Embrace Your Destiny: Be Smart, Invest in Chiropractic Therapy

 I will go for my regular chiropractic visit next week. I have been going to Dr. Kiefer for five or six years. Since I have been going monthly, I feel really good. In the beginning, that wasn't the case.

When I started seeing Dr. Keifer, it had been many years since I had seen a chiropractor regularly. Finding a good chiropractor must be like finding a hair stylist. I started with Dr. Brian Ranson in Raleigh. He set the bar for my experience with chiropractors. 


I had tried several different chiropractors when we lived at North Topsail Beach, but never really felt like the experience was worth the time or money invested. When I got a recommendation from a friend from the YMCA in Hendersonville, I decided to try again. Dr. Keifer is a keeper for me.

One of the first things he addressed was my recurring headaches. I also had pain in the lower back and hip area that was like a chronic pain. Sometimes it was worse than others. At one point, he had to use various forms of manipulation to loosen the muscle spasms so the adjustment would take. 

Chiropractic means hands on manipulation. It has become a mainstream treatment for neuromuscular problems and is now covered by insurance. It makes sense to me that  freeing the spinal column so nerves can move freely is important. The spinal cord is the core of central nervous system and subject to becoming misaligned. The monthly adjustment I get keeps me in good health and feeling happy.

A treatment with Dr. Keifer usually takes about 10 minutes these days when all I need is maintenance. Why do I do monthly maintenance? I learned the hard way of neglecting to go the value of regular treatment. The headaches came more frequently, I was achy all through the hip, lower back and shoulder areas. I wanted to feel good all the time again. No more going back to sever pain to get my attention.

When I had the bad hip problem a couple years ago, I really hurt to walk. These treatments took much longer!  Sometimes I sat in front of what I call a heat lamp which warmed up the area to be treated for 30 or 40 minutes. I was in severe pain at that time. Then I moved up to just having electrodes prepare the muscles before going in and then getting the treatment. 

During the table portion of treatmen, he uses many different tools. One is a vibrator which feels like a paddle sander to loosen the lower back. There was another one he used during that bad time that I called the big pan. I don't know what it looked like, but it felt big and solid. It worked! No treatment has ever hurt. It's more just scary to think about sometimes. I have found that it helps to breathe deeply before he does the adjustment. He is also good about keeping me engaged in talking about fun things to take my mind off the adjustment. When I was in treatment to make the bad pain go away, I had to go in two to three times a week for several weeks. Going monthly for 10 minutes is a no brainer!

After the treatment, I try to drink even more water than usual. He says the treatment dislodges toxins that need to be flushed out. Not drinking water can trigger a headache and I avoid anything that might lead to that. Sometimes he suggests using an ice pack if he finds excessive inflammation. This is easy to do with 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off, especially if I'm working at my desk or even standing in the kitchen at the prep area. The harder thing to do is remember to do it.

Chiropractic is now a regular part of my monthly therapy program. I feel great, and I'm not willing to risk going back to not feeling great again. Life is too short to mess around with your health.