Chiropractic Dirty Words: Part 2

Last month I shared with my audience one of the dirty words of chiropractic. I wrote about subluxation, a word chiropractors cannot agree upon. Now I will present a word folks on the outside of chiropractic do not understand.

The next dirty word is maintenance. Someone can receive maintenance care at the chiropractor's office by receiving a spinal adjustment when he or she is not in pain. The reason for this is because superior benefits are experienced when the body is not in a state of stress.

Maintenance is highly valued when talking about car care. Making sure the brakes are in top condition and the engine has fresh oil are very important for safety. When precious cargo is on board, no one wants to risk a serious accident or breakdown late at night during treacherous weather.

I don't know anybody who says he'll wait until he gets a flat tire to check the pressure. We've all had to deal with the surprise dead battery, but to ignore the technician's advice and hope a Good Samaritan will come by with jumper cables does not make sense.

When the roof starts to leak or a few shingles have worn off, a roofer is called in to fix it. I know some incredible procrastinators, but people who enjoy comfort will not wait until the roof collapses.

How about lawn maintenance? Have you ever seen a yard that has grown out of control so badly that there is a fear of an alligator or grizzly bear living among the brush? That could be your spine!

To some, chiropractic is only for accidents and injuries. Being proactive is not synonymous with chiropractic if you happen to be an administrator of a health maintenance organization. The irony could really anger me, but I get adjusted instead.

Too often I hear the statement: if you start going to a chiropractor you have to keep going back. That haunts me like hearing Henny Youngman say, “Take my wife, please,” over and over again. I suppose if you start brushing your teeth you will have to keep doing that, too.

Why do we have maintenance drugs? Maybe people with kidney transplants really don't need anti-rejection medicines. Yes, I am being sarcastic. Even weight loss programs teach their participants about the importance of the maintenance phase.

Chiropractic is like anything else you make a commitment to. You will get out of it exactly what you put into it. Since the spine absorbs your stress every second, the wear and tear is real.

It is very tragic when I see folks who had no idea they were at risk and then suffered a rather simple injury that forced them to apply for disability. Now, the maintenance care they know helps them get out of bed in the morning and barely manage a few activities.

You are not a roof or an automobile. The spine cannot be replaced like a tire or window. Chiropractic maintenance care works. It changes lives. The best advice I can give is: don't wait.