The more I get involved with chiropractic pediatrics the more I want to refine my skills and be able to offer all my patients the finest care. And that brings me one fundamental question: why do people usually wait until they get sick to take care of their health? What does “health care system” really mean? The way I see it is that the system is not about health at all – we actually have a “disease care system”. Most people live in a way following the most frightful vicious cycle: they live their normal life (which by the way is composed of a series of spinal trauma – subtle and cumulative impacts on our spine columns, like birth traumas, falls, heavy backpacks, sports injuries, prolonged sitting, bad posture, heavy workloads, etc.) without any preventative care; then one day they get sick, go to the doctor, get the diagnosis, get the prescription, get the drugs; and the cycle goes on and on. Even people who are not big fans of drugs, and rather go for a more natural way to treat diseases, they are still getting treated for something, they’re still living in the “disease care system”.
So basically it is most common for people to get treated only when they get sick. Wouldn’t the term health care mean quite the opposite? The ordinary way of care – the “disease care”- is the most painful and expensive (not to say that sometimes it’s irreversible) way to treat your body, your health, your kids.
When I was a kid I never had the chance to get chiropractic care, unfortunately. At that time chiropractic wasn’t even known around the place I came from (a small and charming city in the northeast of Brazil called Ilhéus). So I cannot even blame my mom for not having the chance to get my spine checked or helping me prevent little, yet annoying, spinal problems I have developed in my lifetime.
I am glad to currently live in a place that every parent is able to provide their children with this amazing tool called chiropractic care, which has been used to treat many conditions, however it can do so much more than that… What is better than being able to treat a condition? It’s to prevent the condition to happen in the first place.
Now an alarming data: in this “disease care generation” more than 125 million prescriptions are delivered to our children every year, and approximately 200,000 drug-related deaths a year. Something is very wrong, and the first step is taking control over our family’s health. We are able to think ahead and take preventative actions.
I don’t get tired to emphasize how important it is for our kids to get their spine checked, to have postural evaluation, scoliosis screening, gait assessment, learn how to properly carry a backpack, how to avoid sports injury, and so on.
As a mother of two, I know how much we want the best for our kids, we dream about them growing healthy and having all the opportunities to conquer everything they want. We pray every single day for their good health and protection, don’t we? So giving them the benefits to receive chiropractic care is something we can do for their future, and they will be always grateful for that.
*The picture on the left shows my youngest one, Neik, who loves not only receiving chiropractic care, but also taking care of mom’s spine too.
Dr. D Muller, BSc, DC, Webster Certified, ICPA Member