Let’s be honest. Most people see chiropractic care as a ‘reactive’ option for when their body breaks down, gets injured or is in crisis. But it’s much more effective as a preventative tool for your overall health. Many people are beginning to understand this as they experience it for themselves and we’re seeing a lot of this change of perspective throughout our office.

When you’re reactive, you’re tossed and turned by what your body throws at you. It can be all manner of frustrating secondary conditions like illness, pain, fatigue, headaches, mobility issues etc. Proactive people still experience these issues, but it’s about helping your body be in tune with them and learning to anticipate them, which enables you to work through them in a calmer, more strategic manner.

Imagine two people begin to notice their back is feeling “niggly”. One saw their chiropractor about three weeks ago as part of their regular corrections and the other hasn’t been seen in over eight months. Who is likely to bounce back faster?

Or classic back pain aside, what about something else – like migraines? People who suffer from migraines know the importance of staying ahead of them and not waiting until the symptoms have gone too far to reverse. But did you know that seeing a chiropractor is some of our patients’ initial line of attack? Firstly they proactively get regular corrections, and with some cases we notice a decrease in frequency, intensity, or complete relief over time. And on occasions when an attack does come on, we’re able to react swiftly with an immediate adjustment that targets the structural cause of the migraine, enabling the body to naturally respond to and mitigate the symptoms.

When you’re reactive, you’re caught by surprise when your body breaks down and you scramble to put it back together. Whereas by being proactive you either already have a regular routine in place to help reduce the likelihood of problems occurring, or you understand the pattern of your body’s needs much better and know how to respond when your health has the occasional dip. A degree of predictability can be established by both you and your healthcare practitioners which helps everyone respond quickly and effectively when you’re in crisis.

So which strategy would you prefer? Huffing and puffing to keep up with your body or having grace under that stress which so often comes around? And how do you make the switch to anticipating what your body needs and adapting to those signals, or providing it in advance? It takes a “long-term” mindset to understand what your body requires to function at its best. Any of the below steps could be the first in becoming a more proactive person when it comes to your health:

• Are you on a regular maintenance programme with your chiropractic care? We offer lower rates for people who have completed their Initial Phase of Correction and then maintain at least one recurring appointment per month.
• Have you talked to us about other factors that might be influencing your health such as diet or medications? Taking supplements like magnesium, fish oil, and vitamin D to support your body can be a great help on a daily basis. There are also natural options specifically for times when you may be in crisis such as Lypospheric Vitamin C or Inflavanoid Intensive Care.
• Do you have a good pillow? You’re working hard to get your spine structurally and functionally correct, but spending your sleeping hours with poor alignment can negate the good care your body is receiving. We have pillows at the office you can take home to trial to see if customised memory foam will make a difference to your neck and sleeping patterns. It’s also important to look at your “sleep hygiene” and make simple changes like removing computer and TV screens from your bedroom and ensuring what and when you eat at the end of the day is helping your body prepare for rest.
• Are you keeping up a regular exercise programme? We know and collaborate with amazing personal training and Pilates specialists and can refer you to them if you’d like support in these areas.

It’s all about making those subtle adjustments (pun intended) in life to keep you ahead of the wave. Knowing your diet and environmental needs, being prepared for the occasional extra chiropractic appointment (we keep space in our schedule for urgent situations), but most importantly giving your body the regular care it deserves rather than waiting for symptoms to get on top of you.

We’d like to think of ourselves as the fence at the top of the cliff for you. We’re more than happy to be the ambulance when you need it, but our goal is to keep your body away from that cliff in the first place. If you want to know more, or have someone in mind who we can help, feel free to book a Complimentary Chat or give us a call.