What if chiropractic doesn’t work?

If we are talking about pain management, then we will refer you to other specialists who may be able to help you and co-manage your health, if that is what is decided. Most patients don’t let their health get to that point, as they know the importance of regular chiropractic checkups. Remember, it is impossible to receive a specific chiropractic adjustment without a healing process occurring. Your health is our primary goal.

why should children get chiropractic adjustments?

As the infant grows, learns to hold up the head, sit, crawl and walk spinal alignment is affected and it is an important time to have a child checked by a Doctor of Chiropractic.

As the child begins to participate in regular childhood activities like skating or riding a bike, small yet significant spinal misalignments (subluxations) may occur. If neglected, the injuries during this period of rapid growth may lead to more serious problems later in life. Subtle trauma throughout childhood will affect the future development of the spine leading to impaired nervous system function. Any interference to the vital nervous system will adversely affect the body’s ability to function at its best.

One of the most common reason parents seek care for their child is trauma from an injury. These misalignments may or may not result in immediate pain or symptoms. Regular chiropractic checkups can identify potential spinal injury from these traumas, make the correction early in life and help avoid many of the health complaints seen later in adults.

Another sought out reason for care is the resolution of a particular symptom or condition. Parents seek care for conditions such as colic, ear infections, asthma, allergies and headaches (to name a few) because they have heard from other parents that chiropractic care can help.

It is important to understand that the doctor of chiropractic does not diagnose or treat conditions or diseases. The expertise of the Chiropractor is in checking the child’s spine for misalignments that impair nervous system function, therefore affecting overall body function. The bones of the spine, the vertebrae, house and protect the spinal cord. The spinal cord is an extension of the brain and carries information from the brain to the body parts and back to the brain again. Subluxations interfere with the nerve’s ability to transmit this vital information.

The nervous system controls and coordinates the function of all the systems in the body: circulatory, respiratory, digestive, hormonal, eliminative and immune system. Any aspect of health may be impaired by nerve interference. The chiropractic adjustment restores nervous system function allowing the body the ability to express a greater state of health and well-being.

After the case history and exam is completed, if the child needs to be adjusted, the adjusting procedures are modified to fit a child’s size, weight, and unique spinal condition. They are both gentle and specific to the child’s developing spinal structures. Most parents report that their children enjoy their chiropractic adjustments and look forward to subsequent visits. They also report that their children experience a greater level of health while under regular chiropractic care.

Can chiropractic help with childhood earaches (acute otitis media)?

Yes. Otitis media is an extremely common middle-ear inflammation, usually caused by an infection that blocks the Eustachian tube. Up to one-third of the child population will have 6 or more episodes before starting school, and some can have up to 12 episodes in a year.

Every year in the United States, approximately 30 percent of children under age three receive antimicrobial (antibiotic) treatment for acute earache.

Scientific studies have shown little evidence of shorter duration of symptoms, fewer recurrences or better long-term outcomes for children given antibiotics for their acute otitis media than for those who did not receive the medication. Moreover, researchers have found that giving antibiotics for otitis media, increases the chance of another earache.

Gentle chiropractic upper-spine adjustments can help clear the eustachian tube blockage that causes otitis media. Dietary/nutritional guidance (such as testing for food sensitivities and vitamin deficiencies) may also be offered.

Can chiropractic help with colic?

The most widely accepted definition of “colic” is uncontrollable crying in babies, especially from the ages of 0-3 months, and often lasting for more than three hours a day, more than three days a week for three weeks or more.

No matter how long the condition lasts, parents know that struggling with a colicky child can be frustrating and exhausting. But there is hope, and it could come from your doctor of chiropractic. A recent study divided 50 infants with colic into two groups. The first group received chiropractic spinal manipulation for two weeks; the second group received traditional drug treatment (dimethicone) over the same two weeks.

Results revealed that the chiropractic group improved more than the drug group (less hours spent crying) after the first five days of the study. After day five, the dimethicone group showed little or no reduction in average colic hours per day.

Days 4-7: Hours of crying were reduced by a total of 2.4 hours in the manipulation group compared with only one hour in the drug group.

Days 8-11: Hours of crying were reduced by 2.7 total hours in the manipulation group, compared with one hour in the drug group.

Even more revealing, five infants in the dimethicone group dropped out before the end of the study, described by their patients as having “worsened” or “much worsened” colic. The authors suggest that if these severe cases had been included in the results, drug intervention would have appeared even less effective than chiropractic for reducing the symptoms of colic.

