Chiropractic Care Performs Miracle!
The following is a case history on John Hardwick Jnr, whose parents John and Claudia are ecstatic with the results of chiropractic care and believe the transformation in their son's wellbeing is like a miracle.
Our first child was very easy. While still patting ourselves on the back for good parenting skills we had number two. After a posterior labour and very rapid birth we brought him home and the crying began. He began as a colicky baby who was a poor feeder and poor sleeper.
Eventually I booked him into a paediatrician and a recomm-ended chiropractor in the same week. The paediatrician announced I had a normal, healthy, albeit thin, pale child who needed no follow up.
After the first chiropractic visit my son slept 13 hours straight and woke up happy!! We saw him transform overnight into a healthy looking boy with rosy cheeks who had boundless energy which naturally led to increased appetite.
A happy John Hardwick Jnr.
He evolved into a fussy feeder, catnapper, very pale, underweight child who was constantly miserable and lacked energy. No matter where we went he clung to me and constantly whinged. He always had a cold and recurrent ear infections until at 20 months was hospitalised with pneumonia.
He recovered and at this time we had number three who thankfully was very easy going. He continued being his miserable self while we were losing our sanity.
As a nurse I guess I gave him time to grow out of it and made excuses for his behaviour related to age but suddenly he was turning three and I developed a sense of urgency. Instead of a normal happy child who was occasionally grumpy and miserable I had the opposite with only glimpses of the beautiful boy he would become.
Chiropractic care was mentioned to me many times as an alternative but I have to admit to being a cynic who was reluctant to try it.
He began to climb things and jump from things and to play much more independently. Everyone noticed and commented how his behaviour had changed.
As parents we have felt extremely neglectful in not trying chiropractic care earlier and taken the well meaning advice offered by others. He has had chiropractic care for 8 months now and is the first person to run to the car when told we are going to the back doctor.
Now old enough to question him he simply says the back doctor makes him feel better. He actually enjoys the treatment and I remember during his second manipulation he was actually giggling.
It is also very obvious when he needs to be seen as he quickly reverts back to his alter ego when it has been too long between visits.
I am still amazed at the transformation from the pale, lethargic shadow of a boy to quite simply our son.
This case history was published in the July 2003 CAA (National) Magazine with the permission of John and Claudia Hardwick.
Getting Upright
My decades of practice have given me the opportunity to share with patients how their lives include instances of avoidable and/or unavoidable emotional stress.
When a person's emotional tension leads to getting up tight in the neck and/or back it may initiate one or more subluxations. Many patients find that neither drugs, nor surgery resolve subluxation related disorders.
Subluxation related symptoms have led millions of patients to seek chiropractic care. In most instances the symptoms lessen or go away after the subluxation/s is/are located and adjusted.
It is logical that patients who have subluxation related disorders should have their subluxations located and adjusted. In most instances, it is illogical and may be dangerous to impose drugs and/or surgery into that sequence.
Examples of stress leading to subluxation related symptoms include bouts of marked fatigue, increased sweating, particularly on the palms of the hands, poor short-term memory, difficulty maintaining focussed thinking, and marked fluctuations in moods (shifting through glad/mad/sad), disturbed sleep and waking with sore jaw joints from grinding their teeth. Head sounds, such as ringing or whooshing, may increase with stress.
Females are prone to get tight in the upper neck leading to headaches. Males tighten between the shoulder blades with associated digestive complaints.
Many thanks to our models, Fleur DeCampi and her mother Rey O'Doriso The bottom line for subluxation related symptoms is; "Minimize stress! If you are subluxated, don't neglect that!"
It is common that people use other people's emotional garbage, over which they have no influence, to self induce avoidable stress. Avoidable 'stressing out' may come at a high price of instigating subluxations.
Thoughts may be sufficiently powerful to trigger paraspinal muscles in the neck and upper back to fixated joints, nerve interference and symptoms.
Medically, these symptoms may be managed via tranquillizes and/or antidepressants.
Chiropractic management works like this. Stress triggers subluxations and their related symptoms. A chiropractor adjusts the subluxation. The symptoms may lessen or go away.
Once chiropractic patients have personally experienced the contrast between what they feel when 'out of adjustment' and when 'in adjustment' they may then choose to get adjusted as soon as it is feasible to do so. Being attracted to becoming involved in non-essential stress may be an indicator that it is time for a visit to the chiropractor.
