Q & A Commonly Asked Questions About Chiropractic

Q. What do chiropractor's really do? I've heard from friends saying different things about the chiropractors they see.

A. Chiropractor's are nationally and state licensed to provide a natural mode of health care. The mode of care is centered around the chiropractic adjustment (manual manipulation). A chiropractic license ALLOWS a chiropractor to do many things (PT, vitamins, nutritional, counseling, etc.) but anything outside of the adjustment is NOT true chiropractic. In this office, chiropractic is practiced exclusively as it was intended to be-by itself, the adjustment focused.

Q. I've often thought about seeing a chiropractor for problems I have, but frankly I'm wary because I've heard people say you have to keep coming in without end.

A. The answer to this question is yes and no. On the no side, you as a patient may do what you wish at anytime. If you desire to discontinue care, that is your perogative. What I find is that most doctors of chiropractic fail to communicate the REASONS for a long-term program of care. On the yes side, when you understand the benefits of continuing care, the choice to continue is yours to make. Those patients are the ones who continue to benefit, and who are pleased about ongoing chiropractic checkups.

Q. How will chiropractic help manage my pain?

A. Chiropractic has a very good history with symptom reduction. What we find is that roughly 80 percent of people obtain good results 10 percent have SOME help with pain, and the final 10 percent have no appreciable change. Now, what should be realized is that it takes TIME to know what category a patient will fall into . Each person is different, and the doctor must work with this in mind. Remember, chiropractic adjustments are not like taking pain medication or other forms of health care. It takes time to affect a natural change in the body. Medications simply mask the symptom and allows you to have temporary relief. The adjustments affects the CAUSE.That is the difference!

Q. Sometimes I feel very good after an adjustment, and other times it seems like the next day I'm "out" again? What's going on?

A. That is normal. Your body is undergoing structural changes with each adjustment. One adjustment builds upon the next to create those changes. During the process, the patients may have"ups"and"downs", I call it "peaks and valleys". There is a saying, "It gets worse before it gets better".For most people this seems to be true. Remember, over the 4, 6, or 8-months your under active care we want to see a steady progressive upward trend toward 100 percent health and wellness.

Q. What is required to be a doctor of chiropractic? Do you have the same degree as a medical doctor?

A. No, chiropractors do not have the same degrees as an MD. Chiropractic philosophy is different from that of medicine. We must have 4 years of undergraduate work (a degree), in order to enter chiropractic school. Then there are 4 more years before we graduate with a doctor degree. Between entry and graduation, we obtain an education in much the same areas as the medical doctor. We have a one year residency before we are allowed to practice, and I counted 263 oral and written examinations in 4 years of chiropractic school! The new graduate must pass a difficult national and state board exams to be "board certified".

Q. My actual visits are quick and to the point. I like that, but I am surprised that is all it will take to create a change in my spine. How will it do that?

A. Once I know, as the doctor, WHERE the subluxaton exists in your spine, it then becomes a matter of adjusting, and that is where the change comes about. Turning on a light at the switch (source) is a simple matter, but just look at the wide spread results. The adjustments acts much the same. Most of the time the less done to the body, the better it is for healing. We are letting your own inborn healer ( the nervous system) do the real work AFTER the adjustment is given. So, what more is there to do but patiently let the process work?

Q. I have had the current pain I suffer with many times in the past. It has always gone away on its own. What is to say it won't do that again without the chiropractic adjustments I am beginning?

A. This has always been a "preaching point" for me. My opinions come from peer reviewed research and my own clinical observations. Pain is NOT a sound indicator of the CAUSE of a health problem. Yes, it is true that when we have pain we don't feel healthy or happy. As a doctor, I give more value to FUNCTION than chasing the pain. The question you asked brings up a point: PAIN COMES AND GOES. It will continue to if it is not addressed at the source. Improving the function of the spinal nerves and joints almost always improves the pain syndrome, yet it takes TIME to do this. In most people pain is decreased in 6 weeks NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, but the poor function continues and shows up again to cause future health problems. Our focus here is to address the function and to be sure your nervous system has as little interference as possible.