My Journey Towards Chiropractic Health What is Chiropractic? Chiropractic is a natural form of health care that uses spinal adjustments to correct these misalignments and restore proper function to the nervous system, helping your body to heal naturally. Chiropractic doesn't use drugs or surgery. Rather, a chiropractic spinal adjustment—the application of a precise force to a specific part of the spinal segment—corrects the misalignment, permitting normal nerve transmission and assisting your body to recuperate on its own. - Palmer College of Chiropractic [LINK: http://www.palmer.edu/WhatIsChiropractic/ ] Many people toss around the idea of visiting a chiropractor. They sit on the fence wondering whether or not chiropractic care would benefit them or do more harm than good. Many healthcare plans have grown to include some form of chiropractic coverage, however, for some, there’s also the lingering concern over the added expenses of regular chiropractic care. My journey began with chronic back pain. After an initial assessment by my chiropractor that included x-rays and a few simple manual manipulations, my areas of concern were identified and a treatment plan was put in place. I filled out all the necessary health information forms and began to look forward to taking the first steps to better comfort and better overall health. I learned a great deal about my overall wellbeing and health while my chiropractor discussed his personal philosophies and his vision. I found it interesting that he seemed to care about so much more than just my spinal health. We talked deeply about the human body, my specific issues and what he saw for my future with and without chiropractic care. He also wanted to hear about my vision – what brought me to chiropractic care and what I saw for myself with and without chiropractic care. As we laid out my chiropractic plan, one thing that surprised me was how frequent my visits would be, especially in the beginning. My chiropractor explained that my journey to better spinal health and overall wellbeing needed to begin with frequent visits, but that eventually my spine would learn how to hold its adjustments better and those visits would become less frequent until we were able to move into a maintenance phase. My chiropractor outlined the various chiropractic methods that he uses – he was particularly fond of the Gonstead method [LINK: http://gonstead.com/gonsteadsystem/the-gonstead-adjustment/ ], which focuses on specific and precise manipulations in order to address only the problem areas. Understanding the details of what actually happens in the “problem areas” was an integral part of my chiropractic journey. I learned that when a spine is misaligned, it results in
SUBLUXATIONS, which is when the nerves that run through the spine become pinched or compressed. The nerves are then unable to effectively transmit the electric impulses between the brain and the rest of the body. When these nerves are compressed, our health begins to suffer, perhaps discreetly in the beginning, but eventually a whole host of problems can occur when various organs aren’t able to operate at their peak efficiency due to the lack of proper communication from the brain. Optimal spine health is paramount to our overall health and wellbeing. I began to imagine what my health would be like had I been receiving chiropractic care throughout my entire life as opposed to just beginning once I was in constant pain. Imagine how a preemptive approach would have changed my journey. As I began to follow the plan we put in place, I also began to find relief from my symptoms. Over the days, weeks, and months I felt stronger and also felt less pain. Part of my care plan was to periodically re-assess my mobility and pain level and adjust my care plan accordingly. As I continued to visit my chiropractor, I learned that there was much more to the quality of my overall health and wellbeing than I ever knew before. My chiropractor began to discuss other areas of my health that I could spend time on in order to achieve even better results and low and behold I began to view my own health in a whole new way. My chiropractor’s office, like many, offered other services as well. There were also services by a massage therapist, nutritionist, personal trainer and naturopath offered in the same office. This sends a very clear message to the chiropractic clients: Chiropractic is just one step toward overall health and wellbeing. Speaking with my chiropractor, I learned that his vision for his clients included an overall approach where these other services may also be necessary to achieve optimal results. Consistent, regular visits to the various health professionals in his office could yield a stronger, more sustainable outcome for me. In spite of the fact that chiropractic care is just one piece to this puzzle, it’s really the foundation piece. If the spine is operating at its peak efficiency, the other areas like massage therapy, nutrition, exercise and general health can all begin to flourish. Taking care of the spine is the cornerstone to optimal lifelong health and wellbeing. Whether you’re feeling pretty good or experiencing chronic pain like I was, your spine deserves your attention.