I’ve Tried Everything

When speaking in public, I often have a few people hang around after the talk to ask about their specific health ailments.  One phrase I hear in common is, “I’ve tried everything.”  I often defer to, “have you tried chiropractic?”  Their response is either, “I used to go after a car accident,” or “you think that would help?”

Yes, I do think it would help.  That’s not just because I’m a chiropractor.  On September 11, 2001, the day I started chiropractic college, I had never been adjusted.  Like these people at my workshops, I too never associated chiropractic with anything other a treatment for neck and back pain.  The more I researched, I chose to go to chiropractic college because as a profession, the principles and philosophy were the closest match to how I wanted to help change people’s lives.  It had the scope that allowed me to gear my clinic towards lifestyle interventions.

What left the biggest impact on my life was how my own personal health changed as a result of being a chiropractic patient.  I struggled with eczema through college so bad that if I opened my hand, it would crack and often times bleed.  Even with cleaning up my diet, the more stressed I got, the more the eczema would flare.

About 1/2 way through my second trimester, I realized my skin was cleaning up and even if stressed, it would not flare as bad or not at all.  Despite the ups and downs of life, losing family, moving across the country, dealing with social media hate, and the insecurities of starting a business, I have been getting regularly adjusted 3-4 times per month.

But I don’t get regular chiropractic care to avoid something like eczema, pain, or whatever else reason people fear.  I get regular chiropractic care to gain something.  I want to be firing at my peak level of performance.  I know that sounds cliche but it’s honest.    The nervous system is constantly organizing and coordinating life.  Life will be coordinated into protection or growth.  The nervous system can and will coordinate very rapidly.

There’s 2 problems.  One, you can’t be in growth and protection at the same time.  Two, the nervous system is like plastic.  Whatever side you express more, that becomes the default.  Being imbalanced on either side isn’t good for long term survival.  You want to reside somewhere in the middle to be able to adapt at what life throws in your face.

If you have adapted to the side of protection, there’s a list of conditions that chiropractic has helped with over the last 120 years: high blood pressure, indigestion, headaches, infertility, constipation, ear infections, neuropathy, arthritis, concentration, and in my case, eczema.  Does this mean chiropractic is a treatment for these conditions?

Not exactly.  Chiropractic is an intervention that helps the body adapt and express, opposed to other healthcare professions that have an outcome to numb and suppress.

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As much as I love diving into lab analysis and lifestyle, the basis of how someone is going to heal and function is through the maturity of a balanced nervous system.  This can be measured and it doesn’t take long and it’s not invasive.  In my office, I use a tool called heart rate variability.  The better the HRV, the better someone will heal.  The worse the HRV, the longer road ahead they have.

The cool thing is that certain adjustments can be applied to affect your nervous system expression.  The problem is that it can be hard finding a chiropractor that focuses on helping your body express and adapt opposed to numbing and suppressing.

If you need help finding someone, here is a great way to start and making sure your philosophy matches with your potential healthcare provider.  If you still need help finding someone in you area, just leave a comment with your zip code.