I thought Chiropractors were for back and neck pain. How can they help with things like breathing and heart functions?

Nerves control every function in your body. When the nerves to a certain organ are not working properly due to interference, that organ may not function properly. Doctors of chiropractic remove the nerve interference by adjusting the spine, therefore allowing the body to function properly without nerve interference. As far back as 1921, medical doctors have been publishing papers that support chiropractic theories. In 1921, when Dr. Henry Windsor published his study, little was known about the brain and nerve system in comparison to today’s standards. Dr. Windsor performed autopsy studies to determine if there was a connection between minor curvatures of the spine and diseased internal organs. What he found was a nearly 100% correlation between the two. Where there was a diseased organ, a withered nerve could be traced back to the spine in most cases. His results were published in the Medical Times in 1921. Dr. Windor’s results stress the importance of having proper spinal alignment for overall health including the function of the internal organs.

Can patients with osteoporosis get chiropractic care?

Of course. When developing a care plan, your doctor of chiropractic considers the unique circumstances of each patient. There are many ways to adjust the spine and the method selected will be best suited to your age, size and condition.

Can chiropractic help with shoulder and arm pain?

Chiropractors are accustomed to adjusting the shoulder and surrounding joints, as well as relieving painful trigger points between the spine and shoulder. Chiropractic can be successfully employed to deal with so-called “frozen shoulder,” a severe inflammation, technically known as adhesive capsulitis. The causes of shoulder and arm pain include tendonitis, bursitis, arthritis, and gout. Such pain may also result from a reaction to medications such as penicillin, anti-anxiety drugs, and oral contraceptives. Whiplash injuries, common in auto accidents, can also cause shoulder and arm pain.

Shoulder and arm pain may be referred from some other region of the body, as when someone suffering a heart attack feels pain in the left shoulder and down the left arm. The pain may also be referred from nerves associated with the joints in the upper spine or “trigger points” in the back, which are particularly responsive to chiropractic spinal adjustments designed to treat such problems.

Your chiropractor will examine you and conduct diagnostic tests to determine exactly what is causing your shoulder or arm pain. Because the causes and the seriousness of different conditions are so varied, it is important to pinpoint the cause and begin the most appropriate treatment. Your chiropractor will decide which treatment will be best for you and if referral to a specialist will be necessary.

What kinds of headaches are there?

More than 90 percent of headaches can be classified as tension-type, migraine or cervicogenic.

By far, most people get tension-type headaches and get them frequently. They typically suffer mild to moderate pain, on both sides of the head, that is often described as tight, stiff, constricting – like having something wrapped around your head and pressing tightly.

Migraines are periodic severe, throbbing headaches that afflict far fewer people (more women than men), usually hurt on one side of the head, can cause loss of appetite, nausea and even vomiting, and may involve a visual change called an aura.

Cervicogenic headache is a musculoskeletal form of tension-type headache (which may also be related to migraines). Many times, cervicogenic headache goes undiagnosed as such due to the relative newness of this classification.

I am an athlete, I’ve heard chiropractic can raise my game – why is that?

Professional and amateur sports involve large numbers of talented athletes. To ensure that they can play at their peak without hurting themselves and to assist them if they do experience injuries, often rely on chiropractors. Many pros, top amateurs and famous champions in professional, intercollegiate and Olympic sports loyally turn to their chiropractors for assessment, adjustment, guidance and treatment to get a performance edge by enhancing their strength, flexibility and endurance. Lance Armstrong, Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wayne Gretzky, Mary Lou Retton, Joe Montana, Evander Holyfield, Emmit Smith, Bruce Jenner, Dan O’Brien, Martina Navratilova, Tiger Woods and Derek Parra are among the few, who use chiropractic care to raise their game.

In fact, here are what a few of them had to say:

“I go see Dr. Bill (chiropractor) when I get bent out of shape on Sundays. Playing in a football game is like being in 30-40 car accidents.” – Emmit Smith

“I’ve been seeing a chiropractor and he’s really been helping me out a lot. Chiropractic’s been a big part of my game.” -Joe Montana (He and 35 of his teammates received chiropractic care right before the 1990 Super Bowl Game.)

