Hey Folks!

So I’m back again for another post about the Wellness Paradigm.  I’m always searching for good, or even better ways to explain what my goal is with the treatment of my patients as it can be quite different from the outcomes other health care practitioners are looking for.  While the distinction can be difficult to appreciate in some cases (i.e. where you actually HAVE a problem you would like to remedy and treatment from a Chiropractor provides that remedy for you) it is important to your future and ultimate health.  Let me begin by asking you a series of questions…

• If you were in good health and you went and had your appendix removed, are you now healthier?

• What if instead of removing your appendix, you decided to exercise – would that make you healthier?

• How about if a healthy person decided to take statins and ACE inhibitors (common medications for to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, respectively) – would it make them healthier?

• What if instead they decided to eat a high quality diet and see a Chiropractor regularly to ensure proper spinal movement – would it make them healthier?

I’ll stop now with the questions, but hopefully you’re sensing a common theme in those questions.  The point I’m trying to make is this – Medications and Surgery (and even many manual therapies) are aimed NOT at increasing health, but in decreasing disease.  This isn’t the same as increasing cold by decreasing hot.  No one in their right mind would elect to take medications or have invasive surgeries performed to increase their health – it’s ridiculous.  Now, this does NOT mean that I think these things are silly or unnecessary, as in many cases they are required to remove disease/dysfunction in order for you to achieve an appropriate baseline of health.  But the goal in treatment is different.

You take antibiotics, and have growths removed to decrease your disease/dysfunction while you exercise, floss, eat well, work your mobility and get your spine checked to increase your health.  Different approaches for different jobs!  You wouldn’t use an axe to rebuild the wall you just chopped down with it, you’d elect for a hammer – so why then, wouldn’t you decide to build on your health instead of waiting for a problem that needs to be “fixed”?

All the best Folks!

 

Dr. Adam Ball