Your Health Today: Get Your Crack On!
Did you know that chiropractic care is NOT primarily for people with back pain? When you picture a chiropractic office, you may imagine people bent over in 90-degree angles moaning in pain or rubbing aching necks. While many do enter our care due to pain, what keeps them here is their lack of pain and pursuit of improved overall health that results from consistent adjustments and our wellness lifestyle coaching.
Chiropractic is primarily a form of hygiene for the spine. It is the art of maintaining the healthy flow of communication between brain and body. When a vertebrae is out of place, it compresses nerves and alters the proper flow of messages to an area of the body. If you were to look at a diagram of the nervous system, you would see nerves fanning out from each opening between the vertebrae into individual organ systems. Quite often, patients come in with complaints of lower back pain, and in the process of relieving that pain, they also find relief from long term digestive disturbances. Fix the source of the issues and all symptoms start to disappear!
Chiropractic officially began in 1895 by DD Palmer with his extensive study of anatomy, physiology, and the technique of spinal “adjustments”. While spinal adjustment was not an unknown treatment prior to Palmer, he was the first to codify the philosophy, technique and science of chiropractic. Palmer gave chiropractic its name, deriving its meaning from the Greek cheir meaning “hand” and praktos meaning “done”. Chiropractic literally means “done by hand”, marking its non-invasive yet infinitely powerful affects.
Chiropractic care consists of three distinct phases of care, which we call “moving you to the green zone”. The first phase is Relief Care, which provides alleviation from immediate acute symptoms. Through adjustments and specific therapies, inflammation is calmed and function restored, however, the battle is far from over. The second phase is Corrective Care, which can often take longer than Relief Care because it is the intense process of correcting years of bad habits. Poor posture while standing, sitting, and sleeping along with poor diet and lifestyle choices can all cause and/or contribute to the poor health of our nervous system. A lack of exercise means there is not a sound muscular structure to support the spine. Additionally, a poor diet lacking in nutrients and water leaves the bones, ligaments and organs depleted and operating in survival mode. Corrective care often includes rehabilitative exercises and stretches that can be done at home to compliment the work done in the office by your chiropractor. The final phase is Maintenance/Wellness Care. Think of this phase like your dental cleanings or oil changes for your car. Both do not occur because of a dire need or upset, but you do them to assure the proper function of your teeth and car. Wellness is a continued monitoring of the health and condition of your spine and may increase in frequency with lifestyle changes such as extensive travel, a stressful season of life, heavy physical activity, etc.
Chiropractic care is for anyone at any age! We see so many success stories come through our doors on a daily basis. Just last week, we had a 35-year-old male patient experience sudden extreme pain in the middle of the night, resulting in an ambulance ride to the Emergency Room. He was told nothing could be done until the pain had persisted for four to six weeks. He was given muscle relaxers and sent home. Obviously in severe distress, he struggled into our office early the next morning. Through analysis, we discovered he had two rib heads slipped out due to straining from lifting his son. After his adjustment, his pain was greatly reduced and after one more return visit he was feeling almost completely back to normal. Chiropractic gets to the true ROOT of the issue. We do not turn to medications and spinal blocks as a first resort. As D.D. Palmer famously stated, “Have you more faith in a spoonful of medicine than in the power that animates the living world?”
A free consultation with Dr. Palmer could serve to reveal a lot of areas of your life that could be brought into balance through chiropractic care. We also have a free educational workshop on Monday September 14th at 6:15pm. Give us a call if you would like us to save you a seat! We look forward to helping you achieve true natural wellness. Get your crack on!