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Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Chiropractic? Chiropractic is based on the scientific fact that your body is a self-regulating, self-healing organism. These important functions are controlled by the brain, spinal cord, and all the nerves of the body.

The skull protects the delicate tissues of the brain. The moving bones of the spine protect the vulnerable communication pathways of the spinal cord and nerve roots. If the nervous system is impaired, it can cause malfunction of the tissues and organs throughout the body. Doctors call this the vertebral subluxation complex. Vertebral, meaning the bones of the spine. Subluxation, meaning less than a total dislocation. And complex, meaning consisting of more than one part.

Chiropractic is the science of locating offending spinal structures, the art of reducing their impact to the nervous system, and the philosophy of all things natural. (BACK TO TOP)

Does Chiropractic Work? Chiropractic works by restoring your own inborn ability to be healthy. When under the proper control of your nervous system, all the cells, tissues, and organs of your body are designed to resist disease and ill health. The chiropractic approach to better health is to locate and help remove interference's to your natural state of being healthy.

A common interference to the nervous system is the 24 moving bones of the spinal column. A loss of normal motion or position of these bones can irritate or impair the function of the nervous system. This can disrupt the transmission of controlling nerve impulses.

With improved spinal function there is often improved nervous system function. Your chiropractic doctor can help remove interference's that may be impairing normal health.

Since the primary focus of your care is improved nervous system function, chiropractic can have a positive effect on many health conditions not normally thought of as "back" problems. (BACK TO TOP)

Is Chiropractic Care Safe? In the words of the New Zealand government's inquiry, chiropractic care is "remarkably safe."

Chiropractic has an excellent safety record. It is the result of a conservative approach to health that avoids invasive procedures or addictive drugs.

A thorough case history and examination help reveal areas of the spine that may be causing nervous system malfunction. This information will be used to determine the best course of care for each patient.

Chiropractic care is a natural approach to better health that is proven safe and effective. (BACK TO TOP)

What Do Chiropractic Doctors Do? Helping to restore proper spinal biomechanics and improved nervous system function begins with a case history. this gives the doctor a background about your health, such as surgeries, accidents, the onset of your condition, and other details affecting your current health.

After reviewing your history and discussing your specific problem, a thorough orthopedic, neurological, and chiropractic examination is performed. X-rays may be taken to uncover structural and functional problems associated with the spinal column. These examinations help identify areas of spinal malfunction and resulting nervous system deficit.

The findings of these examinations are explained and a plan of chiropractic adjustments may be recommended. Progress is monitored with periodic examinations and follow-up reports.

Since the word "doctor" comes from the Latin word meaning teacher, regardless of your doctor's unique clinical approach, he or she has a strong commitment to patient education. (BACK TO TOP)

What Is An Adjustment? A Chiropractic adjustment is the art of using a specific force in a precise direction, applied to a joint that is fixated, "locked up", or not moving properly. This adds motion to the joint, helping the bones gradually return to a more normal position and motion. The purpose of this safe and natural procedure is improved spinal function, improved nervous system function, and improved health.

There are many ways to adjust the spine. Usually the doctor's hands or a specially designed instrument delivers a brief and highly-accurate thrust. Some adjusting methods are quick, whereas others require a slow and constant pressure.

After years of training and clinical experience, each chiropractic doctor becomes highly skilled in the delivery of a variety of adjusting approaches. (BACK TO TOP)

Am I Too Old For Chiropractic Care? More and more people are consulting chiropractic doctors, especially in their later years. With growing concerns about over-medication and the side effect of combining various prescription drugs, safe, natural chiropractic care is growing in popularity. Restoring better spinal function can help improve mobility, vitality, endurance, and appetite. Many patients report improvement with arthritic symptoms and other chronic ailments often associated with the aging process. The adjusting technique used by your doctor will be modified for maximum comfort and results. As we get older and wiser, the simplicity and effectiveness of chiropractic care becomes more and more obvious. (BACK TO TOP)

Can My Children Be Healthier With Chiropractic Care? How often chiropractors have encountered parents who appreciate the importance of regular checkups for their child's teeth, hearing, eyes and ears but draw a blank when it comes to a spinal checkup. In fact, a spinal checkup could be one of the most important checkups your child will ever have.

How can a child's spine lose its natural alignment? Vertebral subluxations have many possible causes. Injuries to a baby's spine can be caused by a difficult delivery, a breech presentation or simply too much stress to the child's body. Health problems early in infancy can be traced back to a difficult delivery. Immediately after birth, damage can occur if the baby is dangled by the feet!

An infant's spine is very susceptible to injury. In extreme cases, "whiplash shake syndrome", when a baby is severely shaken, can cause eye or brain damage, blindness, paralysis or convulsions. It is a cause of post-natal brain damage that most medical doctors don't recognize. The condition, however, was recognized by doctors of chiropractic nearly a century ago.

