Not all chiropractors are
alike. Although they go by the same name,
chiropractors today differ greatly in technique and
philosophy. There are two types of
chiropractors.
The traditional
philosophy that chiropractic was based on has never
changed, but for social acceptance, on a cultural
level some chiropractors have. As a result,
when patients go to different chiropractors they get
different opinions, programs of care and results,
not to mention costs.
This can be both
confusing and frustrating to the person seeking
care. If expectations aren't met, patients
stop chiropractic care, and never get to experience
the great results chiropractic care can give them.
This happens too often. "Why?" you may be
thinking. Because most people do not truly
understand how chiropractic fits into addressing any
current issues and then to develop their health over
the course of a lifetime.
There are basically two
types of chiropractors. The musculoskeletal
chiropractors who work on symptom relief and the
traditional wellness chiropractors who work on
subluxation and lifestyle management. Lets
look at the two types of chiropractors so you can
choose one.
The Symptom
Relief Chiropractor
Like the typical M.D.,
this type of chiropractor primarily focuses on
relief of symptoms such as back aches and headaches.
Manipulations are done to the spine to decompress
the joints, free fixations and reduce pain. I n
addition, electrotherapies such as ultrasound,
diathermy, electrostimulations, tens units and laser
acupuncture are often used.
Length of treatment and
frequency of adjustments are usually dictated by the
patient's symptoms or insurance coverage.
Monitoring your progress by symptoms and insurance
coverage, usually means shorter overall treatment
time, but still leaves the you far short of
correcting the cause of your symptom.
You may feel better
temporarily, but since the cause (subluxation) of
your symptom has not been corrected, the subluxation
degenerates silently and results in damage and
dysfunction to discs, joints and whatever part of
your body the nerve supplies. The bottom line is
that your problem is still with you, but it's just
below a level you can detect.
Testimonial:
I was two weeks away from surgery for a herniated
disk and came here as a last resort. After one
month, my pain was gone and I continue to get
adjusted on a regular basis to make sure I stay
healthy. Thanks! –
Alyce
The Traditional /
Wellness Chiropractor
This type of chiropractor
practices the traditional wellness philosophy of
chiropractic. Which is subluxation correction and
lifestyle management.
Simply put, a subluxation is a
misaligned vertebrae due to an overload of physical,
chemical and emotional stresses experienced by the
body that interfere with the nerve impulses.
Nerve
impulse is the electrical impulse from the brain
that regulates all function of the body and keeps us
alive.
Although the traditional/wellness chiropractor wants
his/her practice members to "feel better," the
primary focus is removing the nerve interference
(subluxation).
By maximizing the integrity of the
vital communication between brain and body, the
body's wellness i.e. health potential and ability to
function, improves. This is done through a health
development consisting of specific chiropractic
adjustments and lifestyle modifications.
The length of correction and frequency of adjustment
is determined by the severity of the patient's
subluxations, the length of time that the
subluxations have been present, the age, current
stress levels, weight of the practice member and
willingness to change.
Symptoms may be gone long before the nerve system is
functioning optimally. Adjustment schedules vary
from one person to the next due to the uniqueness we
all possess. An initial clearing phase is completed
prior to moving into a wellness schedule.
If your health philosophy is wellness, which means
promoting optimum health levels and experiencing a
full life, then choose the traditional/wellness
chiropractor.
