10 things all patients must know to UNDERSTAND Chiropractic:

 

1. You are designed to be Healthy. Healthy is normal, unhealthy is abnormal.

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2. Your Body is Smart. There is an innate genetic intelligence that runs your body.

 

3. Innate Intelligence courses across the Nervous System. The nervous system helps us adapt to and deal with stress.

 

4. Your Spine is a suit of armor for the Nervous System. Your spine protects your spinal cord and facilitates the function of the entire nervous system.

 

5. Stress causes a condition known as Subluxation. Subluxations are misalignments of a joint that cause decreased movement and create interference with the communication of the nervous system. They are the root cause of many common health issues. 3 Types of Stress cause subluxation, and they are thoughts, traumas, and toxins. Your behaviors determine how many of those stresses you are exposed to. Only a chiropractor is trained to objectively test for Subluxations, and only specific chiropractic adjustments correct/remove Subluxations.

 

6. The Chiropractic Adjustment. Reduces Stress on Nervous System.

 

7. Recommendations. 3 Phases of care; Initial Intensive, Corrective Care, and Wellness/Maintenance Care.

 

8. 3-Legged Stool of Results (Adjustments, Exercises/Traction/Massage, Good Habits). It takes more than just adjustments to make a Wellness Lifestyle.

 

9. Bad Habits cause and promote Subluxations. Lifestyle choices matter! We’ve got a list of what to start and stop doing to make this easier.

 

10. We are on a Mission, and we need your help! If you don’t tell them, WHO WILL?!

 

Schroder Chiropractic is a clinic that serves as a community center for wellness minded individuals and families in central/south Austin.

This is important because people are dying from preventable diseases of chronic illness and being disabled by spinal degeneration at rates never seen on this planet.

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Common Questions and Myths about Chiropractic

 

"Once you go to a chiropractor you always have to go for the rest of your life." Or "I hear people get addicted to it."

People do get addicted to feeling better than they have in a long, long time. Will you be going to a dentist, or your medical doctor or optometrist the rest of your life? How long should you exercise or eat right?

These are just healthy lifestyle choices. Many people recognize the value of having a nervous system free of interference and choose regular adjustments to keep it that way.

 

But ultimately this is always your choice. You only need to come as long as an optimally functioning nervous system, increased ability to adapt to stress, lower stress levels, increased healing and regulatory functions, and a physical experience with less pain are of value to you.

 

"Why do I need to come in so often?"

We are doing something physical to change your body physically. Two things are required for that: enough frequency over a long enough time, just like getting in shape to run a marathon. It doesn’t matter how out of shape you are. If you work out frequently enough over a long enough period you can get into shape to run a marathon.

The same is true of your spine. We are trying to undo years of mis-use to the spine, which requires regularity and consistency.

 

"Chiropractors aren’t real doctors."

Our schooling is the same as medical schools. The difference is our philosophy. M.D.’s have two ways to treat: drugs and surgery. Their philosophy is that healing comes from the outside. This pill will make you better, or I’ll remove this body part to make you better.

 

Our philosophy is that healing comes from the inside (innate, genetic intelligence), and our bodies are self-healing and self-regulating if there is no interference and we give it the right ingredients for health (nutrition and exercise). We remove the interference to the master system, which is the nervous system.

 

"Is it going to hurt?"

There are many techniques in chiropractic. One technique uses an adjusting instrument that gently taps to get the bone off the nerve. Mostly I adjust patients with my hands or with the assistance of a table “drop”. However, I have many ways to work, and if you will work with me I promise that we will find a way to remove your subluxations that is comfortable for you.

 

"Chiropractic is too expensive."

Compared to what? Braces for the teeth ‐ $4,000‐$6,000, M.R.I. for the full spine, ‐ $1,800‐$2,400, Lasik Eye Surgery ‐ $3,500‐$5,000, Breast Augmentation ‐ $4,000‐$10,000, Dental Implants ‐ $1,250‐$3000 per tooth, Year supply of Claritin ‐ $1,200, Year supply of Cholesterol lowering drugs ‐ $1,500 (without doctor visits), A Chiropractic care plan is much less expensive (plus the savings of getting off of medications, needing fewer doctor/hospital visits, fewer missed days of work, etc). What is the value of having your brain communicate properly with the rest of your body?

 

"Chiropractic is dangerous"

Studies show that there is very little risk with the chiropractic adjustment made by hand, and virtually none with the adjustment instrument. Statistically, it is more of a risk to take 2 Advil a day for 2 weeks than to get adjusted. A look at malpractice insurance premium costs says it all; M.D. costs $22,000 ‐ $175,000 per year while Chiropractic malpractice insurance premium costs are $1,500 ‐ $3,000 for the same liability limits.

 

 

"Infants and Children should never be adjusted."

Do they have a spine and a nervous system? One of the biggest traumas we ever go through is being born. Have you ever seen a child learn to walk? They will fall, on average, 5000 times by age 3. Children respond to chiropractic care so much faster than adults. They haven’t had the years and years of physical, emotional, chemical stress and traumas that we have accumulated as adults. “As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.”

 

If I can crack my own back, why do I need a chiropractor?

There is a big difference between cracking your own back and having a specific spinal adjustment. When you crack your own back, if you don’t mess it up, it will generally feel better but the main subluxations (misalignments) can’t be gotten yourself. The segments above or below the misalignments will compensate with hypermobility, so you’ll hear the pops but the main subluxations will still be there, creating havoc with your nervous system. Only a chiropractor can detect and correct the specific subluxations that are causing this. Overuse of this technique can create ligamentous laxity, as well, but it has been disproven that cracking your own joints will lead to degeneration.

 

What is a subluxation, and why are they bad for me?

In simplest terms, a subluxation is when one or more of the bones of your spine (Vertebrae) move out of normal position and create pressure on or irritate spinal nerves. This pressure or irritation on the nerves then causes a change in the signals (or nerve energy) traveling over those nerves. Therefore, the area where the signal ends up will not function the way the brain intends.

 

Additionally, the brain will be robbed of the inbound signals that it utilized for activation energy, so all functions performed by the brain will be lowered. Think about a dimmer switch, slowly dimming the lights…you do NOT want that happening to your brain. This will cause dysfunction in every part of your body.

 

Subluxations also cause pain signals to constantly bombard the brain, even if you aren’t feeling conscious pain. This will keep your body stressed and living in the Fight or Flight system, which is devastating when activated chronically.

 

Lastly, subluxations begin the degenerative process. Spinal arthritis is the lay term for Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) or Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD). This takes years or decades to create major problems, but if a subluxation is left unchecked it will begin this process. The #1 cause of disability worldwide is back pain from spinal degeneration, so trust me that you do NOT want to deal with this ever in your life.

 

So how does Chiropractic help with other health issues besides back pain (i.e. asthma, allergies, ulcers, bowel movements)?

Well, if a nervous system is pinched and it goes to your stomach, your stomach will decrease its function by as much as 60%. So, if your stomach doesn’t digest your food as it should, it could lead to ulcers or acid reflux. This is true of every cell, organ, tissue, and system in your body.

 

Can I tell if I have a subluxation without consulting a Chiropractor?

Not always. A subluxation is like a dental cavity, in that you may have it for a long time before symptoms appear. That’s why periodic spinal check‐ups are so important. Although it may be possible to know you have a subluxation, it is rarely possible to be sure you don’t. An occasional spinal check‐up is always a good idea.