The truth of the matter is that it can only be answered comprehensively in a conversation. I would need to ask a few questions and perhaps in the end you would tell me whether you need to come back!
So why did you come to visit us in the first place?
Some ache or pain is usually the motivating factor for picking up the phone and making the appointment, however this is often driven by a deeper need or issue that is affecting your life.
“I have back pain which is interfering with my ability to play with my grandchildren.”
“I have neck pain and headaches which are making it difficult to concentrate at work. I am unable to perform at my optimum.”
“I am irritable and distracted which disrupts the rest of the class and my teacher hates me.”
If you just want to get rid of the symptom the adjustment plan is going to be driven by when that symptom leaves. So if the back pain or neck pain or headaches are gone you would be well justified in feeling that you don’t need to come back.
However, what was causing that symptom in the first place? How long did it take for you to do something about that symptom?
Now we are in the realm of dealing with the underlying cause. Perhaps I can ask you to imagine an iceberg, which always makes me think of the Titanic – however I digress! What is above the surface of the water is a small picture of the entire iceberg, what is below the surface is what sinks the Titanic. Now if you want to deal with the underlying cause of what has brought you into the practice we have to move away from using the symptom as our measure of how things are going and start looking to the cause of said symptom.
Was there a physical reason for this occurring? Some accident or injury which caused this? Or a more prolonged repetitive injury, perhaps caused by bad posture, incorrect ergonomics at your desk or a job which needs you to get into challenging positions – a plumber getting under a sink comes to mind!
Was there a biochemical reason for this occurring? The substances we put into our body can affect how well it heals and repairs. Good nutrients are essential to build and maintain a strong and healthy body. We do tend to put in many things which are detrimental to our general health and well-being. Smoking, drinking, consuming various drugs and medications. The additives and preservatives in processed foods can contribute to this stress on the body.
Was there a mental or emotional reason for this occurring? The stresses and strains of daily life can eventually lead to physical symptoms. Our state of mind can certainly affect how we perceive pain so this can be a significant factor contributing to the reason you first made the appointment.
I must now mention the health continuum. If you imagine a scale with severe illness at one end and optimum health on the other, a point midway would be a place where you are experiencing no symptoms. Does this mean that you are healthy? Well it would depend on which way you are travelling along the continuum…
Most often when patients come into the practice, they are in pain and are travelling towards severe illness on the continuum. With a few adjustments we can turn this around and get the patient out of pain but now we are only midway on the continuum, to continue travelling in the direction of optimum health we have to continue with the changes that we have made. Doing exercises that will strengthen the body, improving the nutrients we put into our body so that we can heal and changing our mind-set. Now back to the iceberg. How long did it take to form that iceberg? How long is it going to take with all the positive changes you have made to clear that iceberg so that you are at optimum health?
Chiropractic adjustments will aid this positive process and we need to remember that every positive action we take bio-accumulates. Over time we can get better and better. The bad news is that every negative action we take also bio-accumulates so we need to not only balance the negative actions with positive but in fact do more positive things if we are going to clear that iceberg!
So do you need to come back? Yes, certainly. But it depends on your expectations and circumstances. We will support your decision whatever you choose to do.
So why did you come to visit us in the first place?
Some ache or pain is usually the motivating factor for picking up the phone and making the appointment, however this is often driven by a deeper need or issue that is affecting your life.
“I have back pain which is interfering with my ability to play with my grandchildren.”
“I have neck pain and headaches which are making it difficult to concentrate at work. I am unable to perform at my optimum.”
“I am irritable and distracted which disrupts the rest of the class and my teacher hates me.”
If you just want to get rid of the symptom the adjustment plan is going to be driven by when that symptom leaves. So if the back pain or neck pain or headaches are gone you would be well justified in feeling that you don’t need to come back.
However, what was causing that symptom in the first place? How long did it take for you to do something about that symptom?
Now we are in the realm of dealing with the underlying cause. Perhaps I can ask you to imagine an iceberg, which always makes me think of the Titanic – however I digress! What is above the surface of the water is a small picture of the entire iceberg, what is below the surface is what sinks the Titanic. Now if you want to deal with the underlying cause of what has brought you into the practice we have to move away from using the symptom as our measure of how things are going and start looking to the cause of said symptom.
Was there a physical reason for this occurring? Some accident or injury which caused this? Or a more prolonged repetitive injury, perhaps caused by bad posture, incorrect ergonomics at your desk or a job which needs you to get into challenging positions – a plumber getting under a sink comes to mind!
Was there a biochemical reason for this occurring? The substances we put into our body can affect how well it heals and repairs. Good nutrients are essential to build and maintain a strong and healthy body. We do tend to put in many things which are detrimental to our general health and well-being. Smoking, drinking, consuming various drugs and medications. The additives and preservatives in processed foods can contribute to this stress on the body.
Was there a mental or emotional reason for this occurring? The stresses and strains of daily life can eventually lead to physical symptoms. Our state of mind can certainly affect how we perceive pain so this can be a significant factor contributing to the reason you first made the appointment.
I must now mention the health continuum. If you imagine a scale with severe illness at one end and optimum health on the other, a point midway would be a place where you are experiencing no symptoms. Does this mean that you are healthy? Well it would depend on which way you are travelling along the continuum…
Most often when patients come into the practice, they are in pain and are travelling towards severe illness on the continuum. With a few adjustments we can turn this around and get the patient out of pain but now we are only midway on the continuum, to continue travelling in the direction of optimum health we have to continue with the changes that we have made. Doing exercises that will strengthen the body, improving the nutrients we put into our body so that we can heal and changing our mind-set. Now back to the iceberg. How long did it take to form that iceberg? How long is it going to take with all the positive changes you have made to clear that iceberg so that you are at optimum health?
Chiropractic adjustments will aid this positive process and we need to remember that every positive action we take bio-accumulates. Over time we can get better and better. The bad news is that every negative action we take also bio-accumulates so we need to not only balance the negative actions with positive but in fact do more positive things if we are going to clear that iceberg!
So do you need to come back? Yes, certainly. But it depends on your expectations and circumstances. We will support your decision whatever you choose to do.
RSS Feed