I’ve been asked numerous times, I mean, so many times to count, “What is a Chiropractor?” The obvious answer is, we are doctors of chiropractic that administer adjustments in conjunction with other physiotherapy modalities to treat various ailments. The not so obvious answer is, we are holistic practitioners that focus on returning the body’s normal homeostasis by restoring proper movement of joints, to eleviate neurological misfiring and in turn decrease symptoms caused by ailments. The problem is, most people are not educated on this profession. The profession was built on rocky foundations which made collaborative branding, nearly impossible. The truth is, the profession, as a whole, is divided. Just like our political system, there is a huge divide between chiropractic schools of thought. This debate between professionals has lead to campaigns run within the profession and other healthcare professionals to undermine them as a whole. Phew...now that I have your attention, lets dive into the truths behind chiropractic. I’m sure you know someone who’s been to the chiropractor, or maybe you, yourself, have visited one. There are countless articles and stories of how miraculous it is and equal, if not greater, number of stories of how it ruined their lives. Some how all the stories of mistakes in the surgery room, or mistakes with prescription medicine, or the misuse of prescription medicines, is swept under the rug; until recent years of course. So what do we know? Chiropractors are educated in nationally accredited, four-year doctoral graduate school programs9 through a curriculum that includes a minimum of 4,200 hours of classroom, laboratory and clinical internship,10 with the average DC program equivalent in classroom hours to allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) medical schools.11 In 2017, the American College of Physicians released an update to its low back pain treatment guideline that recommends first using non-drug treatments, such as spinal manipulation (a centerpiece of chiropractic care), for acute and chronic low back pain.13 And its not just research showing the effectiveness by educational standards or by controlled trials, the people agree! Three in four people who saw a chiropractor in the last year (77%) described chiropractic care as “very effective."15 OK so the research shows that it works. Chiropractors have the highest outcomes and lowest lawsuits. Yet, there is a dissonance. The truth is, chiropractic treatments are non-invasive, non-addictive (like some drugs), inexpensive, and easily accessible (seems like one every other block). “Yes but I don’t have low back pain or any kind of ”pain”. I’ve never been to the chiropractor and I don’t think I need it. My child especially doesn’t need it, you only need chiropractic when you are in pain or because you are old. “ Well, the research says otherwise, A study “comparisons demonstrated the children were less likely to report any symptoms of depression, anxiety, fatigue , and pain interference after a trial of chiropractic care.” The truth is we are not branded correctly and the smear campaigns are giving the whole profession a bad name. To judge a group of people by a few examples creates more hatred and negativity which is not conducive for any growth. Thank you for reading, I hope you go see your chiropractor today because we are here to help. References: https://www.acatoday.org/Patients/Why-Choose-Chiropractic/Key-Facts https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/acm.2017.0141

Just because you are 60+, it doesn’t mean you should be suffering from chronic pain. Targeted exercises can relieve you of pain and enable you to lead an active life. This can slow many degenerative processes and help relieve other signs of aging.