I am a long-time skeptic of chiropractic and homeopathic medicine. If they don't teach it at the Mayo Clinic or Harvard Medical School, I'm not accepting it.And yet, today, I went to see Dr. Guy (not his real name), who is a chiropractor/acupuncturist in Bountiful. It was a first for me. Back pain, being what it is--debilitating--leads one to dark and fuzzy corners outside city limits. Like a cancer patient seeking an apricot pit for survival, I was looking for a cure outside muscle relaxants and narcotics that haven't really done the job.
Let me say right away, that I liked Dr. Guy, who comes from a long line of chiropractors. He was relaxed and funny and I'm a sucker for humor. He was kind and gave me the best neck massage ever. So as far as I'm concerned he could have been pulling pythons out of a pot as long he kept that massage going. Later, having needles pressed into various parts of my body was painless and adventuresome like buying horse sausage from a street vendor. And I liked the fifteen minutes under the heat lamp while the needles shifted my energy or what have you.
Primarily my uncertainty about the treatment came from kitschy decor and the Muzak piped into the examination rooms.
The decor: painted wood sculptures of sunflowers, bonneted girls, frogs, mushrooms, ladybugs, etc. etc. placed preciously on shelves, in corners and even between window blind slats. Who placed these creepy objects so lovingly about the offices of Dr. Guy? I'm guessing either the chatty receptionist who square dances and is on her third husband, because the first two died: "They call me the Black Widow!" Or, perhaps, the Missus Guy?
See, I don't think medical offices should be a family affair unless all of the family members have the required degrees. In fact, I don't think medical offices should look anything like a room where one might hold a Family Home Evening. Medical offices should look as if they've been boiled at high temperatures. They should be sterile.
Aside: Dr. Guy interrupted the acupuncture twice, blowing his nose into a kleenex. He wore no gloves and used no antiseptic on the skin before puncturing it with needles. Are those used needles? Are they disposable needles?
I did not think of these questions until later, because the Muzak was a piano playing our favorite tunes from antiquated broadway musicals with gaudy arpeggios and trills. I turned toward Tom, who was sprawled into a massage lounger fast asleep, and I giggled.
A good neck massage, a good giggle, the possibility of a mysterious infectious disease--what could be a better way to end the week?
The giggling, at least, IS infectious.
ReplyDeleteI lived in the cradle of chiropractic for several years. The Palmer students made me wary. It was clear from interacting with them that the college teaches an antipathy toward traditional (and I might add, research-based) medicine, and some of the students were only there because they hadn't gotten in to medical school. Immunizations are a particular bugaboo there. Sour grapes, anyone?
Still, I was having some neck/shoulder trouble and hadn't found anything helpful in the physicians I had seen. I got to know a student who was coming to chiropractic as a career change, so he was a little more mature. He had had surgeries on both shoulders and did not hate real doctors. He also made sense when he talked about the body. I went to see him for several months before he graduated and moved away. He gave me exercises to do in between visits, so it wasn't all about seeing a chiropractor as a regular, permanent fixture in your life. I saw a dramatic improvement in my posture and my neck/shoulder condition.
I wish you well in your chiropractic journey! So far acupuncture is one step too far into the Twilight Zone for me, but I have no argument with it. Let us know how it goes; I may decide to give it a whirl.
I love a good chiropractor. And I tried acupuncture for the first time last fall after a major surgery that left the nerves on the left side of my face very weak - I could hardly close my eye and my face just didn't work well. I credit the acupuncture with increasing my healing and aiding in a much quicker recovery than my surgeon ever dreamed. (I did ask before my first visit if they used disposable needles :)
ReplyDeleteLouise, I'm a TOTAL skeptic, too! But Bryce just went to the quackapractor this week, and he swears his lower back pain is gone because of the adjustments the guy did. Oh, the dirty needles, there's nothing like living on the edge.
ReplyDeleteWe have been going to a pediatric ophthalmologist for my youngest son. The first time we went I was struck by the decor of the office--bad paintings of sad clowns, vinyl and metal throne-like chairs circa 1970 and a framed black and white photograph of two boys wearing knee length sweat socks, gym shorts and paper bags over their heads. All this intermingled with graphic posters about diseases of the eye and volleyball-sized 3-D plastic models of eyeballs. Pretty much the only thing missing was Muzak. Kitschy decor aside, she is an excellent doctor so we have continued to see her. She recently moved offices to a much more recently decorated space. I think I will kind of miss feeling like I have traveled back in time to 1974 on our visits.
ReplyDeleteOh, and incidentally I have always been skeptical of chiropractors as well but a desperate need drove me to start seeing Dr. Tom and I love him. Still not brave enough for acupuncture though.