According to the National Institutes of Health Web site, every year, millions of Americans receive chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation for things such as neck pain, back pain and headaches, especially migraines. To find out more about chiropractic care, and what you should know before you seek one out, Chicago health+wellness talked with Dr. Georgiou, D.C., C.C.S.P., of ReAlign Chiropractic in Chicago.

How would someone go about finding a chiropractor? Do I ask family and friends for recommendations? Is there a Web site or organization I could consult? The best way is to go with recommendations of family or friends. The best practices are ones that are based on word of mouth referral-patients trust them and most importantly they’ve had great results. The Illinois Chiropractic Association Web site also has a list of chiropractors.

What are the primary reasons/complaints people have when seeking chiropractic care? The majority of our patients will come in for back pain, carpal tunnel, sciatica, headaches, whiplash or TMJ. We are also very lucky to have a fast growing number of patients coming in for overall wellness care, taking preventative measures for things like arthritis, or athletes wanting to peak their performance.

Why would someone go to a chiropractor rather than a general practitioner? Since before the wellness revolution, people have always had the desire to seek out treatments that did not require any medication. Chiropractors simply assist your body in learning to heal.

What kinds of treatments do you offer your clients? What techniques do you use? Do you have a specialty? We offer full spine adjustments after a thorough exam including x-rays and a thermal scan to detect any nerve interference; we also have technology that is used to find imbalances in spinal-pelvic stability. After we find the exact cause of a patient’s ailment, we can remove it through various gentle manipulations. We also offer physical therapy modalities, therapeutic massage, as well as nutritional cleansing. Chiropractors have specialties just like medical doctors. I am a certified chiropractic sports physician, and I specialize in whiplash injuries.

What are some of the most difficult cases you have had and how were you able to provide relief? A lot of patients come to chiropractors as a last resort, after they have been in and out of other doctors and specialists. For example, a patient of ours suffered from migraines for years with no relief from anything she had tried. The cause of her migraines was found to be a simple slight misalignment in her neck. As chiropractors we don’t cure anything, we just help the body learn to heal itself the way it was meant to. With the gentle adjusting techniques I use, with six weeks of intense chiropractic care, we were able to minimize the intensity of her headaches until they were virtually gone. She is still migraine-free five years later. A lot of children with asthma will also come in whose parents have been patients of mine for years. With adjustments to these children’s thoracic spines, they are able to minimize the amount of medications needed, again simply because we are helping the nerves that go to their lungs.

What would you say to the critics of chiropractic care who say that the methods and results have not been adequately scientifically studied? The methods and results have been adequately studied and published in JMPT and the New England Journal of Medicine, as well as many others. The most important proof, however, is the hundreds of patients who have written testimonials that we keep out for our patients to read. To any critic I would say, come and give chiropractic a shot. What have you got to lose, especially if you’ve tried everything else. Our philosophy is not to force people into choosing chiropractic care but rather to educate them to the best of our abilities so that they can make the best decision for themselves. This is why we will always offer a complimentary consultation to give people an idea of what chiropractic can do for them.

Wellness Tips From Dr. Georgiou

1. Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day- this hydrates your entire body, including your discs.
2. When lifting, use your legs- avoid using you back muscles.
3. Exercising 20 minutes 3-4 times per week helps keep your spine mobile.
4. You should sleep on your back or your side and avoid sleeping on your stomach. Also avoid sleeping with your arms or hands under your head or neck. This will minimize strain to your neck.
5. Always practice good posture- back and neck erect, shoulders back, stomach in.
6. Make stretching a part of your daily routine.
7. Sleep on a firm mattress with a pillow top or egg crate top. If you mattress isn’t firm, put a piece of plywood between your mattress and the box spring.
8. Avoid sitting in soft chairs or deep couches. Also, during prolonged sitting, cross your knees at your ankles to rest your back.
9. Wearing shoes with moderate heels is alright-just avoid changing from high to low heels.
10. Do not sit on a large wallet-take it out of your pocket while you sit or use a money clip.

Source: http://www.chicagochiro.com