So, over the past 5 years, I have had some health challenges: lots of joint pain, a frozen shoulder, rosacea, headaches, digestive issues, brain fog, etc. Nothing major, but absolutely limiting my overall quality of life. Initially I chalked it up to the stress of several big changes going on in my life. But after “working on my health” for years… I was still dealing with these issues.
A couple of months ago, I had a flare-up of pain in my low back. While I have a history of low back pain that goes all the way back to high school, I hadn’t had anything like this in probably over 10 years, and this time even had some new tingling sensations show up too. I kept doing yoga as best I could, went to my fantastic acupuncturist for a treatment, had a nice massage, got a quick chiropractic adjustment from an out-of-town colleague at a gathering, and then had a great craniosacral session. All of these seemed helpful at the time, but my condition wasn’t improving, and now 3 weeks had passed, and I was tired of being in pain and feeling so cautious and physically limited.
I considered what to do next, and decided to go see a local chiropractor who I had been under regular care with some years ago. I needed a new approach, and I knew it. As soon as I started getting adjusted, things began to change. My low back pain was improving, yes (and YAY!); but also, my skin got a bit better, my energy increased, and my sleep improved. My digestion seemed a bit better, my headaches decreased, and my joints were feeling better. My brain fog was lifting, and my mood lightened; I felt more hopeful and positive about the world, my life, and my future. WOW. Then I thought about it. Before starting back into regular chiropractic care, I had slipped into getting adjusted just once every 1-3 months, and that had been going on for years... The chiropractors I was getting adjusted by are not in Seattle, so we were meeting up periodically to connect and to adjust each other. In my 22 years of practice, there had been times when I was getting adjusted regularly in Seattle, or nearby, but then, somehow, I had let it decrease to just at those gatherings, which had been monthly, but then shifted into being less frequent…. So, I really hadn’t been getting adjusted much at all. But, wait, I’m a chiropractor! What the heck?! Chiropractic care helps us integrate life’s challenges, come out of overload, maximize adaptability, and function at our fullest natural potential. And, I hadn’t been giving my own body’s nerve and communication systems that supportive, restorative care to function at my best. Life always brings challenges, and I felt like I’d had a bit of the “snowball effect”- the overloads of life had built up, and I was directly experiencing a significant decrease in my quality of life. But, again, I’m a chiropractor! How did I let this happen to ME?! How could I possibly have failed to provide myself with the care that I teach my clients about and that I provide in the office every day? How could I have forgotten the fundamental concept of chiropractic care as a path to create, restore, and optimize health? I was really shocked, and, actually, kind of embarrassed.
As I pondered how it happened, I realized: I’m human too. We all get overloaded sometimes. We all forget sometimes what works for us, or what our resources are. We get busy, caught up in productivity, activity, and the frenetic pulse of city living. For the past 4 months, I have continued to receive regular (at least weekly) chiropractic adjustments. That back pain I had? Most of it is long gone. But my health has steadily continued to improve in so many ways; I feel like I’m finally healing. My body is working through lots of old stored stress, and my overall health and adaptability (to handle what is coming at me now) is increasing every week. I’m so grateful to be getting adjusted again. And, after my initial shock and shame about being the chiropractor who wasn’t getting adjusted, I’m so glad I had the chance to relearn the lesson of what an incredible difference chiropractic makes when it comes to health. I love facilitating health through chiropractic care. Please let me know if I can help you, or if you have any questions.
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