Two pilot studies conducted in Texas in 1974 and 1975 confirmed what chiropractors have known for years - that spinal adjustments can help children with emotional, behavioral and neurological problems. The kind of problems helped were asthma, anxiety, low mental stamina, inability to concentrate, hyperactivity, discipline problems, and even low grades and low I.Q.

1 If your child is suffering from any of these common conditions, it is essential to get his/her spine checked for vertebral subluxations; not because the doctor of chiropractic is treating your child for these conditions, but because all children, especially if there are ill, need healthy spines.

fever
croup
poor posture
constipation
weakness or fatigue
loss of hearing
arthritis
irritability
neckaches
sore throat
cough
skin disorders
bronchitis
poor coordination
painful joints
scoliosis
arm, hand, shoulder pain
hip, leg, foot pain
colic
hypertension
nervousness
bed-wetting
stomachaches
ear infections
numbness
headaches
backaches
eye problems
sinus problems
asthma and wheezing
frequent colds
poor concentration

Because your children (and you) may have subluxations in their spines and not know it, all children need periodic spinal checkups. There are, however, certain warning signs indicating that the spinal column may be out of alignment:

chronic fatigue
skin conditions
one hip or shoulder higher than the other
a foot turned in or out
joint aches
shoulder blades flared out
can't stand still
hyperactivity
neck tilt
frequent falling
one leg shorter
"noisy bones"
nervousness

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Can I Strengthen My Immune System With Chiropractic Care? An unhealthy immune system can overreact as in allergic or hypersensitivity reactions; can under react as in immune deficiency disorders; or can attack the very body it was meant to serve as in autoimmune disorders.

Nutrition can have a profound effect on your immune health. "The potency of vitamin C and other vitamins is explained by the new understanding that they function principally by strengthening the natural protective mechanisms of the body, especially the immune system."

Doctors of chiropractic analyze your spine to locate vertebral subluxations, a serious condition that causes spinal distortions and interferes with your nervous system function. Over a hundred years of chiropractic and osteopathic observations have demonstrated to many patients that spinal care improves immune function. The exact mechanism of how the spine and the nervous system affect the immune system is one of the hottest ides of scientific inquiry.

To boost your immune system, get a pet! Whatever the animal - dog, cat, fish or bird - turning your attention outward will help. Just watching a tank of tropical fish or stroking a cat is therapeutic. (BACK TO TOP)

Do I Have A Pinched Nerve? Many patients consult a chiropractic doctor because they think they have a pinched nerve.

Because of the way your spine is designed, abnormal spinal function caused from physical trauma, emotional tensions, or chemical toxins can affect the delicate tissues of the spinal cord and nerve roots.

While commonly associated with the spine, the pinched nerve (compressive lesion) is actually rare. Researchers suggest that only 10% to 15% of spine related problems are caused by direct pressure of bone on nerve tissue. This can result in numbness, burning, or a "pins and needles" feeling.

More frequently, nerves are irritated (facilitative lesion). This is caused when nerve tissue is rubbed, scraped, stretched by a loss of spinal curve, or irritated by malfunctioning spinal joints. (BACK TO TOP)

Do I Have A Slipped Disc?Technically, a disc can't "slip." The intervertebral disc is a pad of cartilage-type material situated between spinal bones. Each disc serves as a connector, spacer, and shock absorber for the spine. A soft, jellylike center is contained by outer layers of fibrous tissue. Healthy discs help allow normal turning and bending.

Because of the way each disc is attached to the vertebrae above and below, a disc cannot "slip." However, trauma or injury to the spine can cause discs to tear, bulge, herniate, or worse, rupture. This can be quite painful, as the soft center of the disc leaks, putting pressure on the adjacent nerve roots and spinal cord.

While results cannot be guaranteed, many patients have avoided needless surgery or a dependency on pain pills by choosing chiropractic care for their disc-related health problem. (BACK TO TOP)

Are All Patients Adjusted The Same Way? The doctor evaluates each patient's unique spinal problem and develops an individual course of care. The resulting recommendations are based upon years of training and experience.

Some patients who complain of headaches, may actually have a lower back problem that is causing a compensation reaction at the base of the skull. Other patients may be experiencing numbness and tingling in their fingers, when the actual problem is in the neck. Every patient presents a uniquely different spinal pattern.

Patients notice that their chiropractic care is delivered with confidence and precision. Each visit builds on the one before. And while visits may seem similar, each patient's care is uniquely different from every other patient. (BACK TO TOP)

What Type Of Education Do Chiropractic Doctors Get? Today's Doctor of Chiropractic is well educated. The science of chiropractic requires a special emphasis on anatomy, physiology, pathology, neurology, biomechanics, X-ray, spinal adjusting techniques, and related subjects. This demanding curriculum prepares chiropractic doctors to locate the vertebral subluxation complex and help correct the resulting nervous system dysfunction.

