Loving It: Chiropractors

A man walks into the doctor's office and says, "It hurts when I touch my elbow." The doctor examines him thoroughly, then gives his advice: "Stop touching your elbow." And folks, it really is that simple.

I was picking up my contacts last week, and the receptionist at the store was complaining of neck pain resulting from her minor vehicle accident the day before. Of course, I recommended my favorite chiropractor, and she resisted the insinuation that the chiropractor could help ease her pain. I didn't argue, I didn't press, and I didn't call her a fool. Instead, I smiled, and thought about her touching her elbow repeatedly, experiencing pain over and over again.

Why do so many resist the appeal of natural healing? There are things we can do without pharmaceutical intervention to aid us in becoming healthier. These options are just as affective, if not more so, than traditional Western medicine. In fact, pain management and pain relief can actually help a natural healer to solve the problem that creates the pain in the first place. Prescription and over-the-counter drugs will only mask the symptoms of the underlying cause.

Of course, I know the underlying cause of the pain that led me to the chiropractor today. It's the five pound ball of flesh that is growing and pulsing rampantly between my hip bones, throwing them out of joint and putting undue pressure on my ligaments and muscles. I need a bath, a massage, and a bottle of wine. Instead, I see the chiropractor.

Since I began seeing my chiropractor eight years ago, my personal benefits include reduced pain, greater flexibility and mobility, and improved self-concept of wellness. Others agree. Still, skeptics abound, dismissing the benefits of chiropractic because it approaches wellness with a more subjective lens than traditional Western medicine. The procedures, applications, techniques, and results of chiropractic intervention are more sentient than scientific; more broad than focused; and more patient-centered than provider-centered.

The web is spinning with information about bad chiropractors, quacks, and con artists. This busy mom thinks that chiropractic animosity is just part of the daily mumble, and that we should listen to our hearts, our bodies, and our neighbors' recommendations instead. Don't go to a provider who makes you feel pressured or uncomfortable. Don't agree to any future treatments until you're sure they are beneficial in the first place. Don't think that you need to get rid of your family practitioner in order to seek alternative health care treatments. Don't keep touching your elbow if it keeps hurting; and most important, DO feel free to pursue therapeutic interventions that work for you. It really is that simple.

PS: I also love my family practitioner, who will be providing care for the baby when she arrives, as well as the rest of my family.