Hanft Family Chiropractic

Wellness is many different things to many different people.  We each define our own wellness state and where we’d like to be, and we either strive for it or we don’t.  Chiropractic care goes hand in hand with wellness.  Although most people visit a chiropractor out of necessity (usually for pain or headaches), the true power of chiropractic reaches far beyond pain management and into the realms of wellness.   As a chiropractor in Columbia, MO,  I know that you have a vast array of health care options,  but you should consider chiropractic as a vital tool in your arsenal.   Let’s explore this a bit more, shall we?

How do I utilize chiropractic to help achieve wellness?  Well, first and foremost, wellness is dependant on a optimally functioning nervous system.  Remember, your nervous system controls everything in your entire body from your eyes to your toes and everything in between.  If you have a mis-alignment in your spine that causes nerve irritation, this most likely will present with pain, numbness, or improper function (frequent urination, weakness, blurred vision, etc).  The ideal situation is to have to have a chiropractor check your spine for mis-alignments prior to them becoming problems.  Think of it like dentistry and your teeth:  It’s far better for you to find a cavity early during a random screening than it is to have the cavity begin causing significant pain over the course of a few months.  Routine checks of your spine are even more vital than routine checks of your teeth because remember, your spine contains almost every nerve in your entire body!

Here is another way to think about it:  When you were young and you got sick, what happened next?  You went to your medical doctor and were prescribed a medication.  What if could have made choices in your life that would have promoted never getting sick in the first place?  That’s essentially what wellness attempts to achieve.  Through taking care of our bodies and maximizing our potential, we limit the opportunities for bacteria, viruses, aches and pains, and other problems to cause us problems.

So how often should I go to my chiropractor?  That question does not have a definitive answer because you are completely different than your neighbor.  Where you might require just a few visits a year to remain free of spinal mis-alignments and problems, your neighbor may require more or less.  Our health histories play an important role in determining how often we will need chiropractic care to reach wellness.  For example, having several car accidents in your past will likely mean more damage has been done and that will require more frequent check-ups to make sure your spine is correctly aligned.  An elderly person who has a history of falls will also likely require more frequent visit.  This is not unique to chiropractic either.  If you have a heart condition, you will likely see your medical doctor or cardiologist more frequently because catching a problem early is vital to successful treatment.  Chiropractic is no different.

Two quotes some this up nicely:  “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  Ben Franklin

“The best defense is a good offense.”  Anonymous

Wellness is something every person should be striving for, however, if it were that easy, everyone would be doing it and the fact is most are not.  The good news is that chiropractic can help take you in the right direction toward wellness.