My first time at the chiropractor. Wow!

[StacyT]

My cousin just opened her own private chiropractic practice, so I thought I'd go in and see what it was all about. I was really not expecting anything from it. She took some x-rays yesterday and today she adjusted my T4 and C5 vertebrae this morning.

Holy. Crap. It was awesome. I feel so loose and energized! Not to mention that I got into he car and started driving home and suddenly felt like my lungs opened up and I can breathe better than I ever could in my life. It is amazing....I wasn't even aware that I wasn't breathing to my full potential - so weird - in a good way.

Just curious if any of you use a chiropractor? Do you do it regularly? What benefits have you gotten from it?

[Manomanman]

I've read about the effects you're describing. Better digestion would also be on the list of good stuff. The mechanism has something to do with nerves working more efficiently due to not being blocked by misaligned spine.

I'd be interested in giving this a shot, but it sounds like you got a GOOD chiropractor.

[Daffy Duck]

My brother has gone to some chiropractors and told me it felt good immediately afterwards but the effects worn off.

I'd probably never go to a chiropractor unless I was desperate because one, I don't really feel the need for one since exercise and my general life leave me feeling good, and two I really don't like people messing with my eyes or my spine.

[Erin Pavlina]

After I gave birth to Emily my body was wrecked. I had bad sciatica, my pelvic bones didn't fuse back together so they still click today, and my lower back was killing me from the extra weight I had carried up front and from carrying her around.

So I pop over to the chiropractor. She adjusts my hips and pelvic section, does a number on my neck, and I noticed first thing that when I drove home I could turn my head more fully around to make lane changes. I had no idea how limited I was until I became unlimited. And my sciatica was completely gone after 3 visits. My back pain went away too.

I love the chiropractor! Range of motion always improves for me.

Years later, after I had Kyle, I again developed this horrible back pain from carrying him around on my hips all the time. Went to chiropractor and they put the TENS pads on my back. After just a few minutes of treatment, my back pain was gone and never returned. It was a miracle I tell ya!

A few days ago I developed some painful sciatic pain again (I think from my workout). It was so horrible I couldn't even get comfortable in bed. we were at the Excalibur walking around and I got one of those water massages (I'll never get another one, not very good and kinda annoying) but he was demonstrating a home-use TENS pad (which sends electrical jolts through you). So I asked him to demonstrate it on my sciatic pain. He did. All of my pain went away immediately, and I'd had that pain for 3 days straight. The pain never came back. I am seriously tempted to buy the home-use TENS pad in case I need it again, cuz that was some wicked pain and discomfort.

Long story short (I know, too late!) I highly recommend the chiro and the use of the TENS pad.

[ginkgo]

Since there are all good responses, I guess I should add some negative ones. First they do not use drugs so that in itself is the biggest plus since drugs are poisons. But not all chiropractors are created equal and there are different methods. I broke my back but my spinal cord was not severed. I broke a vertebrae doing flying kicks against a heavy bag boxers use. My foot got caught on the top and it it flipped me back.

I saw 6 chiropractors over the next 7 years and they did not help. All of them did the same method of cracking neck left and right, cracking back by pressing down on different spots and cracking hips left and right. There are other methods. Then I went to a 7th one since I was then married and my wife needed one also.

This guy, Berke, said that he could not adjust us at first since he has to take an X- ray and then figure out the vector to use. I had constant pain in my lower back from a pinched nerve. He explained that he does not adjust like others do. He only adjusts the atlas which is the first vertebrae connected to the head (brainstem). Then he also does not crack it but uses a very gentle vibrating pressure to get the atlas to pop back in itself. It cannot be pushed directly back in. Note that Palmer who invented chiropractic only adjusted the atlas also.

So this angered me since I had been to 6 other chiropractors so I knew what he was doing was not right. Then I told him that the pain was in my vertebrae connected to my hip and he is saying that if you get the atlas in, all the other vertebrae line up like magic. So I asked if this is what he was saying and he said "Yes!" On the next visit that is exactly what happened.

I would talk to this guy whenever I went there since he was brilliant. He graduated Cornell U and graduated first in his class at chiropractic college. The guy who graduated 2nd in the class was the dean of that college. The guy who graduated 3rd in that class became a billionaire, but his last name was Loews. The other 6 chiropractors that I went to, I would stop going after a few months since I was not getting relief. I went to this guy for over 25 years (he retired). Now I go to a guy who used to be his patient and now does the same NUCCA method-- National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association.

That first guy, Berke, took part in some lawsuits against other chiropractors. See Neck and Back Pain for more on this method and how webmd.com put on their website how the NUCCCA method lowers high blood pressure. Also I was talking to Berke about one of my first 6 chiropractors and Berke said that he had a female patient that had gotten a gynecological exam from that chiropractor and they are not supposed to do that.

[StacyT]

Originally Posted by Erin Pavlina

I noticed first thing that when I drove home I could turn my head more fully around to make lane changes. I had no idea how limited I was until I became unlimited.

Same for me! The range of motion in my neck has increased significantly. It was like a moment of awakening. I'm going to have to ask my cousin about the TENS pad.

[Lupe]

But not all chiropractors are created equal and there are different methods.

Are there different sub-titles for the different types of chiropractors?

[MasterD]

Nothing beats that, though it requires effort, time and personal responsibility.

[StacyT]

Originally Posted by MasterD

Nothing beats that, though it requires effort, time and personal responsibility.

I'm not saying that going to the chiropractor is a substitute for exercise. That's like comparing apples to oranges. Getting adjusted by a chiropractor gives a person benefits that exercise cannot, and vice versa.

[Angela]

Chiropractors are like swordfish.

I'm careful to only have the most excellent, because anything less is stinky and awful.

There doesn't seem to be any middle ground.