Hopefully this blog will give you at least a very basic, slightly better idea of what what type of practitioner you might be looking for for your own health care needs.
Question: True or False: These days, most people know what a Chiropractor is.
Answer: False. Depending on their environment and background, more people are becoming aware of the Chiropractic profession and what it is we do. However, most of them still only THINK they know what a chiropractor does.
In my last entry, I gave a short explanation about where Chiropractic came from, and when it was "officially founded". Since then, the field of Chiropractic care has gone through many, many overhauls as far as what the study and practice believes, achieves, and entails technique-wise. Almost every field of science now followed, including chiropractic, first began as a theory, philosophy or idea. There were individuals who helped the profession, and those who hurt it. Some went on to develop theories and treatments that have since been scientifically proven to improve the health of an individual. Others have developed theories and techniques that are certainly NOT what most of todays' chiropractic practitioners would even call remotely similar to "true chiropractic". It is out of these differences and offshoots that the unfortunate misconception of all Chiropractors being "quacks" was born, and still often exists today.
The truth is, even Chiropractors often have a hard time explaining what we do. The reason? The Chiropractic profession has many many different types of practitioners. Just as there are different types of yoga, or different types of medical doctors, each with their own specialty, there are likewise as many types of Chiropractors.
I cant even begin to tell you the number of times I have seen the looks, the eye rolls, and the brush off that people give when the subject of chiropractic care comes up. Sometimes when I do, I let it go and don't mention that I'm a chiropractor until Ive heard some of the responses expressed by those that don't realize what I do for a living these days. I admit that the negative responses used to upset me, and that it still does. But by remaining silent at first, it has opened my eyes to the fact that there are soooo many misconceptions about what we (chiropractors) do and believe. I've found that these responses generally come from a basis of inaccurate knowledge of what a chiropractor does. Whether from an article they read, a medical doctor that had been taught in school that "chiros are quacks" and simply had never met a real chiropractor in their life to ask what we do, or maybe had a bad experience with a previous doc, its been incomplete or incorrect information.
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being a skeptic, (goodness knows I sure have always been one,) but simply trusting someone else's word as Truth without searching for evidence often leaves one ignorant and quickly leads to a loss of knowledge. Ignorance is bliss, but sometimes it can also be very, very damaging. Knowledge is power. So here's the quick run down of what I generally say to those people, including my MD friends, that still aren't quite sure if Chiropractic care "is for real".
The International Chiropractors Association uses the following definition: “The science of chiropractic deals with the relationship between the articulations of the skeleton and the nervous system, and the role of this relationship in the restoration and maintenance of health."
The same way that there are some truly phenomenal medical doctors, surgeons, and dentists, there are definately some bad ones too. Likewise, there are some fantastic and knowledgeable Chiropractors, and then there are some that I hope none of you will ever have to experience meeting. However, would you swear of all medical doctors for the rest of your life because one didn't give you a bad vibe? Of course not. Finding the right chiropractor can mean doing your homework, and finding the right fit for your needs.
1. Ask them what techniques they practice. If they mention that they are a "Straight Chiropractor", it means that they only adjust the spine. These chiros are straight up old-school, and usually dont believe in additional therapies like ultrasound, muscle stimulation, massage, or physiotherapy. Some, such as Atlas Specific and HIO practitioners, will in fact ONLY adjust a single specific segment, and nothing else.
If they say that they are "Diversified", it means that they may integrate other therapies, like the ultrsound, stim, etc. mentioned above. Some will also use whats called an Activator, or a tool that allows a practitioner to improve motion to a joint without much force, and without doing a traditional chiropractic adjustment. (Dont worry- I'll talk about what that means and involves in another blog.) Some diversified chiropractors, especially those with a sports medicine specialty, will additionally utilize exercise and stretching techniques to help teach the patient to strengthen their core, thus preventing future injury in a way that they can learn to help themselves, and not need us. The goal is to help the patient become pain free and strong enough that they no longer need our assistance, except for the occational "tune up" or "maintainence care", the same way you care for your teeth, or if you prefer as a way to think of it, your bike.
2. If you're not into "new-age health care", you probably are NOT going to want to see someone that follows the following techniques: BEST, BioSET, AK(Applied Kinesiology), Toftness, NET (NeuroEmotive), Network. I'm not going to get into what these each entail, but if you find a practitioner who practices these, I HIGHLY suggest you do your research before going to them to see if its something you're open to trying. Keep in mind that many of these techniques have no scientific studies to back them. Many Chiropractors, including myself, do not think that some of these should even be allowed to call themselves practitioners of chiropractic, since they are so far from the true and original definition of chiropractic. I'm sure that they are effective for some individuals, and if it works for them, by all means they should continue. BUT I don't think that these techniques should be representative of all, if any, Chiropractors.
Ok. So hopefully this helps to clarify at least some of the questions about where we come from. I have no question as to why so many people don't understand what Chiropractors do. As you can see, there are simply too many people trying to develop new "techniques" out there! Even Chiropractors cant seem to agree on what should and shouldn't be allowed into the profession, so how should the public be expected to know? But I digress...
If I keep writing this entry will last forever, so dont worry, in future blogs, I'll be filling you in on what goes into our chiropractic education (no, its not a weekend course), explaining more about why I use the therapies I do, etc. In the meantime though, I welcome you to email me with any questions you might have about certain techniques or articles you have read about Chiropractic. I don't claim to know everything, but Ill always do my best to answer your questions, and if I cant, I'll at least direct you to someone else who can.
Until the next chapter...
