Chiropractor ...do You Swear by It?

My husband is a chiro. My daughter has been adjusted since birth. She has never had an ear infection, rarely gets sick, and started sleeping through the night at seven weeks. Yeah gonna say it works. :)

I LOVE going to the chiropractor, but I must say that not all chiros are alike. It's wonderful to go to a GOOD chrio, but a bad one is a waste of money.

Our whole family goes for adjustments for back and muscle issues, but we also go for sinus and colds. A good adjustment can get your immune system working. Our chiro also recommends supplements, and we haven't really taken any pharmaceuticals in years. Once in a while we'll need some ibuprofen or some cold medicine (mostly for my daughter, who can't bear the cold symptoms like we can.)

I would say some things to look out for are chiros who seem more interested in signing you up for treatment packs than they are actually listening to your health issues. A good chrio will really listen, and then make you feel comfortable about the treatment plan. He/she will also let you know what your treatment plan will entail.

Since not all insurance covers chiros, many of them do have payment plans or "packs" of adjustments so that's not necessarily a red flag. But if you don't feel listened to, or comfortable, leave.

My brother got duped into a "free exam and X-ray" and it ended up costing him $300 because it wasn't really free! Most chrios will do a free "consultation," that's totally normal. But that's just where they bring you in, check your back and ask questions. Normally you pay for the X-rays and the actual exam.

I've had 3 chiros I totally love, and the only reason I left them is we moved, then the 2nd one moved her practice, out of state and now #3 is my FIL :)

Try to get a recommendation from a friend! I think that's always a good way to go.

The doc and how you two get along is the best way to get good results.

I have gone to Chiropractors that didn't listen to me and ended up hurting me, one sprained my neck.

But once you find that doc, the one that does just what you need, you just can't go back to anyone else.

The best one I every went to would put me face down on a table and message me for about 20 minutes with his hands then use ultra sound, by the time he was done I was all bendy. He would then put me in the room with the muscle stimulation equipment. I would have 4 pads on my neck area, 4 on the upper back and then 4 more on the lower back. He would turn them all on and hand me the controls. I had a doc turn on the machine and leave the room, the whole end of the building, his secretary coming in from lunch heard me yelling and crying, she came in and unplugged the machine. I was so afraid of doing something wrong since I had never had that kind of treatment before. So anyway, this other doc would had me the controls and let me control the stimulation. He would wrap me up in heated pads and when he came back I was relaxed, muscles soft, and I was still all bendy and not tight.

He would lay me on the table face up and put a towel around my neck just under my chin and ears then pull on it gently and pop my back all the way down. Nothing else. No popping, no twisting, no forcing anything to go anywhere. Within just a couple of months I was feeling better than I had ever felt.

Then once that I had reached the level that I was keeping the muscle softness between visits I was able to lessen the appointments and eventually stop going while still feeling good. He taught me to take care of my neck and back, how to use better posture and how to stretch out. He taught me, and I still have that knowledge today and if I do take care of myself I can be much more pain free and loose.

I think it depends on what you are going for. They did a great job with my back pain. But for my occipital neuralgia, they actually made the headache and back of head pain worse. Honestly, I didn't believe in them until I met a friend of mine who was a chiropractor. she told me she routinely practiced on her kids, and they rarely get sick. As soon as they have symptoms she is working it out of them. I also think you have to find the right one. There are good chiros and bad ones.

Yes, the whole family goes...but not just to any chiro...we take a long while to find the right one...and I have to say we have moved many times to different states but all of our good finds have come out of the Palmer college of Chiropratic in Iowa! Just to give you a good start.

Not all Chiropractors are good, or at least good for everyone. You really have to find one that works for you and your family!

Been adjusted since childhood, so have my kids. It works for many things!

Laura and anyone else interested in knowing..it comes down to the fact that your nervous system is inside your spinal column, so anything out of alignment can cause nerve damage and bodily dysfunction. And all bodily functions are controlled by the nervous system. The same principle as straightening teeth with braces basically, although people are more willing to do that because they can "see" the results.

You go for life because everyone has falls, lifts too much, accidents, etc..and if left untreated cause permanent damage. Only going once in a while is like working out once a year and expecting to stay in shape. Babies are commonly out of alignment following the birth process, think about how much their little bodies go through that day! Then as they walk, they fall (a lot!). I've seen it work for bed wetting, ADHD, asthma, allergies, ear infections, colic, etc. because of the nervous system being realigned!

I have only been to one chiropractor, so I feel that I hit it lucky. I initially went because my sciatic nerve was killing me and I was leaving on vacation in 4 days! A couple of friends at work recommended him, and I took the chance.
He took the time to talk to me, do xrays, explain what chiro can and can not do, and then proceeded to treat me. I had 3 treatments in 3 days and he was able to get me to the point where my vacation was not totally ruined! He is very gentle and knows his stuff. I always feel confident going to him when I need to, and I don't hesitate in asking questions about the treatments. He also treated the "arthritis/carpel tunnel" that my primary care physician said I had. He manipulated my wrists and "popped" the joints, and within 3 weeks my wrists and hands were pain free. Definately ask for recommendations from family and friends because experience with a doctor is far better than just looking a name up in the phone book.

I go monthly to a chiropractor and have been since I was in my late teens when I fell off the balance beam in gymnastics. A good chiropractor will have intro sessions for new patients to explain what chiropractic can/cannot do for you. A good one will also not touch you until they have seen x-rays of your back since it could cause major problems if one tried to adjust a back that has tiny hairline fractures in the bones. For me, since my back is lacking curvature my vertebrae tend to lock together and then feel stiff and painful right between my shoulder blades. The chiropractor "unlocks" them and keeps me moving free. There have been days where right after I go to the chiropractor I do something stupid like lifting incorrectly and lock myself back up, and there have also been times when a week before my next appointment I have a nice stretch and unlock everything myself.
My father was missing cartlidge between some vertebrae and the chiropractor told him he could temporarily relieve pain by loosening the vertebrae to give them more room to move, but he could never "fix" the problem.
Chiropractors work on taking any kind of kinks or blockage out of the spine which houses a huge amount of nerves that carry electrical impulses to all your organs and the rest of your body, so if you allow that energy to flow as un-interrupted as possible, then your body should function better. I can only say that I feel a release of pain and tension in my back, but whether I am healthier or not, I cannot say.

I have been to two chiropractors and HATED them. I don't like people snapping my neck and joints and cracking me. It was not my cup of tea. My girlfriend swears by this guy who barely touches her and kind of claps his hands together by her neck. I don't understand it, but she says he is a miracle worker. (I just think of Mr. Miyagi from Karate Kid!)
I kind of wonder what children are getting adjusted for? They are kids! My kids rarely get sick either and they have never been adjusted. I guess I am surprised that people feel their kids are not adjusted at 3 months. (Sorry TJ!)

My 3 year old has not had an ear infection since she started going in June! She was on the verge of needing tubes and it really worked well for her.

I was in worse pain after seeing a chiropractor than before. I will never again let one touch me.