So it’s important to mention these issues even if you think they are not related.  For instance, you might be coming in for mid back pain, but also have heartburn or reflux.  The nerves in this area of your spine go to your stomach and other upper digestive organs.  Interference from stress at these levels can interfere with optimal function and lead to ,digestive complaints.  The same rings true at other levels in your spine.  Headaches are commonly associated with problems in the neck.  Constipation and menstrual issues may be related to stress in the lower back.  The list goes on and on because all functions in the body are controlled and regulated by your nervous system which is housed and  protected by your spine. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been working with a client and they realize that since starting care they haven’t been experiencing a problem they were having that they never even mentioned in their initial visit.

Chiropractors use literally hundreds of adjusting techniques and not everyone responds the same to every technique.  What works well for one may not work as well for another.  So it is imperative that you let your chiropractor know how you are responding.  I’ve had a handful of clients who have discontinued care for unknown reasons.  Then I see them somewhere and ask how they are doing and they say well, I’m still having the problems I was having when I came to see you but when I got adjusted I was sore for awhile afterwards or I would get a little bit of a headache.  Now these reactions are not common, but sometimes people have these experiences when first starting care because of all the pent up stress in their spine.  So in these cases it may be normal to experience some mild discomfort initially.  It can be like starting a new exercise routine.  In other cases, however, it may be that they don’t       respond well to a specific technique.  I’ve had clients who achieve dramatically different results with what seems like minor adjustments in technique.  If there are multiple doctors in the office you are going to, you may ask to be adjusted by another doctor.  Sometimes a    different set of hands makes all the difference.

Again, the most important key to all relationships is communication.  So speak up!

If you live in Maine and have a chiropractor, your access/benefits may soon be at risk.  There is a Bill LD882 that threatens mandated access to chiropactic care. Since 1986 there has been a law in Maine that allows all Maine residents access to chiropractic care with out a referal. It is called the Maine mandate. Please write or email your representatives to express your thoughts and tell them to vote NO on LD882 ,below is a sample letter/ email that you can use as a guide when you write to your representatives.

Click here to Find your Legislator

Talking points for your email/letter

Talking Points for your letter: 1) LD882 is a “bare bones” bill that has the potential of eliminating chiropractic as a mandated provider. 2) LD882 eliminates competition in the healthcare market place. 3) LD882 eliminates a proven safe, effective and less costly healthcare provider. 4) Arguments that chiropractic can be purchased as an ADD ON or rider , will increase insurance premiums unnecessarily

Sample Letter ( Please paraphrase, do not copy verbatim)

Dear  Senator/ Represenative

I am writing to you to voice my opposition to LD882. Tis Bill will eliminate chiropractic as a mandated provider. Chiropractic care is less costly, safer and a very effective alternative to other forms of medical treatment, and it is important to me.

Please Vote NO on LD882

(insert a brief story about your chiropractic experience)

Thank you for your time and attention,

If you are at all familiar with the     history of chiropractic, you know that Mr.   Lillard was the first chiropractic patient. He was an entrepreneur who handled the cleaning and maintenance of the Ryan Building in downtown Davenport, IA. In that building was a magnetic healing clinic owned and operated by D.D. Palmer, the Founder of Chiropractic.

As the story goes, Mr. Lillard had lost his hearing 17 years earlier while working in a cramped space and after feeling a pop in his back. D.D. offered to examine Mr. Lillard and found a vertebra out of alignment in the area where the reported pop occurred. D.D.         reasoned that, based on the timeframe of the injury and the onset of the deafness, these two events must be connected. Therefore, if he could correct the misalignment there was a chance that Mr. Lillard’s hearing would be  restored. D.D. was right, and Mr. Lillard’s hearing was in fact restored.

This story has been repeated many times, including in past issues of this       newsletter. Usually the focus is on D.D., his insight into the function of the human body, and that first adjustment. However, without Mr. Lillard’s trust in D.D. and his bravery,there may have never been a first adjustment.

I don’t know what kind of relationship the two men had prior to this event, but imagine the circumstances.    Harvey allowed D.D. to perform a procedure that he had never performed before, on a very important area of the body. If D.D.’s hypothesis was true, that the injury to the spine caused Mr. Lillard’s deafness, then it was also       reasonable for him to think that further trauma to the spine could have additional adverse affects. While we know that chiropractors are highly trained and chiropractic is very safe when applied by a skilled chiropractor, D.D. was not trained in chiropractic, he had to create it.

