Finding Health in Chiropractic - Dr. Nikki's Health Story
Welcome to our blog! We just celebrated our 4 year anniversary here at Canalview Chiropractic and I thought it would be great time to start something new. What better way to start than to share with all of you my own chiropractic success story!
I was a sick kid. Yes, me, the doctor that dedicates a good amount of her time to talking to parents about how to keep themselves and their kiddos healthy and functioning optimally. I spent a lot of time in the pediatricians office with chronic ear and sinus infections, asthma and allergies. I was diagnosed with strep throat at least once a year and was treated with antibiotics so often that I became resistant to the most commonly prescribed medication and had to be given an alternative. I had to use both a rescue and preventative inhaler and was on weekly allergies shots for most of my youth. Because my momma loved me so (and still does!) she did what she thought was best for me and took me to the doctor whenever I was sick and filled whatever prescription I was given, just like any other parent would.
This pattern continued into my adult life as well. When I went off to college I continued to sick on a regular basis. I didn’t know how to take care of my body, especially my nervous system. My rigorous studies had me emotionally stressed and the inactivity that was a result of my constant studying took a toll on my physical health as well. I gained weight, I had frequent headaches and back pain and was even diagnosed with an autoimmune thyroid condition. All of this happened while I was in chiropractic school! Oh, the irony. I graduated chiropractic school in the poorest health of my life. My emotional, chemical and physical stress levels were high and my adaptability was low. I was existing in a way that so many of my patients are when they first come in to my office, sub-optimally.
When I first opened my practice, the stress was even higher than before, but I had started to take a little better care of my body. I was eating better and exercising more. I lost some weight and felt a little better, but I still wasn’t “healthy”. I was still taking synthetic hormones to help control my autoimmune thyroid disorder and turned to over the counter remedies when I would get “sick”. I was frustrated and sometimes felt like a fraud, teaching my patients about how chiropractic care was so important for their health, all while I wasn’t expressing my best health. Then it hit me… I wasn’t getting adjusted! I was so focused on getting my practice going and taking care of my patients that I forgot that I too needed to be adjusted! I began getting regular adjustments on a weekly basis from my colleague, Dr. Pat, and on weeks when I need my adaptability to be even higher (like say when I am doing an event for the practice) I get adjusted 2-3 times.
My nervous system is functioning optimally more often. It’s not perfect, life happens, subluxation happens, but my body handles it better now than it did in the past. I regulate my health with healthy habits like exercise, sleep and a healthful diet, but most importantly, I keep my nervous system healthy with regular chiropractic adjustments. I still get “sick” from time to time but my body no longer relies on external intervention to heal, instead it utilizes its innate ability to heal, thanks to the power of chiropractic.