4 Choices When it Comes to Life and Health Care

It must be made clear that each individual has a choice when it comes to health and life care decisions. Whether that individual is experiencing symptoms, whether diagnosed with a disease or undiagnosed, they are with four options. It is important that each individual understand these options and the ramifications of each option so that they may make an intelligent decision regarding their care. Ultimately it is each individual’s responsibility to choose their care. Each individual must also realize that they have the freedom to change their mind at any time and pursue another option. The four options and ramifications are presented below.

1.) Ignore the symptoms or the disease. An individual may choose not to pursue any action, simply hoping that the condition goes away on its own. Many times this happens, simply because the body has the ability to heal itself even if an individual does nothing to “help” it. An individual must understand however that there are potentially dangerous ramifications to ignoring a problem. It can get worse and perhaps become life-threatening. Waiting too long to treat many conditions often causes irreparable harm.

2.) Treat it medically or therapeutically. This is the most commonly chosen option, whether it is taking over-the-counter drugs such as aspirin or having surgery. The ramifications are numerous. Covering up the symptoms while neglecting the cause is one. The treatment being worse or more dangerous than the condition is another. Each individual needs to be made aware that this option is not available at Nix Chiropractic. This facility does not treat diseases or the symptoms of disease. If an individual desires to pursue this option, another health/life care provider such as their family doctor is the appropriate place to begin.

3.) Chiropractic care. If an individual chooses this option, they must realize that they are essentially choosing the first option, except that while ignoring the symptoms or the disease, they are making a positive contribution to their health by having nerve interference caused by spinal subluxations corrected. The hope is that by improving an individual’s health in this manner, their body will have a greater capacity to heal itself, perhaps a capacity that they would not have without chiropractic care. An individual choosing this option has to realize that the ability of their body to heal itself is limited by limitations of time and matter. An individual must also understand that the chiropractor cannot make the judgment as to whether the point where the body is not able to heal itself at all has been passed. Chiropractors do not make this judgment, medical doctors do. The individual must be reminded that chiropractic is not intended to treat or cure any symptom or disease but merely enable the body to work more efficiently. The individual must also realize that it is possible for the condition to get worse under chiropractic care, under the best medical and under no care. That is why Nix Chiropractic will not take the responsibility for persuading or dissuading an individual from seeking any other option. The only promise the chiropractor can make is that whatever the condition the individual has or does not have, they will be better off with a good nerve supply than without, and that regular chiropractic adjustments will improve that nerve supply.

4.) Medical care and chiropractic care. Since medicine and chiropractic have different objectives it is very possible for an individual to be under the care of a medical doctor and a chiropractor at the same time. The M.D. is fulfilling his objective: treatment of disease or its symptoms. The chiropractor is making sure the body has a good nerve supply so that its potential to heal and control itself is maximized. Depending upon the condition, some individuals desperately need medical care, if only until their bodies have had the opportunity to heal themselves. The chiropractor, not being a medical doctor, has no way of making that judgment for an individual so his responsibility begins and ends with recommendations of chiropractic care.

It is important for every individual to understand the above four options and to realize that at any point they can choose to change options. It is their health and life. The role of the chiropractor in addition to providing chiropractic care is to enable an individual to make a decision based on knowledge rather than ignorance, fear, or both.