For more detailed information check out the following resources:
http://www.becomehealthynow.com/article/chiropractic/5/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9818801
Question: True or False: These days, most people know what a Chiropractor is.
Answer: False. Depending on their environment and background, more people are becoming aware of the Chiropractic profession and what it is we do. However, most of them still only THINK they know what a chiropractor does.
In my last entry, I gave a short explanation about where Chiropractic came from, and when it was "officially founded". Since then, the field of Chiropractic care has gone through many, many overhauls as far as what the study and practice believes, achieves, and entails technique-wise. Almost every field of science now followed, including chiropractic, first began as a theory, philosophy or idea. There were individuals who helped the profession, and those who hurt it. Some went on to develop theories and treatments that have since been scientifically proven to improve the health of an individual. Others have developed theories and techniques that are certainly NOT what most of todays' chiropractic practitioners would even call remotely similar to "true chiropractic". It is out of these differences and offshoots that the unfortunate misconception of all Chiropractors being "quacks" was born, and still often exists today.
The truth is, even Chiropractors often have a hard time explaining what we do. The reason? The Chiropractic profession has many many different types of practitioners. Just as there are different types of yoga, or different types of medical doctors, each with their own specialty, there are likewise as many types of Chiropractors.
I cant even begin to tell you the number of times I have seen the looks, the eye rolls, and the brush off that people give when the subject of chiropractic care comes up. Sometimes when I do, I let it go and don't mention that I'm a chiropractor until Ive heard some of the responses expressed by those that don't realize what I do for a living these days. I admit that the negative responses used to upset me, and that it still does. But by remaining silent at first, it has opened my eyes to the fact that there are soooo many misconceptions about what we (chiropractors) do and believe. I've found that these responses generally come from a basis of inaccurate knowledge of what a chiropractor does. Whether from an article they read, a medical doctor that had been taught in school that "chiros are quacks" and simply had never met a real chiropractor in their life to ask what we do, or maybe had a bad experience with a previous doc, its been incomplete or incorrect information.
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being a skeptic, (goodness knows I sure have always been one,) but simply trusting someone else's word as Truth without searching for evidence often leaves one ignorant and quickly leads to a loss of knowledge. Ignorance is bliss, but sometimes it can also be very, very damaging. Knowledge is power. So here's the quick run down of what I generally say to those people, including my MD friends, that still aren't quite sure if Chiropractic care "is for real".
The International Chiropractors Association uses the following definition: “The science of chiropractic deals with the relationship between the articulations of the skeleton and the nervous system, and the role of this relationship in the restoration and maintenance of health."
The same way that there are some truly phenomenal medical doctors, surgeons, and dentists, there are definately some bad ones too. Likewise, there are some fantastic and knowledgeable Chiropractors, and then there are some that I hope none of you will ever have to experience meeting. However, would you swear of all medical doctors for the rest of your life because one didn't give you a bad vibe? Of course not. Finding the right chiropractor can mean doing your homework, and finding the right fit for your needs.
1. Ask them what techniques they practice. If they mention that they are a "Straight Chiropractor", it means that they only adjust the spine. These chiros are straight up old-school, and usually dont believe in additional therapies like ultrasound, muscle stimulation, massage, or physiotherapy. Some, such as Atlas Specific and HIO practitioners, will in fact ONLY adjust a single specific segment, and nothing else.
If they say that they are "Diversified", it means that they may integrate other therapies, like the ultrsound, stim, etc. mentioned above. Some will also use whats called an Activator, or a tool that allows a practitioner to improve motion to a joint without much force, and without doing a traditional chiropractic adjustment. (Dont worry- I'll talk about what that means and involves in another blog.) Some diversified chiropractors, especially those with a sports medicine specialty, will additionally utilize exercise and stretching techniques to help teach the patient to strengthen their core, thus preventing future injury in a way that they can learn to help themselves, and not need us. The goal is to help the patient become pain free and strong enough that they no longer need our assistance, except for the occational "tune up" or "maintainence care", the same way you care for your teeth, or if you prefer as a way to think of it, your bike.
2. If you're not into "new-age health care", you probably are NOT going to want to see someone that follows the following techniques: BEST, BioSET, AK(Applied Kinesiology), Toftness, NET (NeuroEmotive), Network. I'm not going to get into what these each entail, but if you find a practitioner who practices these, I HIGHLY suggest you do your research before going to them to see if its something you're open to trying. Keep in mind that many of these techniques have no scientific studies to back them. Many Chiropractors, including myself, do not think that some of these should even be allowed to call themselves practitioners of chiropractic, since they are so far from the true and original definition of chiropractic. I'm sure that they are effective for some individuals, and if it works for them, by all means they should continue. BUT I don't think that these techniques should be representative of all, if any, Chiropractors.
Ok. So hopefully this helps to clarify at least some of the questions about where we come from. I have no question as to why so many people don't understand what Chiropractors do. As you can see, there are simply too many people trying to develop new "techniques" out there! Even Chiropractors cant seem to agree on what should and shouldn't be allowed into the profession, so how should the public be expected to know? But I digress...
If I keep writing this entry will last forever, so dont worry, in future blogs, I'll be filling you in on what goes into our chiropractic education (no, its not a weekend course), explaining more about why I use the therapies I do, etc. In the meantime though, I welcome you to email me with any questions you might have about certain techniques or articles you have read about Chiropractic. I don't claim to know everything, but Ill always do my best to answer your questions, and if I cant, I'll at least direct you to someone else who can.
Until the next chapter...
For more detailed information check out the following resources:
http://www.becomehealthynow.com/article/chiropractic/5/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9818801
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