Imagine you want to eat some fruit, but you have none in the house. For most of us, that means a trip to the super market. But that’s only the first in a chain of decisions that you need to make. Do you want fresh, frozen, or canned? If fresh, what kind of fruit? Oranges, apples, pears, peaches, melons, and grapes are all on display in the produce section. If your taste is for apples, what variety do you prefer? Some people like apples that are sweet; others like a bit of tartness; still others base their choice on crispness. And those who want to bake apple pie have an entirely different set of criteria for the perfect apple.
Choosing your health care provider involves a similar but much more serious chain of decisions. You being by making the biggest choice: to go to a conventional medical doctor or to explore a route that focuses more on creation of health than on diagnosis and treatment of disease. Your decision may also be based on the type of problem you are having. If you opt for the health promoting side of the marketplace, your next option has to do with the different kinds of care provided by what’s called alternative medicine. You might wish to visit an acupuncturist, naturopath, colon hydro therapist, nutritional counselor, and so on. If you’re reading this blog, I believe you have chosen or are considering chiropractic care as a part of your health care program.
Even within chiropractic care, there are choices to be made. While most chiropractors correct subluxation and restore normal biomechanical function, within the field of chiropractic care there are approximately forty to fifty different major techniques that are used. The level of force and the area of the spine focused on can vary from technique to technique. Some chiropractic specialize in fields such as sports, chiropractic, accident recovery, or cranial manipulation. The different techniques are based on a wide variety of scientific discoveries and theoretical assumptions about joint mechanics and muscle and nervous system function, and each technique has value in certain circumstances. A chiropractor’s style of practice also may reflect his or her philosophical inclination.
For purposes of choosing a chiropractor, however, you only need to understand that all chiropractic care falls into three general categories. In the post to follow you will learn about each one, and how to ask questions of any practitioner you want to consider as a health care provider. I’ve also included a sample interview you can use when talking to practitioners.
Choosing chiropractor care isn’t complicated. The most important things you can do as a consumer are to:
- Know the kind of treatment and/or care you want
- Seek out practitioners who will offer that care
- Ask questions to determine if this particular doctor fits your needs both personally and professionally.
Since many chiropractors consider patient education a vital part of their job, they are usually quite delighted to give you all the information you need to make an informed choice. After all, chiropractic care is a partnership in creating health, and fro a partnership to work both partners must participate.
Chiropractor in Mooresville
704-663-7625
