Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
I hear some form of this statement so often that I feel like I need to address it. I even remember my own sweet Dad (RIP) saying something like this. But before I give it to you…
The Scene – Our office, a rainy afternoon. A gentleman sitting in our waiting room is greeted by another arriving gentleman and the dialogue goes something like this:
“Great to see you, how are you doing?”
“Well, I wouldn’t be here if I was great!” (The Statement)
I was busy adjusting other non-great people or I would have intervened.
You may be thinking, “I don’t get it” and you would be forgiven. “People come to see you (me) when they are not great.” Of course they do. But my beef is this, why do you have to be feeling crummy before you decide to come in? And the obvious corollary, why not come in before you are feeling crummy? Why not keep your nervous system running as well as it can? Why do we let symptoms dictate our lives?
So many questions!
At this point some folks are thinking, “Why would I spend money on something I don’t need, I feel fine! Chiropractors are always trying to get you to come in when you don’t need it. It’s all about the money!”
This line of thinking really cracks me up (no pun intended). The fact of the matter is, if you wait until the wheels fall off, and are feeling crummy, then we actually make more money, not less! It is way cheaper to change the filter on your heater than to replace the whole unit. We call this maintenance, and we do it with plenty of inanimate objects daily. Why not our bodies?
No brainer.
Look I get it, I really do. Your life gets interrupted by pain or dysfunction and what you really want is to override what your body is telling you, drop-off the pain at our office, and resume your life.
We, as symptom bearers, are bothered that we are bothered. And if we can get rid of the bother then everything is fine. No pain, no problem. Symptoms are gone! “Just push the right buttons on my back, do it quickly, and let me get going. I’ll be back when I’m not great.”
Let’s rethink this…
Like maybe coming to the office when you are actually great, so that you can stay great. Some people come once a month to get their spine checked, some once a week, depending on how well their body stays in balance. And humans live better and hold their adjustments longer if they drink water, eat protein, get sunshine when they can, and sleep every night. You get the idea. It is so much easier to stay great than it is to regain your greatness. Come when you are great!
On the other hand, I also agree with the guy at the beginning of this rant. I do want you to come when you are not great, actually please come when you are feeling your worst too. I’m not afraid of you when you feel crummy, even if it is viral. Neither is Alysson.
Don’t stay away when you are great, and equally don’t stay away when you are feeling rough. This is simple health care at its finest. Get your spine checked regularly regardless of how you feel.
And I know there are skeptics among us who would prefer to question my motives in telling you this simple truth. Go ahead and question it. “Chiropractors just want you to keep coming back.” Yes, we do, because we know the power of a properly functioning nervous system.
Keep it simple folks, get your spine checked regularly. It pays in the long run.
Cheers,
ks
PS- send a friend in who has never been here, and you get an adjustment on us.