So thank you, Harvey Lillard, for your bravery and the monumental role you played in creating the  profession that has gone on to affect the lives of millions of people around the world. You are not forgotten.

Brent Reiche DC

Doctors of Chiropractic are primary health care providers.

According to the Center for Studies in Health Policy, “The DC can provide all three levels of primary care interventions and therefore is a primary care provider, as are MDs and DOs. The doctor of chiropractic is a gatekeeper to the health care system and an independent practitioner who provides primary care services. The DC’s office is a direct access portal of entry to the full scope of service.”

Doctors of chiropractic provide effective, low-cost health care for a wide range of conditions.

Studies conducted according to the highest scientific standards and published by organizations not affiliated in any way with chiropractic institutions or associations continue to show the clinical appropriateness and effectiveness of chiropractic care. One of the most recent, funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health, stated emphatically that:”On the evidence, particularly the most scientifically valid clinical studies, spinal manipulation applied by chiropractors is shown to be more effective than alternative treatments for low back pain…There would be highly significant cost savings if more management of low back pain was transferred from physician to chiropractors.”

Doctors of Chiropractic receive extensive, demanding professional education on par with medical doctors (MDs) and osteopaths (DOs).

To receive the doctor of chiropractic degree, candidates must complete extensive undergraduate prerequisites and four years of graduate-level instruction and internship at an accredited chiropractic institution. Comprehensive knowledge of all systems of the body and diagnostic procedures enable the DC to thoroughly evaluate a patient, address disorders relating to the spine and determine the need for referral to another health care provider.

Chiropractic is the fastest-growing and second-largest primary health care profession.

There are approximately 60,000 doctors of chiropractic (DCs) in active practice in the United States spread from rural areas to inner cities. More than 10,000 students are currently enrolled in chiropractic educational programs accredited by a federally-recognized body (CCE).

Chiropractic services are in high demand.

Tens of millions of Americans routinely opt for chiropractic services and this number is rapidly growing. In 1993, more than 30 million consumers made chiropractic a regular part of their health care program.

Doctors of Chiropractic are licensed in all 50 states.

DCs have been licensed and recognized for many decades in all states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Chiropractic is recognized by governmental health care programs.

Chiropractic is included in Medicare, Medicaid, Federal Employees Health Care Benefits Programs, Federal Workers’ Compensation and all state workers’ compensation programs. Chiropractic students are qualified to receive federal student loan assistance and DCs are authorized to be commissioned as health care officers in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The practice of chiropractic is based on sound scientific principles.

The existence of the nervous system as the primary control mechanism of the body is an undisputed scientific fact. Its relationship with the spine is the focus of the practice of chiropractic. The spine develops in utero to provide two primary functions: (1) allow for freedom of movement and (2) house and protect the spinal cord. When the vertebrae of the spine become misaligned through trauma or repetitive injury, two major consequences will result: (1) the range of motion becomes limited and (2) spinal nerves emerging from the spinal cord are compromised. DCs use the term “subluxation” to describe such disruptions. Interruption of nerve flow can eventually lead to pain, disability, and an overall decrease in the quality of life. Conversely, the removal of that interference has been shown to have significant, lasting health benefits. Through the adjustment of the subluxation, the doctor of chiropractic endeavors to restore normal nerve expression. The body is then able to respond appropriately to any imbalance in the system, thus relieving symptoms and restoring health.

The doctor of chiropractic is an effective source of preventative and wellness care.

The anatomical focus of the DC on the human spine has created the perception of the DC as just a “back doctor.” Although this perception is not entirely incorrect, it is very much incomplete. Doctors of chiropractic are a highly appropriate resource in matters of work-place safety, stress management, injury prevention, postural correction and nutritional counseling.”

The process of chiropractic adjusment is a safe, efficient procedure which is performed nearly one million times every working day in the United States.

There is a singular lack of actuarial data that would justify concluding that chiropractic care is in any way harmful or dangerous. Chiropractic care is non-invasive, therefore, the body’s response to chiropractic care is far more predictable than its reactions to drug treatments or surgical procedures. Of the nearly one million adjustments given every day in this country, complications are exceedingly rare. Perhaps the best summary statement on the subject of safety was published in 1979 by the Government of New Zealand which established a special commission to study chiropractic. They found:

“The conspicuous lack of evidence that chiropractors cause harm or allow harm to occur through neglect of medical referral can be taken to mean only one thing: that chiropractors have on the whole an impressive safety record.”