25 years ago, when I was a student at Buffalo State College, I worked part-time selling auto parts. One night I got into a car accident. This was no little fender-bender. It was bad. I made my way out of the car through a shattered window. The gas tank was split in two and the springs were found over 100 feet away from my car. When I got out, it hurt to walk, and my head was throbbing with pain. Soon I was being taken to the hospital. My neck hurt more with every bump the ambulance hit.
The next day every muscle in my body ached. It even hurt to breathe. Muscle relaxants and painkillers were given to me by my MD to "take the edge off," but they turned me into a zombie. It was like living in a cloud. There was no way I could go to college feeling like this.
Then I was sent to physical therapy. The pain in my neck was getting worse; now it was sharp and stabbing. I couldn't even turn my head to the left anymore. I was in my early twenties, what was I supposed to do for the rest of my life? I was told I'd have to live with it. I was starting to doubt if my body would ever be the same again. But there's more...
My aunt convinced me to give her chiropractor a try. The chiropractor did the exam, took some X-rays, and then "adjusted" my spine. The adjustment didn't hurt, it actually felt good. I got relief, and I could turn my head again. It worked so well that I went to chiropractic school myself!
Now for Alanna, my beautiful wife. She is a physical therapist and understands the benefits of chiropractic better than anyone I know. Several years ago, she began telling me about a flashing white light in her eye. This same symptom has been associated with Multiple Sclerosis. To say the least, this was terrifying for both of us. I was still away at school and asked a local doctor to adjust her. Within two months the flashes started to subside, and now, many years later the flashes haven't come back, thank God. We were talking recently about those flashes and realize how fortunate she is. That may seem like a small thing, but it makes a huge difference to us.
When my nephew, Steven, was just 4 years old he knew enough to ask me to adjust him when he felt like he may be getting sick, or sometimes just to stay "tuned up." And now Alanna and I have children of our own who get adjusted regularly, too.
It's strange how life is, because now people come to see me with their whiplash and injuries from car accidents. Also, they come to me with their headaches, migraines, chronic pain, neck pain, shoulder/arm pain, carpal tunnel, backaches, ear infections, asthma, scoliosis, allergies, numbness in limbs, and athletic injuries, just to name a few.
Forty-eight million Americans no longer have health insurance, and those who do have found that their benefits are reduced. That's where chiropractic comes in. Many people find that they actually save money on their health care expenses by seeing a chiropractor. Another way to save...studies show that chiropractic may double your immune capacity, naturally and without drugs. The immune system fights colds, the flu, and other sicknesses. So you may not be running off to the doctor as much.
The Diplomate In Chiropractic Craniocervical Junction Procedures (DCCJP) is designed for upper cervical Doctors of Chiropractic who may already be proficient in a specific upper cervical procedure but wish to advance their diagnostic, analytical, and clinical skills. The DCCJP also provides significant opportunities to learn about other upper cervical procedures to help improve patient outcomes. Those who participate in this program will enhance their skills and techniques and expand their knowledge as an individual chiropractor in the field of upper cervical care through the International Chiropractors Association Upper Cervical Council.
This advanced program includes 300+ hours of classroom instruction and one of the main goals and benefits of the DCCJP is facilitating the growth of knowledge and the deepening of understanding within the field of upper cervical care.
