My Chiropractic experience

This is prominently posted in the chiropractic clinic we visited.   

It was due to my husband's excruciating neck pain that led us to see a chiropractor because even a good massage can't fix it.  Contrary to what we initially thought as just some kind of a stiff neck due to a wrong sleeping position, it turned out to be something more complicated. 

"I'll be able to help you", the chiropractic doctor said. He assured my husband that he will feel better soon enough if he had an X-ray to confirm the initial diagnosis. We brought back the unread X-ray plates within an hour.  After a few minutes of serious review, he then turned my husband's neck with one strong force to the right and another to the left. Right away my husband felt a lot better, the pain was at least bearable as soon as he got up from the examination table.

While at the clinic, my husband encouraged me to have myself checked as well.  I've heard about this practice and had wanted to have myself checked earlier; but I felt a little reluctant. Nevertheless, I went through the initial interview including a quick physical check up.

The doctor told me that I was leaning a little bit on my left, that my left shoulder slightly droop; but what is more significant is the slight "subluxation", a misalignment on my hips needing adjustment.  We would probably do that in about 6-8 sessions; otherwise, the doctor proclaimed I'm good!  I have a healthy spinal column.  "I would swap my spinal column with yours for a million dollars", was his parting words. I wanted to believe him but I wondered too, whether he tells that to all his patients. We settled the bill for my husbands sessions as well as for my initial check up; and I'll tell you, it wasn't cheap either. 

Over the weekend, I told my daughter about the proposed sessions and my reluctance to go through it.  "Why are you scrimping, mom?", she asked, "it's your health".  "I'm not, I just haven't made up my mind" I replied but I wasn't telling her that I was a little scared.

 On my husbands next adjustment, I decided to go through the procedure; but there were questions I needed to ask.  By the way, the doctor's first name is "STORM", strong name, right? I mean literally, not that it's a popular name. 

"Here I am, walking, feeling strong, with no pain whatsoever; why do I need an adjustment"?, I asked.

"A part of your hipbone is slightly misaligned", Doc Storm replied.

"Why can't I leave it like that? I probably had that for years and it never bothered me." 

"If there is misalignment, the nervous system cannot function well; it has an effect in the body's overall well being.  A misalignment causes strain, hence there is less flexibility in movement;  if not corrected it may have future repercussions to your health, and you may experience pain, in 5 or ten years, maybe, who knows!".

"What if something goes wrong?, the spinal column is very sensitive". 

He then related the case of his Filipino father-in-law who spent the Christmas holidays with them. "Papang", as he fondly call him, is known as a grouchy, anti-social old man in his community. He can't walk; he was carried from his home in the province to a tricycle, to a Jeepney, to a bus, to Doc Storm's car from the terminal, and upstairs in the guest room. During the first few days, Papang kept to himself in the his room.  

 Doctor Storm worked on him twice a day for a week, eventually he could walk!  He became more sociable; his disposition remarkably changed that for the rest of the three weeks left of his vacation he socialized with the rest of the household. When he went home, he could walk, to the amazement of his neighbors who noticed the big change in him. 

"It is safe", the doctor explained further;  "just like the airplane where the possibility of a crash is very slim.  "That's us, we're the airplane" he said. I guess that made me more apprehensive; since his name popped in my mind, Storm and airplanes? Hey, put them together and isn't that dangerous?  But then I was already there, why not give it a try, just this once, and I'll go from there, I told myself.

 "Dapa", he said in his American accent, meaning "lie on your stomach". He saw that my right foot was shorter than my left when put together, manifesting some kind of an imbalance. He checked my spine and before I knew it, I heard a cracking sound as he put heavy pressure on my upper back.  

"Now, lie on your right, bend the left knee, let the right leg follow close by and right shoulders forward", pulling my upper body and pushing the lower part;  I heard a snap as he applied pressure on my hips, then another snap when the left side was treated the same way. 

"The crackle and the snap is in no way dangerous even if it sounds like bones are breaking", he explained as he showed me the plastic model of a spine he had.  The sound is the result of the gas moving into space when the joints being moved become separated during adjustment. It is painless and harmless.

"Get up, now do you feel good?", he asked and I nodded my head, still stunned. "By the way, this session is free since we just talked last time.  Now, you like that, right?"; "thank you" I replied. 

That evening, I felt chilly, all night in fact. Even with two fleece blankets, I was still uncomfortably cold but there was no pain at all, I felt lighter as well. "The body reacts differently", he said on the next session. "Some even have hot flashes". By the way, Doc Storm comes out to the reception when he calls his next patient. As they approach, my husband noticed, he checks how they walk and most likely get a pretty good idea how the patient is doing. 

Oh, yes, I almost forgot, my husband had his feet scanned too. The scan showed that he may be totally flat-footed.  If he doesn't use an in-sole, this will also affect his over-all balance. They get a mold of each foot to custom-make the in-sole; costing  around US$300.00.  It's not cheap but fortunately, my husband has a pair given by his brother from his last trip to Vancouver, and Doc Storm said it is even of better quality. 

I completed my third session during this writing. Instead of having an adjustment last Wednesday, he said he will just see me on Saturday. Maybe he wants more time for my body to adjust and see if more adjustment is necessary. 

As I read more literature on chiropractic,  I feel more confident that this is a safe procedure.  It is really necessary to fix any subluxation for our health and well being. I also learned that:

Chiropractors do not prescribe medicine; it is a holistic approach.

Chiropractic is safe, the American Chiropractic Association, claims that: "statistically speaking, if you will travel more than a mile to your chiropractic appointment it is more likely that you will be seriously injured in a car accident than you will be injured during your chiropractic visit".

For neck and back pains, taking even the most conventional prescription drugs may do more harm to your health than have a chiropractic adjustment. 

The risk is very low because the force applied during adjustment is less than one-ninth of the force necessary to stretch or damage the vertebral artery, that is why the possibility of a very serious damage to the spine during this procedure is 1 to 4,000,000.

Today, my husband has about 6 more sessions to go since he brought up other discomfort and Doc Storm is addressing all of them. But he is feeling a lot better and lighter and his disposition brighter. As for me, I no longer droop to my left and I feel more at ease when I move; I am no longer lazy to pick up things from the floor;  like a young child, bending Is automatic. 

Looking back to about a week ago when my husband had that excruciating neck pain, and if we did not see a chiropractor, he may still be in a neck brace now and possibly taking drugs for pain. I would say, it must be a blessing in disguise, more so that his other discomforts are being addressed as well.   Besides, my subluxation would never have been corrected. Now I recall St. John's gospel, chapter 13: verse 7 which quotes Jesus talking to His disciples:

  "what I do thou knowest not now, but thou shall know hereafter"

And the 1st  verse:

"God moves in a mysterious way

His wonders to perform; 

He plants His footsteps in the sea

And rides upon the Storm."

---William Cowper