Chiropractic patients commonly seek out care for an ache or pain. Understandable isn’t it? Patients believe that as soon as their pain is gone, they will be better. The irony is patients do not actually come in because of pain. People in pain become patients when pain starts to prevent them from activities they love to do. Pain becomes a motivator to take action so they can return to a certain quality of life. The wellness revolution is in full swing. As we gain a stronger understanding of human potential we see a tremendous capacity for longevity and the expression of vibrant life. Scientists have discovered isolated populations of people that live extremely long lives without any evidence of disease (120-150 years). Most people will spend more money on their “health” in the last two weeks of their life than they do their entire lives!Dr. Eric Plasker said it best, “Many people spend the first 50 years of their lives ignoring their health while they accumulate wealth, only to spend the next 50 years losing their wealth to buy back their health. Knowing that your longevity potential is 100 years gives you an opportunity to place your health at the top of your value scale.”
Who wants to “manage” their pain? Wouldn’t you rather have it gone? More importantly wouldn’t you rather understand why its there in the first place so you can prevent it from returning? Americans have had enough with drugs and surgery. As a society we are fed up with the options that medicine gives us. There are only three options in the medical world. 1. Live with it. 2. Take a drug and hope the side effects aren’t worse than the pain. 3. Have surgery and perhaps you will feel better but “maybe not.” Who’s going to gamble on those odds? This is by no means a medical bashing article. This is a description of a philosophy of health care that is failing when it comes to pain patients. There are countless medical heroes and much of their work is life saving. However, they also miss the “forest for the trees” sometimes. When a patient comes in with pain, this is a great opportunity to educate them. Chiropractic care and medicine belong in two entirely different philosophical camps. Lets explore the metaphysical stance of each or the nature of reality that each branch of health care operates on. Medicine is a reductionist model. They attempt to break the human body down into its simplest form or parts. They study cells, tissues, organs, biochemical pathways etc…separately. Each is its own branch of science. Medicine asks the question is the body producing too much or too little of a something. Further, they ask if there is a chemical they can add to the body or something they can remove surgically so that homeostasis can return?
The nature of the Chiropractic model of health is that the body is a self-regulating and self-healing “organism.” We are much more than just a compilation of cells, organs and tissues. We are a thriving, complex and dynamic living being. Our nature cannot be reduced to a double blind randomized control trial. We do not fit into this paradigm because of the complex nature of our existence. We belong in a holistic model and for good reason. The very nature of holism takes into consideration the entire being. Holism looks at the dynamic interaction of the body on a structural (cells, muscles, organs, tissues, nervous system etc…), biochemical (macro and micronutrients, enzymes, cofactors, air quality), and emotional level (thoughts, circumstances of life a.k.a. “stressors”, 2500 words per minute running through our brain telling us who we are and what our potential is.) The health of the human body cannot be broken down merely into systems. One system cannot be considered without taking into account the other. They are one in the same and each system depends equally on the health and function of the other to maintain human life. When each system is doing its job appropriately, would you say that the organism is dying or thriving? Obviously thriving!
What happens when one of the three branches of human health becomes stressed (structure, chemistry or emotions)? Do you think it has a direct affect on another system? Absolutely! An EMPHATIC YES! Is it possible that emotional stress in the body can have a deleterious effect on the body and compromise the structure of the musculoskeletal system? You bet! Often this manifests as pain. The medical profession puts a band-aid on the pain metaphorically. They cover up said pain with anti-inflammatory pills, pain killers and life numbing, life robbing drugs. The root of the problem was emotional stress however for this example! The drugs yank the batteries out of the smoke detector and make the patient believe nothing is wrong! Meanwhile, the house is still on fire! Any surprise why the pain keeps returning? The diagnosis was blown! The emotional stress was the real cause of the problem. Do emotions affect biochemistry in the body? Has anyone ever made you so mad that it felt like your blood was boiling? Does this raise your blood pressure? SURE! If an individual lives in a chronic state of emotional overdrive, is it likely they will have high blood pressure? YES!
