs us to stay busy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Time spent sitting around watching television is wasted time we could be using to clean our house. Time spent sitting on the back porch is time we could be spending learning another language, working our way through the classics on audiobook or helping rebuild houses in other countries.

And that's not to mention the 50 hours a week the average American puts in at the office. It's no wonder burnout is so common!

Burnout is what happens when you need a vacation so badly your mind starts to glaze over. You lose your edge. You don't enjoy your job, you begin to snap at the people around you, and you're so exhausted you can't even work up the energy to care about any of it. It's time to step back and take a break, which is exactly why Saturdays and Sundays were invented!

For more information on burnout visit http://helpguide.org/mental/burnout_signs_symptoms.htm.

Exercise is Still Fun!

Exercise is one of my favorite topics when I talk to my patients. Why? Because it's fun! Do you remember when you were a kid and the greatest thing in the world was running around playing hide and seek on the playground or hitting the ball at the park softball field? Somewhere along the way exercise becomes a chore rather than something to enjoy, something you have to do if you want to stay in shape instead of something you can enjoy doing on a summer evening.

Needless to say, most of us get pretty lazy about exercising. Who can blame us? It's boring to spend the day at the gym working out on the machines by ourselves, or jogging by ourselves, or sitting at home working out to endless workout videos. Do you want to know what the key difference between the exercising we did as kids and the exercising we do as adults is?

When we were kids we did it with friends.

Think about it. When we were kids we used to spend hours at the playground with our friends. When it was just us we could usually be found camped in front of the video games or in our rooms playing with our action figures. It's just more fun to be wild and crazy with friends!

When you start planning out your exercise routine, look for ways to do it with other people. Convince a friend to come running with you, and join an exercise class rather than hitting the gym alone. Join an adult basketball league! With someone to laugh and talk with the will fly right by, and you'll find yourself healthy, in shape and having a great time working out before you know it.

Working Out at the YMCA

When i was a kid the YMCA was everywhere-literally. I didn't know anyone who wasn't involved in something at the YMCA. As I got older and high priced gyms and programs like Curves became more popular, the YMCA kind of dropped off the radar.

There are only two reasons that people don't work out. They either don't have time or they can't afford the membership fees at those high priced gyms I was talking about earlier. The YMCA takes care of both of those problems. How? First, let's talk membership. Membership fees at the Y are only a fraction of what it would cost you to join a gym with more equipment than people on it, and that includes regular classes and programs.

Personally, I recommend their Zumba classes. I haven't tried them myself, but I hear good things.

The other nice thing is that joining an exercise program at the Y doesn't leave you with a lot of wiggle room to decide you don't want to work out after all. You've made the commitment, and when you're there you don't have telephones or laptops or televisions sitting in front of you begging you to find other ways to spend your time. It makes the time for you, forcing you to step out of your busy schedule and keep your commitments.

Really, what more could you ask for? And since there's a YMCA in almost every county in the United States there should be one just a stone's throw away from wherever you happen to be.

You Are What You Eat...

Over the years I've become something of an expert on the topic of holistic healing, and if there's one thing I've learned it's that total wellness doesn't start with the pills at the doctor's office. It starts with what you eat. Complete wellness has to be achieved from the inside out, which means you need to take a good look at what you're eating and how it's affecting your body.

I could sit here all day and talk about the benefits of good nutrition, but since neither one of us has time to do that I'm going to send you along to some of my favorite sites for information. Remember, it might take an extra ten or fifteen minutes to make a healthy meal at the end of the day...but isn't that ten or fifteen minutes worth it if it means you get to enjoy ten or fifteen more years when it's all said and done?

Nutrition Websites:

1. http://www.nutrition.gov/
2. http://www.nutritiondata.com/ (I love this sight-it addresses the issues of actually knowing what you're eating!)
3. http://www.nutrition.about.com/ (This is a huge database of articles that will help you take the first steps on the way to healthy eating.)
4. http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/index.aspx (You'll find the Weight Watchers collection of recipes here. This is a great site to refer to when you're making dinner!)
5. http://www.nutri-facts.com/

Everyone Wants to Lose 10 Pounds...