To graduate with a Doctor of Chiropractic degree, each candidate passes the demanding National Board Examination. Then, doctors apply to a governmental or professional licensing board and pass a still more difficult test before being granted the privilege to practice.

A chiropractic education never ends. Most doctors complete postgraduate instruction for license renewal and to stay current on the latest scientific research. (BACK TO TOP)

Are You Popping Pills? We swallow a lot of pills in this society. Why shouldn't we? We and our children are exposed to thousands of drug commercials all saying the same thing: it's good to take medicines. T.V. and radio commercials, newspaper and magazine advertisements, soap operas and prime time shows al say it's O.K. to take drugs because "relief is just a swallow away".

Is relief important? Of course it is. If you're in pain or suffering, that's all you can think of. No one can question that there are times when medication is necessary and desirable. The accident victim, the burn victim, the terminally ill, the acute patient and other should receive the medication they need.

Is there an alternative to drug use? Chiropractic teaches us that true health does not come from a pill bottle, a lotion, a potion or some other chemical concoction. True health comes from within. Health is the expression of a body functioning properly. Chiropractors correct a very common condition that interferes with our body function causing it to weaken and become susceptible to disease and malfunction. That condition is called a vertebral (or spinal) subluxation. It is often a painless condition at first, but it can cause much serious damage if it is not detected and corrected.

The greatest drug store in the world is your own marvelous body. It manufactures every medicine you need: antibiotics, insulin, painkillers, chemicals to alter your blood pressure, heartbeat, moods, hormones to regulate your digestion, growth, blood chemistry, and hundreds of other drugs. They're all there inside of you, if your body is working right!

When chiropractors correct vertebral subluxations, they help turn on your natural, 'internal' drug store. Correcting vertebral subluxations turns on your body's natural healing ability without side effects, adverse reactions or drug dependency. (BACK TO TOP)

How Long Will I Need Chiropractic Care? Spinal problems, neglected since early childhood, may require ongoing supportive care for optimum spinal function. These long-standing problems are often associated with muscle weakness, soft tissue damage, and degenerative changes to the spine.

Most patients find that periodic chiropractic checkups help keep them in tip-top shape. Those who are active, have stressful jobs, or want to be their very best, find that a schedule of preventive visits are helpful in the maintenance of good health.

Some patients seek chiropractic care only when their ache or pain becomes unbearable. While this style of "crisis management" is usually more costly and time-consuming, our office stands ready to help all patients, regardless of their health goals.

How long you decide to benefit from chiropractic care is always up to you. (BACK TO TOP)

Can I Adjust Myself? Since a chiropractic adjustment is a specific force, applied in a specific direction, to a specific spinal joint, it is virtually impossible to adjust oneself.

It is possible to turn or bend or twist in certain ways to create a "popping" sound, like the sound that sometimes accompanies a chiropractic adjustment. Unfortunately, this type of joint manipulation is usually counterproductive, often making an already unstable area of the spine even more unsteady. Adjusting the spine is not for amateurs.

The best way to enjoy the healthful benefits of chiropractic is to receive adjustments from a Doctor of Chiropractic. Even your doctor must seek out the services of another colleague to help restore and maintain proper spinal function. (BACK TO TOP)

Is My Insurance Accepted At Total Wellness Chiropractic? Total Wellness Chiropractic accepts just about everyone's insurance. We are contracted providers for Blue Cross, Medica, Aetna, Medicare, and Preferred One. We also accept Health Partners, CCS, and all Automobile insurance, if your visit is due to an accident. In addition, we handle workman's compensation and disability patients. At your first appointment, bring your insurance card with you. By the end of your consultation, we'll be able to tell you exactly what your coverage is. (BACK TO TOP)

I Don't Have Insurance. Can I Afford Chiropractic Care? Yes, we offer affordable chiropractic cash plans to un-insured patients. (BACK TO TOP)

I have heard that chiropractors will treat you forever. Is this true? In our office we do relief care and corrective care both of which have a definite end. We don’t treat any patient a single visit more than they need or want. (BACK TO TOP)

I have heard care is expensive. Is that true? In or office we work with you and or your insurance company. If you want the care we will find a way for you to get it. (BACK TO TOP)

I’ve had this problem for years how can I be sure that chiropractic will help me? In our office, no patient is accepted for care unless we know they will receive measurable benefits. (BACK TO TOP)

15705 35th Avenue North
Plymouth, MN 55442
Phone: (763) 550-1006
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