Chiropractic care changed my life. Seriously. No, I wasn't in a car accident, I didn't have a terrible fall; I didn't even have a sore neck or back. What I had was poor balance, knee pain, chronic headaches, and debilitating "lady problems" (sorry to the male readers - I don't get any more graphic, I promise). I took medicine, I had knee surgery - nothing helped. I decided I'd live with it. Thankfully, I married a guy headed to chiropractic school and found out I didn't have to.
Myth #1: Chiropractic is for Neck and Back Pain
The fact is, chiropractic is very good for neck and back pain, but that's not all. I didn't think I needed a chiropractor - my neck and back were fine. Oh, and I'm stubborn...maybe I should have mentioned that in the intro. Luckily, so is my husband, and off I went to the student clinic at Life University just to shut him up (sorry Hun, I promised to be truthful here). Under care and after time, my issues started to fade away. My balance has gotten much better (and my living room furniture probably thanks me for it). I've been under care for 3 years and I honestly don't remember what a real headache feels like. Is it magic? No. It's common sense, something we all understand but have somehow forgotten. Don't worry, I'm going to let you in on the secret that you know.
Myth #2: Chiropractors "Crack" Your Back
No. Chiropractors adjust your spine. And they get rather annoyed when you say they "crack" you. So what's the difference? An adjustment is a correction at the specific point that needs to be realigned. Truthfully, I have no idea what a "crack" is - sorry. And here's that secret I mentioned before, the one we all already know but have misplaced somewhere in that mess of information we have jumbled in our heads at any given second. Here's the "why" - why it's common sense that a misalignment can be so bad and an adjustment so good.
Your brain controls your whole body - we learn that in, what, 4th grade? Well, it controls everything that happens in your body whether you think about it or not. It tells your heart to beat (important, yes?) and so they must be connected somehow...enter the spinal cord. It's the freeway between your house (brain) and the mall (heart). Your car (the message between the heart and brain) has to get to the mall and back again to get anything done. Well, if there's a traffic jam (read: misalignment in the spine, or what chiros call subluxation), you're not getting there on time, and well, nobody likes a traffic jam. And it's not just that you can't get through - there are side effects to traffic: road rage, stress, maybe you have to pee. All things that can be corrected by moving that jam and getting you to the mall before you wet your pants.
Leaving my metaphor, when you have a subluxation, you just aren't functioning as well somewhere - could be your back, could be your heart, in my case it was my head and hips. I got adjusted. The chiropractor removed my subluxations. My body healed and now I feel and, more importantly, function great.
Myth #3: If I Start Going to a Chiropractor, I have to Keep Going for the Rest of my Life
Almost correct - change the words "have to" to "want to" and you've got it. The truth is, after you start heading towards a better functioning you, it's hard to want to change directions.
A chiropractor is part of my wellness team for two major reasons:
1) Drugs and surgery aren't for me.
I am careful about what I put in my body because I'm 98% sure that I only get one. Chiropractic is safe and natural, and the least invasive place to start for health challenges. Can drugs and surgery save lives? You bet. I go to my chiro in the hopes that I never need them to save mine.
2) Getting healthy was the BEST decision of my life - I'd like to stay here, thanks!
I hurt my knee playing soccer (enter pain killers and surgery - both of which were less than helpful in my case). After that, I couldn't exercise without pain, sometimes couldn't walk much at all without being sore. I was 20 at the time - that sucks. I mean, that really really sucks. I gained a lot of weight and a bad attitude. Did getting adjusted change everything all at once? No (remember, I said it's not magic), but it was one healthy choice that lead to others.
Now that I've made health a priority in my life, I really love living. Sometimes obnoxiously so. And I like to help others make it a priority in their lives too - if they want to make that choice.
So do you have to keep going to a chiropractor once you start? Of course not. No one's holding a gun to your head. Do people keep coming back because they love getting adjusted, getting healthy, and getting the life they want? Hell yeah they do! Can you blame them?
So that's it. The 3 myths. You can have lunch now.
Erin Turo is a wife, mom, health enthusiast and the office manager at Turo Family Chiropractic. Visit Erin, her husband Dr. Dan and their son Ethan at their North Hills Pittsburgh office or their website.
Did I miss a myth you were dying to hear about? Message it to me and I'll tell you what I think!
ReplyDelete