Choose Your Thoughts
Mary's memories of Past Chiropractors
"In the late 1920s I was taken to a Fremantle doctor who told my mother that he could do nothing for my very heavy periods, I would either live or die. He apparently did not care one way or the other. About this time an American chiropractor, Mr Smiley had commenced practice in Fremantle and had become a friend of our neighbour who asked him if he could help me. Mr Smiley asked if I would go to him for adjustments. I had about five adjustments and my periods changed to normal.
Some years later my husband was quite upset because although we had been married for about three years, we still had no children, so again I turned to chiropractic. Mr Tunney, who had taken over Mr Smiley's practice, adjusted me and I became pregnant the following month. My eldest son was jokingly referred to as Mr Tunny's baby.
Three generations of chiropractic patients. Left to right: Katherine, Brian, Rebecca, Judith and Mary Lake.
In 1984 1 was diagnosed as having gall stones. The doctor expected me to have surgery. I visited a chiropractor instead, had adjustments and have no pain or sign of gall stones since. I now have regular adjustments and at the age of 75 have no health problems." Mary Lake
Rebecca wrote;Before the birth I visited the clinic weekly as due to the size of my belly and difficulties with sleeping, my back was easily and frequently getting out of wack. It really helped maintain my comfort levels going into the birth and also helped me keep a positive outlook as I find Chiropractic really keeps my moods in check!
After the birth:My son was born by emergency caesarean which was very traumatic and rough on my back due to the speed and position at which they rushed us into theatre. I believe it would have effected Harris also as they had to pull him out in such a hurry he would have been twisted and contorted to get this done.
My son had difficulties with attachment to the breast for feeding and was fussing and very grumpy with every feed being a battle. Being confined to bed in the days afterwards also meant I had a great deal of neck and lower back pain which did not subside until I started my regular appointments again.
My son (and I) visited the clinic as soon as we were released from hospital and the results and relief were immediate.
After his Chiropractic appointments he is more placid and calmer, especially when feeding and we are finding meal times a lot more comfortable. He now also sleeps between 2-4 hours routinely.
Above: In 2003, three generations of chiropractic patients.
Left to right: Brian, Judith and Katherine Lake.
Seated: Rebecca and Harris Boehm
A healthy disc serves as a shock absorbing-transmitter providing the right amount of space between the vertebra above it and below it.
Broadly speaking the process of disc degeneration (early ageing) follows the law that, for every rule there is an exception. Four things commonly happen:
(1) The disc may allow the joints to incur excess pressure
OR
(2) the disc wall may bulge-out
OR
(3) it may press against a nerve
OR
(4) the vertebra sitting upon that failing disc may become unstable
EARLY AGEING
Our spines are motor units made up of vertebrae and discs that are prone to malfunction through excess stress.
Degenerative joint disease (DJD) is like premature ageing of parts that wear early because of long term fixation and misalignment.
Regardless if the stress initiating pressure degeneration was physical, chemical or emotional, stress adds up to stress.
Different causes such as a fall off a trike, being hurt at football, or carrying too much weight for decades, may have similar long term outcomes.
DEGENERATIVE CREEP
People may be unaware that they have DJD or, early symptoms may be a constant dull ache associated with chronic bouts of being tired and cranky. Ignorance of creeping degeneration may lead to unintended neglect of minor early warning aches and pains which patients treat with pain killers and/or muscle relaxants.
As the disc narrows, the two vertebrae come closer together causing an abnormal loss of joint motion. The unbuffered joint surfaces, which are rich in nerve endings, may begin grinding against each other. This may cause degeneration (early ageing) of the smooth surfaces of the joints.
Easily subluxated vertebrae, frequently, rest upon a narrow disc. Unstable motor units may be upset by a minor stress with subsequent dramatic symptoms. Patients with acute, severe symptoms may describe minor stresses such as; "I just flicked my hair back after a shower." "As I bent over the wash basin, all I did was cough." "My foot just caught a raised concrete slab in a footpath and away it went." "All I did was kick a brick." Perhaps the saddest statement of childish wishing is: "I thought it just might go away." Spinal care, including chiropractic, should be a lifetime affair.
The bottom line for DJD is;
"Avoid starting it! If you have it, don't neglect it!"