Had you mentioned 12 months ago that today, I would be blogging about my obsession with chiropractic care, I would have said you were crazy. Just the thought of someone cracking their knuckles was enough to send me running in the other direction. It would have been fair to say that bone cracking/crunching/popping CREEPED me out like nothing else but, like anything in life, sometimes facing your greatest fears can be one of the most rewarding experiences.

WHAT I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT ABOUT CHIROPRACTIC CARE

I will be first to admit that I was guilty of assuming that chiropractic care was reserved for the oldies with sore backs and necks and I didn’t need to even consider it until I got my first grey hair. I was young, fit and healthy. I had a few niggles here and there but nothing compared to the next person. My back was A.O.K. My hips pinched occasionally, but nothing sinister and my shoulders would carry tension when I was stressed, but again nothing to serious.

WHY I MADE THAT FIRST APPOINTMENT

I had just finished listening to a podcast by “The Wellness Guys” regarding the in’s and out’s of Chiropractic care. They pointed out that Chiropractors weren’t a bunch of back cracking monsters that I first thought they were (can you tell how much I was against this?), but Doctors who would adjust the spine to ensure the central nervous system was functioning at its best.

Let me do my best to try and explain this:

The Central Nervous System (CNS) is made up of the brain and the spinal cord. The CNS controls and co-ordinates every movement and function in the human body from breathing and digestion to helping you tie your shoelace. A healthy spine protects the CNS whilst allowing us to move about freely.

At any stage in our lives, it is possible for one or more vertebrae of the spine to move ever so slightly out of place, this is called a vertebral subluxation. As a result, the nerve or collection of nerves passing through that vertebra becomes “pinched” or is “compressed”. This compression will affect the nerve supply to the corresponding organ/s, muscles, tissues etc. and our optimal health is likely to begin to decline. Even slight pressure on the nerves can affect the quality and quantity of nerve messages traveling through by up to 60%. As a result our body will no longer operate at an optimal level. If left to long, major health issues can result. These subluxations can occur without us feeling any initial pain or discomfort.

More info can be found in the video below.

It was at that point I realized I had always paid so much attention to various other aspects of my health (diet/nutrition, exercise and sleep), that I felt guilty having not even considered the health of my spine and central nervous system.

That night a girlfriend told me (completely unprovoked) how much chiropractic care had changed her life and without any hesitation I booked my first appointment.

MY EXPERIENCE

As I entered the clinic, I braced myself for the worst (those with a fear of bone cracking, you know exactly what I was thinking). But to my surprise, it was completely the opposite to what I was expecting. The Chiropractic approach to health and well being was very similar to the holistic approach I take with my clients, and it was at that moment I knew I was in the right place.

After filling out some forms and answering a few questions regarding my health history (which I thought was pretty squeaky clean), we started working through a series of tests. “Bring it” I thought, “I am healthy, I am fit, I am strong”. To my surprise, one test in, I stood in the consult room completely gob-smacked.  I had just realised my spine wasn’t that picture of health I thought it was. At that moment I realised how lucky I was that I had sort advice sooner rather than later.

Wednesday I discuss my test results and how those common everyday niggles were my body’s way of communicating an imbalance. Trust me, you won’t want to miss this!

You can read part two of this post here.