One of the questions I get asked a lot is “Why Chiropractic?” so I thought I would share my own chiropractic story and shed some light onto just why I love chiropractic so much.
I first had chiropractic care as a young teenager who did a LOT of competitive swimming. Like 11 sessions a week for 2-3 hours at a time, with each session covering an average of 7-8kms. The sheer amount of activity meant I needed to look after my body, so I saw a chiro once a week to make sure I was able to perform at my best, however when I stopped swimming around 14 I stopped care. Fast forward to when I was 18, in my second year of a biomedical science degree and doing long hours of study. I was suffering from intense and frequent headaches. I went to the local mall one Saturday and by chance met some local chiropractors who had a stall there. After having a chat to them about my state of health I re-commenced care. At the time I had plans to become a Dr, specifically a transplant surgeon. Life was about to change.
The results I got from chiropractic made a huge difference to my headaches which practically vanished despite nothing else in my life changing. And the idea that taking care of my master control (nerve) system as part of my wellbeing just made so much sense. If we take care of our teeth and our pets and our cars why would we not take care of the one system that allows our entire body to do it’s job efficiently and effectively? I asked my chiropractor at the time if she thought care would be good for my brother as well. He was born with an incredibly rare chromosomal disorder, and at that point had been practically non-verbal for his entire 16 years communicating with a combination of haphazard sign language and grunts with a few small words. He started care, and within six months his vocabulary expanded dramatically. At that point, I realised how truly life changing it could be for people and families to have a nerve system that was free of interference. To go from non-verbal to asking “can I please have a sandwich?” is a radical difference. My life plans changed, and a year later I moved countries and degrees to become a Chiropractor myself. (Below, an image of my brother and I)
My passion with chiropractic lies in the ability to change lives. Whether it’s helping a baby sleep with ease, helping women be comfortable throughout pregnancies, keeping dads active and full of energy to run around with the kids, seeing kids flourish or just seeing members of my community living life with a nerve system that functions efficiently and effectively. To me Chiropractic is about living life at full volume and in full colour, whatever that might look like, and having as many people doing that as possible. Because no matter what food we put in and exercise we do, even the best choices won’t have the best outcome unless our body is able to process those inputs effectively. While I started care for relief of my headaches I’ve stayed under regular care to have a brain and body that communicate and function at their best. That’s what it means to be me, fully expressed.