Parent Magazine Flagler January 2019 | Page 31

4 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT C HIROPRACTIC Today’s families are growing tired with the traditions of Western medicine. Have a cough? Take this. Have a headache? Try taking these. The patterns of developing symptoms and taking medicines are beginning to create unhealthier side effects. More and more families are searching for alternatives in healthcare before jumping on board with pills and surgeries. A viable alternative is chiropractic care. Many growing families turn to chiropractic to promote their health and prevent future illness and injury. There are many questions about chiropractic, which I would like to address. 1. I’m not in pain, so why do I need chiropractic? Pain is the last sign of dysfunction. Our bodies’ experience many bumps and minor injuries beginning at birth. Overtime these small bumps can compound on each other to develop bigger aches and pains if left untreated. A patient’s pain may have developed over months or years before they begin to actually feel it. Similar to routine dental check-ups, chiropractors assess children and adults for spine and nervous system dysfunction before a problem occurs. The absence of pain does not equal health. 2. How does chiropractic help with more than back and neck pain? The body is an amazing system! There are many organizations or systems within the body that work together to keep you healthy. When you cut your finger or break a bone, do you have to tell your body to heal? No! Our bodies have the innate ability to heal and stay healthy. The governing system of the body is the nervous system. As chiropractors, we assess the function of your nervous system via your spine. The spine protects and holds the nervous system. When there is a subluxation, or vertebral dysfunction, the function of that specific nerve can be impaired. By improving the function of the nervous system chiropractors may help with conditions including digestive issues, asthma, ear infections, colic, allergies, sleeping problems, and more. 3. Can chiropractors do more than adjustments? Yes! Chiropractors are primary care physicians and are able to give guidance in many areas. Chiropractors are able to advise on nutrition, fitness, ergonomics and lifestyle, and order labs. 4. How old does a patient have to be to see a chiropractor? There is no patient too young or too old for chiropractic. We have techniques specific to older and younger generations to provide specific, gentle care. Seniors can benefit from not only pain relief but also increased range of motion, decreased degeneration, and improved balance or coordination. Chiropractors are trained to check newborns for vertebral misalignments that may have occur as a result of the birthing process. In addition to improving overall health and wellness, families choose to bring their children to chiropractors to encourage healthy brain and nervous system development. Our office is more than happy to help you and your family. If you have more questions about chiropractic or if you would like to improve your family’s health through chiropractic, please give us a call at 386-227-7534. Dr. Allison Gimbert New Spring Chiropractic