“I have to have an adjustment before I go into the ring. I do believe in chiropractic. I found that going to a chiropractor three times a week helps my performance. The majority of boxers go to get that edge.” – Evander Holyfield

“Bodybuilders and fitness people have been using chiropractic very extensively in order to stay healthy and fit. I found it was better to go to a chiropractor before you get injured. We are a perfect team- the world of fitness and the world of chiropractors.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I do believe chiropractic has really benefited my game. Over the last three years, I feel I have become more exposed to, and knowledgeable about, the benefits of chiropractic for me and my game. I realize how your body can get out of balance, and chiropractic care helps…..”

– Fred Funk (PGA Tour Professional)

“You obviously can’t compete at your fullest if you’re not in alignment. And your body can’t heal if your back is not in alignment. It was the holistic idea that I liked about chiropractic and that is what track and field is about. Every track and field athlete that that I have ever met has seen a chiropractor at one time or another. In track and field, it is absolutely essential. Chiropractic care is one of the things I think that no one has denied or refuted.” – Dan O’Brien (Decathlon)

“As an athlete, it’s great to have chiropractic care available. There are so many things we need to have done that traditional medicine just can’t help. I’ve always been a proponent of chiropractic care. I’ve used a lot of other treatments for injuries and pain, but the problem doesn’t get fixed until I go to a doctor of chiropractic.” – Derek Parra (Gold-medalist Speed Skater)

A research study conducted by Drs. Anthony Lauro and Brian Mouch, published in the journal of Chiropractic Research and Clinical Investigation, 1991, indicated chiropractic care might improve athletic performance by as much as 16.7% over a two week period. The report also concluded that subluxation-free athletes react faster, coordinate better, execute fine movements with improved accuracy and precision, amounting to an overall better athlete.

Backs, necks, shoulders, knees, ankles, wrists, fingers and toes-in fact, most bones, joints and connective tissues-are subject to misuse and injury when people play hard. Seniors, individuals long out of shape or with disabilities, children who haven’t yet learned how to protect themselves during physical exertion, and adolescents whose bodies are changing rapidly are among those at even greater risk than men and women in fairly good shape.

Among the causes of sports-related injuries are:

• Overreaching, overdoing it, pushing too hard to achieve health or performance goals;

• Failing to use good judgment to avoid injuries;

• Not knowing your limitations, or knowing them but driving yourself beyond them in the heat of competition and the desire to perform more and better;

• Trying to recapture a lost (or even an imaginary) past of youth and vigor when you excelled almost effortlessly at physical contests and pastimes you now may find so difficult and demanding that they are, realistically, nearly impossible for you;

• Playing all out with insufficient warm-ups, nutrition, training, and guidance;

• Not receiving the most appropriate and conservative treatment possible for injuries that do occur;

• Failing to recuperate fully after injuries or overexertion because you can’t wait to “get back into the game.”

Will I receive any medication for my pain?

No. Chiropractic doctors do not dispense drugs because we rely on natural methods – the body’s own healing ability. We can show you how to use ice or heat to control painful symptoms. When properly applied, ice can have an analgesic (pain killer) effect without the side effects of pain medications.

Why don’t medical doctors and chiropractic doctors get along?

That’s changing, although attitudes are slow to change. Chiropractic began in 1895, but it wasn’t until 1990 that medical doctors were even allowed to refer their patients to chiropractors.

It all started to change back in 1976, when Dr. Chester Wilk and 4 other chiropractors filed a lawsuit against the American Medical Association (AMA) for having conspired to ruin the credibility of the chiropractic profession. Finally, on February 7, 1990, the US Court of Appeals upheld a District Court’s decision, which found the AMA guilty of conspiring with other medical healthcare organizations in a “lengthy, systematic, successful and unlawful boycott” designed to eliminate chiropractors as a competitor. The court found that the AMA’s interest in defaming chiropractic was purely economic – they didn’t like losing the business.

Currently, the public demands alternatives to drugs and surgery, therefore more and more medical practitioners are referring patients to our office.

What if my policy doesn’t cover chiropractic care?

Your health affects everything you do and everyone you know. It is your most valuable possession. Yet, each of us is free to place a different value on our health. It is convenient when an insurance company or third party pays the bill, but be careful. Don’t allow the profit motive of a huge corporation make the decision of how healthy you will be. Some people choose carefully a policy that will include chiropractic, as more and more policies are covering chiropractic. Others find it is less expensive to pay out of pocket, than it is to change or include chiropractic on their policy. Many health plans and cover chiropractic; check with your insurance company or health plan administrator or we can check it for you.