Side Effects of Chiropractic Care
Not too long ago I saw an article in the Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine that examined the unanticipated benefits of CAM for back pain (CAM means complementary alternative medicine). They looked at 884 individuals, and the results indicated a “range of positive outcomes” that included increased options and hope, increased ability to relax, positive changes in emotional states, increased body awareness, changes in thinking that increased the ability to cope with back pain, increased sense of well-being, improvement in physical conditions unrelated to back pain, increased energy, increased patient activation, and dramatic improvements in health or well-being. Wow. Those are some awesome side effects!
On the flip side, lets look at some of the side effects of pain medications: upset stomach, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gas, dizziness, headache, nervousness, skin itching, blurred vision, ringing in your ears. Those are the less serious side effects. If you want the more serious side effects, try chest pain, weakness, slurred speech, coughing up blood or vomit, bruising, severe tingling, numbness, pain, muscle weakness, increased sensitivity to light and/or seizure, to name just a few (reference Drugs.com). And that’s just the “safer” over the counter pain reliever, not even the ones you need a prescription for.
Let’s see, which side effect would I prefer? I’m not going to answer that question, but will say that chiropractic adjustments are considered a CAM therapy, and I am certainly glad when I experience the side effects of an adjustment. No, chiropractic is not about back pain, but when it does come down to back pain, chiropractic, massage therapy and exercise is what I choose. It always works.
Not sure about Chiropractic? Ask me. Not sure about exercise? Ask me. Not sure about massage? Come to our massage talk this Wed. the 14th at 1:00pm and learn more about how massage can help. You will be glad you did.