Pain is NOT your problem. It is the fundamental answer to the frustration and confusion regarding the pandemic of chronic pain in the United States, and it is the title of this article. It is not the problem. Pain is a symptom which serves as a protective mechanism to prevent further compromise to the body. Surprisingly, the sensory portion of the nervous system, which produces pain, makes up a small percentage of the total nervous system, 10%. The remaining 90% operates thanklessly and silently. When the safety of the body is in jeopardy, the sensory system sends out a warning signal to “Listen up!” How often do you listen? These fast-faced times clearly demand productivity. We have been desensitized to pain. We have been taught to ignore and minimize pain. How many times did we hear “don’t be a baby, walk it off, suck it up, don’t rub it, take an aspirin, etc…” from our mothers, fathers, teachers, preachers, coaches and big pharmacy.
Here is a little secret, *whisper* we were LIED to! Who told us to question the origin of our aches and pains? We were never taught to be sensory acute to our bodies. At this point you might believe aches and pains normally appear out of the blue sky. Absolutely not! They only seem like random occurrences for the externally driven person. The external person is the eternal victim. This is the “why me” type of person; the person who blames bad luck, bad germs and bad genes on their circumstances and their health. The way we feel on the outside is a mirror image of what is happening to us on the inside. Aches and pains are warning signals. They are progressive sirens that will get louder and louder the longer you ignore them. We should train our kids to appreciate what pain means and to value the role of the nervous system in the body so they grow up to be internally driven. This would help to eliminate the problem of chronic and unexplainable pain. When you start living internally and taking action towards your own health, we better comprehend how everything in life is an outcome of our efforts and investment. Positive or negative. If you are a person suffering from chronic pain, I will guarantee that you have been poorly educated in regards to a proper diet, effective exercise routine and the impact that emotions have on physical health. Or you might struggle with implementation. You have likely never taken much responsibility for your own health. You have never recognized the root of your problems because you have lived externally up until today and nobody told you. Because I care about you so much and you deserve to express life optimally, start challenging yourself now. Take massive action!
Your pain is the wake-up call demanding that you change your life and take control. As you work to isolate the “why,” you will be forced to change your environment and your behavior. In doing so, your understanding of health will expand and it will never be able to contract to its original size. You cannot unring a bell! You become a stronger and more internally driven person the more you choose to embrace the process. This creates knowledge. Knowledge plus experience equals personal power!
Chiropractic care is an investment in your health. Choosing wellness care over sick and symptom based care is a proactive and preventative action. You can now see how there is no need to wait for the engine to smoke to change the oil in your car. When you consciously shift your paradigm of health and break free from your outdated belief systems which no longer serve you, this is extraordinary action! This is applaudable because it is such a massive shift in thinking. If you join a gym, does the membership card come with 6 pack abs and a tight toned butt? Do they guarantee lower blood pressure for paying your monthly dues? Of course not! A spectacular body and great health take an investment on your part of sweat and participation. You must show up to reap the benefits. You need to put in the work, just like life! You can either be the “observed” or the “observer” and on the inside or the outside. The observed lived consciously and internally. Every practice member within Transformation Chiropractic pays cash for their care. They understand and appreciate that paying for their care is an investment just like training in the gym. People under my care choose to live optimally. They appreciate that life long wellness is a decision. Nobody is forcing them to choose health and vitality. They are educated on the benefits of chiropractic care for prevention. Transformation Chiropractic patients enjoy the journey of wellness. They understand that “wellness” is not a state they can race to. There is no point where you have “made it” because a pinnacle does not exist. There is only one absolute destination in life and that is death. How we choose to utilize the iterim is our human potential. By holding ourselves accountable to the process of achieving this potential, we live internally and practice free will!
Dr. Shaun Stuto is a chiropractor near 59802|chiropractor near 59802 and the founder of Transormation Chiropractic in Missoula, MT. Call TODAY and Schedule an appointment (406) 728-1250