Those are eight of my favorite words in my practice because whatever comes next, it's going to be an interesting challenge. Usually, those words are spoken by a patient who has come to me to
get help for one of the “big three” (the three most common reasons for seeking chiropractic care are back pain, neck pain, and headaches) and is now feeling better from their initial complaint, but wonders if I can help some other situation they are suffering with. And no matter what it is, I will try, because I know that the power of the body to heal itself is amazing and should never be underestimated. I know that in the “old days” pre-insurance, people hardly ever talked about back pain at the chiropractor’s office. Our obsession with back pain started in the late ’70s when insurance started covering chiropractic care, but in order for it to pay, it had to be for a covered problem (namely, back pain, neck pain, or headaches). But chiropractic has never really been about back pain – it is about unleashing the healing power that God has put into every one of us to allow our bodies to restore themselves to full health. Thus, I have seen patients recover from everything from constipation to bladder infections, from insomnia and
anxiety, ear infections and ankle pain, and everything in between! Last week a patient told me that her digestive issues had been so much better since she started chiropractic care – and I didn’t even realize she had digestive issues!
The reason for this wondrous healing effect is that your body has an innate communication network called your nervous system. This nervous system consists of your brain, your spinal cord, and your nerves. Every signal that starts in your brain, has to pass down through your spinal cord before it can go out through the nerves to get to the rest of your body. Irritations along the spine, frequently caused by misaligned vertebrae, can be responsible for a decreased ability of your body to communicate within itself, hence a decreased expression of health.
So “Yes” is my answer, I just might be able to help with whatever new complaint the patient is asking about. Not that I can “fix” it, but rather that their own body may be ready and waiting to unleash its own healing power, and is merely being held back by a few snags in its communication system. And my role is just as a facilitator who helps remove an obstruction to health. I have seen some amazing recoveries through the years. Never underestimate the power of your body to heal itself!