Tuesday 6 April 2010

snake oil and other miracles

My experience of chiropractic treatment started before I can remember. Apparently I was a cranky and difficult child (obviously this story has to be mythical) Friends of my parents recommended I be taken to a chiropractor so I was duly taken and transformed into the wonderful person I am today or at least I became a bit more manageable. I saw chiropractors on and off throughout my childhood but it wasn't a regular thing.
At 23 I was bothered by an annoying odd feeling between my shoulder blades and I returned to what I now regard as my therapeutic home, if I can describe it as such.
In those early years I didn't view chiropractic adjustment as necessary for my children because they were new little people, relatively untouched by the dangers and pollutants of life but by the time the oldest was about four and wetting his bed 4 nights out of 5 I had three other little ones and more than enough to do, my frustration was not good for me, or dare I say it, for him and I asked my chiro to take a look. Liam wet his bed that night and then had 8 dry ones! Over the course of the next few months, as he developed strength he might have an accident if he was very tired or unwell or shortly before his next adjustment put him on course but he was effectively cured from that first day. What a relief that was to all of us.
Before that moment I had known that an adjustment made me feel clearer but suddenly I had tangible proof of chiropractic treatment changing things for the very much better.
Since that time chiropractic treatment has made a difference to myself or my family over and over again.
There are the times I walk in to the clinic feeling tired and walk out feeling brighter, the times a cough or cold is much shorter in duration than I would expect. I have seen chiropractic treatment improve a baby's ability to breastfeed, it straightened my niece's slightly crooked eye.
Then there was the time that I was suffering from menstrual problems that were enough to cause some distress, the doctor referred me for an internal ultrasound and I thought that before submitting to such a test I would have a word with my friendly chiro. The problem just disappeared and I never needed any further treatment.
Just tonight I walked in to see my chiro, M with a very sore ankle. A sore ankle is no big deal but with my recent history of infection and so on I was concerned that it could be a precursor to more problems but after adjustment the pain has dwindled and gone, not only leaving me more comfortable but reassured as well.

I know that chiropractic treatment is hard to explain in the terms we usually use for medical treatments, I know it seems unsubstantiated, I know it is viewed as a treatment for back pain and I know that there are times when it is just not the appropriate treatment but I also know it works.
When you have vague symptoms that don't relate to a specific illness or that seem to just have nuisance value, when the doctors tell you your problem is stress or some other non-specific thing, when you have an illness that medicine can only treat symptomatically or not at all, even when medicine seems to have the answers chiro is worth a try. It's safe and non-invasive.
Anyone and everyone: well, sick, young, & old can benefit.

8 comments:

  1. Thank you for this post. Seeing a Chiropractor has never occurred to me as a way of dealing with the health issues I have been dealing with.

    It may be something that can help, and I will see one and talk about it with them. Can't hurt to explore something, and it may help.

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  2. andrew,
    thanks for visiting and thanks for such a positive response.
    chiros say they dont cure anything but they help the natural healing process along in other words they cant offer guarantees)
    but i dont think you could regret it.
    you might need to be patient.
    i'd love to hear how you get along

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  3. That's fascinating. I had no idea chiropractic could cure all sorts of physical aiments besides back problems. I wonder, is that because they are in reality treating the whole body, or is it because those other ailments are in some way linked to the back?

    I shall certainly think of chiropractic as a possibility if I get some chronic problem that won't go away.

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  4. I Totally endorse the content of this post. There are 17 people in our extended family and all are regulars to M's chiro rooms. There are a lot of proof stories within our family to convince the skeptical.
    The nervous system is the path for our "control signals". If these nerves are interfered with by say our bones being out of alignment then that when all sorts of niggles and nasties occur.
    Recently I was experiencing light headedness. Our chiro fixed it in 5 minutes. Even certain bowel problems are cured.
    For the interested read Chicken Soup for Chiropractic. Probably not the exact title. Loads of cure stories in it ... remarkable

    I hope Andrew finds chiro an avenue for his health issues.

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  5. Interesting post. I will file the knowledge away just in case I ever need it. Who knows.

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  6. The name of the book mentioned in my comment is:-

    Chicken Soup for the Chiropractic Soul.

    An Advisory.
    Chiropractic does not always work in the here and now or overnight.
    Some maladies take a number of treatments and sometimes weeks for the results to are manifest. In some cases you don't realise you are without migraines say, because the dreadful headaches subside so gradually.

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  7. alan,
    thanks for dropping by. i suspect i drive everyone nuts with my endorsement of chiropractic but what can i say?
    i want folks to know

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  8. Kylie, I spent 12 years working with Chiropractors, DOs. OTs, PTs and NMTs...It was a blessing to be part of a team that's only focus was to help... we ended up with the "last chance" patients who couldn't find help elsewhere. Our goal was to assist the patient to heal themselves... God created a wonderful machine and when all is well it can handle most anything. We all had tons of training and yes we did "treat" our patients, but we also knew that the ultimate physician is God. We knew what to treat and how, we believed that it is all connected and that each form of "medicine" has it's place. We did trigger point injections along side of Chiropractic, Accupuncture, PT and traditional medicine. We found that when a well educated, open minded group of caring professionals come together miracles happen... I have had a cervical curve corrected, my wife received treatment even through pregnancy and my son received Chiropractic care to solve the need for tubes for drainage and to releive growing pains. I miss those days, God has other plans, but when I look back on that time of my life I smile... My experience... it works... you need to find a DC that works with you... there are many schools of thought and I have found what works for one doesn't work for another... I worked with 2 DCs with 2 different ways to treat... both having great results!
    Thanks for stirring thought and discussion!

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