The other day, I was messing around on the internet and happened across a post in a diabetic blog about the role that chiropractic treatment can play in helping people with neuropathy. Since that is the path I have chosen to take and it has been so successful for me, I decided to read the entire post. The more I read, the stronger my desire became to comment about the shabby way this writer portrayed chiropractors - and their profession.He likened chiropractors to the "snake oil salesmen" of old. He went on to tout that these "so-called doctors" will do anything to earn a buck. I was seeing red and could not wait to whip out a few choice words in a verbose rebuttal to his tartuffery! When I was finished reading the post, I armed myself with a dictionary and thesaurus. I composed a comment that extended clear into next Tuesday! It was not my intent to be so lengthy, but I wanted to be crystal clear regarding my own personal experience with chiropractic and the fact that without it, I would still be taking every pain medication known to man, still in pain and have brain fog that is reminiscent of the inner London suburbs!
After I read his chiropractic-bashing post, I posted the following comment:
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I have been diabetic for 20 years. I'm generally pleased with the quantity of care I've received from the mainstream medical community, however I've not always been pleased with the quality of the care I've received. When it comes to the different diabetes medications I've been on, at times it felt as though I was a human guinea pig in a lab. I was put on one bad drug after another.
We're not stupid people - we're just seeking a little assistance with some safe and effective medications to manage our disease.
While all of this diabetes drug-shuffling was going on, I developed neuropathy because my blood glucose was still not controlled properly. The pain was so severe, if you can imagine numbness, tingling and pain at the same time. Like an electrical current zapping down your leg all the time! Then came the battle with pain management. That's a whole new ball game!
At that point, I decided to completely re-evaluate my situation. I finally found a doctor who put me on some safe diabetic medications. She also put me on some wicked pain medications that did a lot of stuff - but did absolutely nothing for the pain! I stopped the pain medications on my own.
Since it took so long to get the right diabetes medicines, my neuropathy began to worsen. I could not walk from my bedroom to my kitchen unassisted (God love my husband!) I used a walker part of the time, crutches sometimes and a cane other times. Usually I stayed in bed and did not want to think about standing on my leg. I hated life, what little life I had.
An acquaintance told me about a wellness group in my area. She said if I could make an appointment for a consult with them, they could help me. My first reaction was, "Yeah, right". Reluctantly, I called and set up a consultation. My husband took me over and we sat in the office and I'll admit it, I had absolutely no idea what to expect and I was scared to death! I felt so very desperate and hoped that I had not walked into the office of a "Snake Oil Salesman".
They took x-rays and evaluated my situation and came up with a treatment plan. I began going in 3 days a week. At that time I was still walking with a cane and in extreme pain. Within six months, I was no longer walking with a cane! Within one year, still receiving 3 treatments a week and e-stim, I had a "normal" gait and if you watched me walk, you could not tell I had ever had a problem and my pain level went from a ten down to a four or five at the most. It was manageable! I now take no pain medications, I have nothing invasive done to me, and yet my pain is completely gone through a good diet and plenty of exercise. The less pain you are in, the more you can move. The more you can move, the more weight you lose. The more weight you lose, the better your A1c gets! This sounds like a win / win to me!!! I've never regretted my decision to see a chiropractor for pain management.
My chiropractor is not a snake oil salesman! I resent the implication you make in your post and I would invite anyone who is experiencing pain from neuropathy to try chiropractic! I would do it all over again! I got my life back and you can not put a price on that! The only medications I take now are two oral medications for my diabetes, a thyroid pill and a blood pressure medication. No more pain medications - no more brain fog - I can think clearly! I call that a miracle.
For anyone to be so ludicrous and single-minded to post such awful and frankly untrue statements about chiropractic as it's related to pain management makes my skin crawl. This man has obviously been blinded into the false notion that the mainstream medical community is the only savior for diabetics. He's probably not darkened the door of a wellness group and never will. I, on the other hand, believe that you open a door and you walk through it. You try until you run out of breath and die. You do not stop seeking until you have found what you're looking for. And I personally don't care what the name above the door says! MD, DO, PhD, or DC. My only question is...
Can YOU help ME???
Enjoy this informative video about trigger point massage.
http://youtu.be/OlkPbfROyRI
1 comment:
Wonderful rebuttal! I do not suffer from Diabetes or Neuropathy. I have however, beat myself up at a relatively young age with manual labor. When I do something, I give 100%. This has led to a Lot of pain and discomfort. I have never felt that I was treated properly by any Dr. They want to give pills to manage symptoms, not help you heal. When I was suffering debilitating headaches...so bad that I was in tears while working, a friend reccomended I see a chiropractor. I was under the same impression, the impression given to me by my Dad, really, about the shady-ness of chiropractors. But I was desperate. I thought I was suffering from stress migraines. Well, one visit changed my whole perspective. I went in after a WEEK of suffering. a WEEK. Not much compared to your experience, but enough to make me eternally grateful for the INSTANT relief I experienced. What I LOVED immediately, was that she gave me INFORMATION of what was really going on with my body. That dehydration, and repetitive motions were pulling me out of alignment. She suggested WATER, Stretching, and massage. She wanted me to be BETTER. She did not schedule a myriad of followup treatments. She said to come see her as I NEEDED her, trusted that I was intelligent enough to listen to my body in the future. She wasn't trying to ring my bank account dry. She was trying to Heal me. I have since been treated for tendonitis. One visit. And for that, She suggested some VERY cheap remedies, like a parafin hand bath at the salon to help soothe the pain. That did not make HER any money. I went in several months ago when I couldn't raise my arm, my shoulder was angry and out of wack. I couldn;t brush my teeth with that arm. She adjusted me, and I instantly regained full range of motion. WEll, I have oeverworked myself again, and I have issues with the Other shoulder now. I know that when I call her later today, that she will squeeze me in as SOON as possibly possible. And when I leave, I will feel 100 times better than I do right now. She encouraged ME to persue a career in wellness, because our medical system is failing people. I am currently enrolled in a health coaching program, something that does not benefit HER in any way. I am very blessed to know such a kindhearted HEALER. I feel accurate using that phrase. I have never thought to call a Dr. a Healer. That statement alone sums up my experience with Chiropractic care!
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