Discomfort Case

When we feel discomfort in our bodies our immediate reaction is some form of medicine, whether that may be over the counter or something a doctor has prescribed us. In some cases the discomfort subsides once we begin taking the medication but in others the discomfort is still present.Complementary and alternative medicines are usually the next step for people who are feeling this discomfort regularly, especially after seeing one or two doctors. One medicine that falls into this category and is quite common in the united states, is chiropractic treatment. In Keating's words, "chiropractic practice emphasizes the conservative management of the neuromusculoskeletal system, without using medicines and surgery." In this paper I will talk about this type of treatment and discuss my interviews with two individuals who have experienced this type of medicine. I will compare and contrast the two interviews and discuss the results.

First I will begin with the chiropractic treatment and philosophy. Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on treatment, healing, and preventive for diseases that affect the nervous system, brain, spinal cord, nerves, as well as muscles and bones, cartilage, and joints of the body, or the neuro-musculoskeletal system. The traditional chiropractic theory is that the vertebral subluxation interferes with the body's innate intelligence (Keating 23-64). A common preconceived notion is that a professional pops the clients back in certain ways, this is correct in some ways but, on the other hand, it is not that simple. The common treatment used is manual therapy which involves spine manipulation, joint manipulation, and other soft tissues. A client can also expect specific exercises to be performed at home, and health and lifestyle counseling. It's important to understand the philosophy of chiropractic too as it helps us better understand what the majority of practitioners within the profession maintain. This philosophy includes, "concepts of holism, vitalism, naturalism, conservatism, critical rationalism, humanism and ethics (Keating 1).

Before I begin with the interviews I would like to look at the subluxation syndrome aforementioned in the above paragraph. In practice, subluxation "refers to the target of many chiropractors manual interventions" (WHO). Some theories include, subluxation as a cause of musculoskeletal problems, etiological factor in various internal disorders and behavioral-psychological problems, and lastly a strategic intervention site for disease prevention and wellness enhancement (WHO). Although these theories bring ridicule from mainstream health care, they seem to work as a complimentary medicine. To sum up the subluxation syndrome and focus would be that if a person feels discomfort in their spine it can effect how your body organizes, maintains, and heals itself. Therefore, it is vital to treat this subluxation.

I chose to interview a married couple who individually were treated at a chiropractor for very different reasons. In order to keep this individuals identity private I will refer to this individual as interviewee #1. Interviewee #1, is a male in his late 50's. His general philosophy of health and disease is "when the body feels well, that's a good sign that it's stronger and more able to fight off disease." It began with tingling in his arms and stiffness in the lower back. Dan explained that he had a fall as a kid that injured the base of his spine. This is what he felt was causing him to have these discomforting symptoms. By word of mouth, or what he explained "the old fashion technique," he chose the chiropractor that seemed to best suit him in that way. His expectation, like I would assume, was just some relief but not completely relieved of all discomfort or pain. The practitioner explained to alleviate these symptoms it would be by "massage and manipulation, relaxation, and then understanding the cause to help prevent the symptoms." This is almost identical to the treatments I listed in the second paragraph. Jahn's practitioner specifically gave him instructions on how to sit, lay down, etc., in which he practiced at home. After three weekly visits, once per year he continued his treatment. He found that the treatment was more successful with results lasting much longer versus his experience with an established practitioner. The symptoms after treatment were better range of motion with less pain and discomfort. Knowing interviewee #1's general philosophy of health and disease, it is not surprising that he would find the treatment successful and would use the practice again in the future for other symptoms. What's so interesting about this is that interviewee #1 went to three separate doctors at three stages of his life, the last being a non establishment was the one that produced the best results. We can connect this to his philosophy of health because in the end his symptoms had subsided and his body felt well furthermore; making him believe his body was healed. Interviewee #1's philosophy compliments the chiropractic philosophy very well because they are both concerned with the feeling of the body and if one area doesn't feel right then the entire body seems unorganized and possibly weak. This means that for this individual alone, the alternative medicine was a better choice than the established practitioner.

To analyze the results of interviewee #1's experience we can begin with the symptoms beginning in the lower back and tingling in the arms. In a chiropractor's perspective, I would assume that the vertebral subluxation is the stiffness in the lower back and the tingling in the arm would be a side effect or the interference of the body's innate intelligence. In order to fix this the practitioner explained to interviewee #1 that the treatment would involve massage, manipulation, relaxation, and of course, a better understanding of the cause to help prevent the symptoms. The instructions given in addition the treatment were also a way to manipulate these synovial joints that may have been causing the feeling of stiffness. All of these exercises and education helped interview #1 to less pain and discomfort. It also gave him a better understanding of what to do in the future to prevent anymore discomfort.

I will refer to the second person interviewed as interviewee #2. Interviewee #2 is a female in her late 40's. She explained that she had a severe auto accident in the year 2000. In result she had severe back and neck pain. She was recommended by the emergency room doctor and her primary care physician after she told them that she did not want to be on drug therapy. Her expectations of the treatment was to regain use of her back and range of motion in both neck and back. Interviewee #2's general philosophy