Are chiropractors real doctors?

Yes. They are physicians, licensed by the state, to diagnose and treat both chiropractic and medical conditions. Like your dentist, the chiropractor is a specialist. For them, medical school is not appropriate, because the curriculum is too broad. All doctors require essentially the same courses for the first two years of their professional education; it is the next two years that separate one kind of doctor from the next. The chiropractic profession takes a drug-free approach assisting their patients to improve and/or maintain their health. A typical new patient has already tried drugs or is not interested in taking them at all, because of valid safety concerns, unwanted feelings of intoxication or the dangerous masking of symptoms.

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Is it safe?

Yes. Many studies have been done comparing chiropractic to the various drugs and surgeries so often prescribed. The spinal adjustment is only dangerous in poorly qualified hands. Some healthcare providers attempt to make a spinal correction with little or no formal training. This has led to many of the injuries sometimes quoted against the safety of chiropractic. Buyer beware; only a chiropractic physician MUST spend years learning the skills needed to know how, where, when and when not to adjust. Their license, unlike any other, guarantees a level of competency to the public for which they are held accountable to.                                                                                               

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How long will it take?

First and foremost, it is not reasonable to expect a one-time adjustment to "cure" a problem. There are cases every week where this happens, but this is with certain conditions and even here there are exceptions. As any doctor will tell you, two people can come in with exactly the same concern and respond very differently. At Gentle Care it is import to the doctors to observe a steady overall improvement. Highs and lows are normal. Again, it's the positive trend that the doctor and patient are looking for. The goal is to maximize an increase in health as quickly as possible and then keep things in check with a wellness visit on occasion.

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I heard I have to keep coming back, is it true?

People continue to return because they have personally experienced the effectiveness of chiropractic and want to continue to feel their best and enjoy life to the fullest. We recommend continued treatment with all patients showing and reporting improvement. At maximal health we encourage an occasional wellness care visit instead of crisis management. Crisis management nearly always takes more time and resources than wellness care. The wellness care patient also enjoys a more stable state of health. At times, an informed patient candidly chooses to only come in when in pain. We always respect their choice and provide what help we can as we are given the opportunity 

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Do I have to be "popped?"

The cavitations, or "popping" sound, often associated with a chiropractic adjustment, are surrounded by mystery and myth. The phenomenon is actually well understood. When certain joints in the body, known as synovial joints, are adjusted, they may quickly release a small amount of gas that is mostly made up of nitrogen. This quick release is responsible for the famous sound. It is often thought that the cavitations equal success. This is not true. With many conditions, when less than the amount of force needed to achieve a cavitation is applied using a special technique, the results are equally impressive, as seen with light-force techniques. 

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Does it hurt?

Gentle Care Chiropractic lives up to their name. With many treatment options and a philosophy that is patient focused, one can expect to be treated with the utmost compassion. Techniques now available, allow chiropractors to address a patient's concerns more effectively than ever before. The doctors at Gentle Care utilize several specialized techniques to deliver safe and effective chiropractic adjustments; Activator Method, Sacro-Occiptal Technique (S. O. T.), Muscle Energy Technique (M. E. T.) and Toggle are light-force techniques that are rarely accompanied by a cavitation or "popping" sound and are particularly well suited for geriatric patients, those in severe pain and those not comfortable with cavitations. They also provide classical adjustments using diversified and drop table technique are also widely used. 

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Will I be cured?

Have you ever heard a story about an old injury which had "healed" many years ago coming back with a vengeance. An injury affecting the quality of your life for more than a week may mean a permanent "weak link" will be left in the body. Scar tissue is weaker and less elastic than the surrounding soft tissues. The chance for reinjury or chronic pain without proper care and guidance can be high. We are raised and trained through advertising to focus on symptoms, because drugs are most often designed to treat symptoms, not prevent them. In reality, symptoms are an indicator that your health HAS been failing for weeks, months or even years. This is why many of us see the value in having our teeth, eyes or spine checked even though we are not yet having pain.  

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