Crack me up
Once widely ridiculed as charlatans, chiropractors are now recognized as highly skilled healers By Robrt Pela
A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, AFTER I FOOLISHLY IGNORED
my own rule about never lifting anything bigger than my head, I was a basket case. The tension in the back of my neck and shoulders resulted in stress headaches that felt like ice picks being driven into my skull. The burning sensation between my shoulder blades made it nearly impossible to sleep. Good old Dr. Johnson, who has been my general practitioner since I was three years old and saw me through dozens of childhood injuries and a tonsillectomy, offered this advice: “Take some aspirin.” I wanted to brain him. Instead, I stumbled down the street and into the office of a local chiropractor. After my first visit, my headaches disappeared. My second adjustment wiped out the stiffness in my neck and shoulders. By my third trip to the chiropractor, I was hooked. I am not alone. According to a recent Gallup Poll, ten percent of all Americans – that’s nearly thirty million people – have used chiropractic services within the past year. Once widely ridiculed as charlatans, chiropractors are recognized today as highly skilled healers who work in tandem with M.D.s and physical therapists in occupational health, sports medicine, and a wide variety of other rehabilitation practices. In fact, chiropractors (required to take more college hours than a regular M.D.) now represent the third largest group of doctoral-level health professionals in the United States, after M.D.s and dentists. Hospitals across the country are adding back crackers to their staffs, and they are turning up on more and more “preferred provider” lists. What’s more, chiropractic medicine is now covered by many workers’ compensation plans as well as Medicare and Medicaid. Chiropractic is derived from the Greek word chiropraktikos, which means “effective treatment by hand.” Purveyors of this healing art believe that your health depends in large part on a well-tuned nervous system. Chiropractic health care tends to focus on the
spine, because the nerves extending from the spine are linked to all parts of the body. The displacement of the spinal column from an accident, physical overexertion, or even plain old stress can result in malfunctions in other parts of the body. Re-aligning your spine by manipulating vertebrae that are out of whack allows your body to operate more efficiently and more comfortably. Your chiropractor will consider more than just latinopm.com
¡ August 2013!
Latino Perspectives Magazine
39