Who Needs a Chiropractor?
William H. Koch
If you were to sit in my reception room and ask my patients why they were there, you probably would be surprised by the wide variety of conditions they have.
Most people associate chiropractic only with back and neck pain, pinched nerves, herniated discs, and whiplash injuries. This is a natural and correct association, but it is not the entire story.
In speaking to a typical cross-section of chiropractic patients, you would find that they were being helped with headaches, asthma, allergies, carpal tunnel syndrome, circulation problems, female problems, constipation, sciatica, fibromyalgia, and TMJ problems, just to name a few.
To understand why such a wide variety of conditions is responsive to chiropractic, you need more information.
You probably already know that chiropractors work with the spine, or backbone. That is why most people think of chiropractors as "back doctors." However, an improperly aligned spine does not just cause back and neck pain. It can also make you sick in ways you might not realize.
Thinkabout whatyou already knowaboutthe spine. You know that a broken neck can kill or paralyze. Perhaps you remember the late actor Christopher
ííMisalignments couse disruptions of the power; energy' and communication networks of the body' potentially affecting all of the organs and systems of the body. 99
Reeves. He played Superman in a series of movies. He was young, strong, handsome, and famous, with a beautiful wife and family. One day he was Superman and the next, crippled and in a wheelchair. He fell off a horse and was paralyzed completely by a broken neck, but he was lucky because that same fall could have just as easily killed him. Many people are killed every year in similar accidents, and every day, many who are severely disabled are paralyzed partially by fractures or injuries of the neck or other parts of the spine.
So, if a broken neck or back can kill or paralyze, doesn't it make perfect sense that a misaligned or injured spine can cause pain, physical dysfunction, or illness?
The reason a misaligned or damaged spine can cause a wide variety of human ills is that it affects the nervous system in much the same way that
"short circuits" affect electrical systems. Misalignments cause disruptions of the power, energy, and communication networks of the body, potentially
affecting all of the organs and systems of the body.
Often patients come to me saying they simply "do not feel well," or that they just don't feel "right." Sometimes they are even embarrassed to "waste the doctor's time" on a condition that they can't fully describe.
As a chiropractic physician, I always take such generalized complaints seriously. Although the patient may or may not have a specific, readily diagnosable disease, he or she is definitely in a state of "dis-ease." This means that the delicately balanced state that we call "health" has been disturbed.
When a patient comes to me with a health problem, whether it is a headache, a herniated disc
ÍÍ It is of the utmost importance that the cause of a patient's problems be determined and corrected. If chiropractic methods alone cannot do this, then I refer the patient to other professionals. 99
in the lower back, or any other pain, sickness, or vague "bad feelings," I take a complete medical history, ask questions about diet and lifestyle,
and examine him for evidence of spinal misalignment.
During my 45 years of experience, I have found that when I discover and correct spinal misalignments in people who are sick and in pain, most of them get better.
In addition to making the spinal corrections, I often recommend changes in diet or some aspect of the patient's lifestyle, which may have contributed to his or her condition. In many cases, I also recommend nutritional supplements when I find the patient has a deficiency. In other cases, rehabilitative exercises are given to strengthen weak, injured, or unstable joints. I believe in a holistic approach to health care, which means treating the "whole" person.
I do not believe in the Band-Aid approach to health care, or just treating symptoms. It is of the utmost importance that the cause of a patient's problems be determined and corrected. If chiropractic methods alone cannot do this, then I referthe patientto other professionals. Frequently, I work with other physicians and surgeons from whom I receive referrals and to whom I make referrals.
There are many people in every community who are sick or in pain and who do not know that they can be helped by chiropractic.
If you are in pain or suffering from ill health, you owe it to yourself to investigate chiropractic care. If yours is indeed a chiropractic case, then only a chiropractor can help you.
Dr. William H. Koch is a 1967 Cum Laude graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. He practiced in the Hamptons of Eastern Long Island, New York for 30 years and in the Bahamas for 15 years aboard his motor yacht, Hie Coastal Chiropractor He is licensed to practice in New York, Florida and The Bahamas and currently splits his time between Abaco in The Bahamas and his newest practice in Mount Dora, Florida. Check out his website DrWilliamHKoch. com and look for his books on amazon.com.