In watching today's media I've noticed a few things. First and foremost, everyone is very focused on losing weight. Everyone wants to lose 10 pounds! More to the point, everyone wants to be model thin. Everywhere I turn I see ads for diet products, diet pills and diet treatments, along with special diet products.



I also notice that despite this emphasis on weight loss obesity, especially among children, is a bigger problem than it's ever been.



I want to address that on a couple of levels this week, but we're going to start with one of the hottest new discoveries in the weight loss industry-the use of HCG to induce weight loss. Ladies, you're going to remember HCG testing from your pregnancy tests. Hormone therapy has had a tremendous influence on the weight loss industry. If you're just trying to lose 10 pounds you can probably do that with diet and exercise, but if you're trying to lose 30 to 40 pounds or more HCG might be able to help.



Check out the info on HCG homone therapy at http://www.drgeorgedc.com/.

TGIF!

TGIF ladies and gentlemen! Yes, I know this blog just got off the ground, and this is probably the part where I should wow you with some deep, intense insider knowledge of the chiropractic community, but my policies on weekends are firm. You've got to take some time off to have some fun!

As a chiropractic professional I feel like I spend my days running from one appointment to another. I care for patients, advise other professionals like myself and study and gather material for my public speaking engagements. If I did this 24/7 I'd be burnt out before the end of the first month! Since I've been doing this for years now I can safely say that I've managed to achieve some balance in my life-and that balance feels good.

In honor of that balance Fridays here at Ask Dr. George! are going to be dedicated to discussing burn out, how to avoid it and what you can do to get your mind out of the office and back into the game where it belongs.

Who Are You Talking To?

I'm sorry, I've been rude. Yes, by now you've probably already read my profile to make sure I'm not just another quack with a blog looking to hit it rich out on the Internet, but how much can you really learn about someone from a few brief sentences? I dislike these little mini-profiles intensely, because they never really give you a feel for who you're talking to or why they're qualified to have any idea what they're talking about.

My name is Dr. Chandler George, and for the past 10 years I've been a chiropractic professional in the Dallas area. I've spent the past 16 years of my life studying holistic treatments and complete wellness techniques so I can provide my patients with the latest new treatments and combine all the knowledge available to offer them the highest possible standard of care. You can learn more about my practice at http://www.drgeorgedc.com/.

Over the years I've spent a tremendous amount of time studying not only how to treat my patients but also how to take the steps that are going to help my pratice grow in leaps and bounds. You can learn more about my coaching seminars and the information I'm offering for medical professionals such as yourself at http://www.catchfirecoaching.com/. Coincidentally, this is also the birthplace of the original "Ask Dr. George". Feel free to take advantage of it!

I look forward to having the opportunity to speak with you every week and to provide you with the information you need to make your practice an unqualified success.

Welcome!

Hi, and welcome to Ask Dr George! No, this isn't going to be a terminal Q&A session, although if you'd care to attach your comments and questions to any of my blogs I'd be happy to go back through and answer them. As a trained speaker, marketing guru and chiropractic and anti-aging professional I work with hundreds of people a week, and every one of them needs the same thing-an all in one source for great information mixed together with just enough fun to keep it interesting!

As medical professionals, my colleagues and I spend hours a week reading articles in journals and new publications that, while extremely useful, don't offer an all in one source of information on a variety of topics and can leave your head nodding by the third explanation of their processes and materials. (You laugh, but you have no idea how many of these long winded articles I've waded my way through in search of key information that could help my patients. Ladies and gentlemen, you know what I'm talking about!)

Welcome to Ask Dr. George. This is where we're going to talk about the hottest advances in the chiropractic field and new marketing opportunities for your business. We're also going to discuss continuing education, training for doctors and nurse practitioners, today's current events and, of course, the best iPod advances and downloads on the web!

So sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.