The Benefits of Chiropractic Care

This may be opening a can of worms... but I am a big advocate of chiropractic care! I really believe in it and have personally experienced many transformations from seeing a chiropractor regularly. I worked in physical therapy for 3 years, and these two vocations can sometimes butt heads, but I think that when they work together, the body can be healed!

I am no genius on the subject, so this is merely my views! Last night, an old friend of mine was in town visiting her sister. She graduated as a naturopathic chiropractor and has been practicing for a few years, and she offered to adjust both me and Piper (6 months old). I was ecstatic!

Throughout my teenage years, I was adjusted pretty regularly for tilted hips and a hurting low back- the boys at school would always pull on my 30 lb backpack and hurt me! When I worked out too hard, my left hip would always go out of place, causing my left leg to be shorter and making my hip ache so badly I couldn’t walk. The chiropractor was the only person who could fix this! I also went regularly throughout my pregnancy to help my body to adjust to my growing belly, my stretching ligaments, and the shifting of my organs and bones. On our way home from the hospital after I gave birth, we took her straight in and had her adjusted. She was 2 days old, but I knew she was off from a long labor and she was cranky and had trouble latching. The adjustment did not cure her, but it helped. She has seen the chiropractor three times in her 6 months of life, one being last night.

So, last night- we arrived at my friend’s house, and Renee (the chiro) adjusted Piper first. She was not too happy about it. Usually, the feeling and sound of the “crack” is more shocking to a baby, especially near their ears, and scares them more than hurts them. Now, there could also be a little discomfort involved because her neck and hips were out of place. After a few small adjustments (and soooo gently done by Renee), Piper was already able to rotate her head further to her left and keeping her head in-line instead of extended. She then came home, had a big bowel movement (Renee said this would happen from adjusting her digestive system), and then slept over 9 straight hours (hooray!).

Then it was my turn. First, Renee helped me to release some of my stress/tension/worry that I have had recently. She talked me through a scenario, through breathing exercises, and stretched my neck and body. I realized how much I have been holding onto the trauma from my dramatic birth and my grief over stopping breastfeeding. Very quickly my tears dried and I felt invigorated. She then adjusted my back, shoulders, hips, etc. She used my hand to guide around my stomach and informed me that I had some scar tissue from birth. “I have scar tissue? How? I didn’t have a c-section!” “You can still have scar tissue from a traumatic and long birth, from your body working so hard for so long and all of your organs moving. Your muscles can tear and rebuild”. She adjusted me, felt again, and a lot of the scar tissue had already begun to relax! Amazing!

She then got to my abs. Uh-oh. Turns out, I also separated my abs right down the center during labor. **DISCLAIMER: If you are thinking about having a baby- sorry. There is a whole lot of unexpected body changes, and some that may never go back....** She said that I can work on bringing them back together by holding them together with my hand as I do sit-ups, doing only side planks for a while, and stopping as soon as I felt any strain. Amazing. Again.

She said that if I were her sister, she would have me seeing my chiropractor a few times a week until I began to get my “normal” body back- I am still in recovery from pregnancy and childbirth! It’s important for Piper to go too, as regular adjustments can help with her eating, digestive system, teething, and lots of other “baby problems”. Renee also stated that for those of us choosing not to vaccinate our children, chiropractic care is a GREAT immune system booster for their little bodies.

Although our finances may not be able to support regular adjustments (insurance doesn’t usually cover much, if any), I know the importance of keeping my body in-line and healthy. I also know that regular chiropractic care can help to ease and manage your pain, increase your range of motion, help to avoid many prescription drugs, release toxins, help you sleep more soundly, treat infertility, and increase your immune system.

Chiropractic care deals with the overall health of a person, not just the symptoms. Chiropractors can often read your body signs, symptoms, and your alignment to discover other issues and sometimes help to correct them. If a chiropractor cannot help to “fix” it, they can refer you to the right place to treat the problem. Because they know the body so well, they know things without even trying! For example- while I was pregnant, my chiropractor kept referring to my baby as “her”- we didn’t know the sex yet. I always corrected him and he would just say “oh, I just assumed”. He was right! Coincidence? Perhaps. But my mother had the same thing happen. Her chiropractor was THE ONLY ONE right about the sex of her baby.

Do your own research, be informed, and make your decisions for you and your family wisely.