Back in the day, and not so very long ago, there was an impenetrable barrier between medical doctors and chiropractors, or any other such ‘alternative’ practice. And, until fairly recently, insurance companies did not cover any of the alternative practices. Fortunately, bit by bit, this is changing.
Nearly three years ago, a doctor (medical) put me in contact with a doctor (chiropractor) whose ‘light touch’ has spared me no small measure of the intense pain caused by the muscle stiffening characteristic of fibromyalgia. I have been heard to say, more than once, that if I had to pick one remedy of the many I use to combat chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, it would be light touch chiropractic.
Three times a week, I spend 20 or so minutes, face down, on a massage table in a room, which includes four such tables, and in which, soothing music assists in creating a calming environment. Sometimes, I am the only patient in the room. But, generally, there is at least one other. We are all fully clothed. The chiropractor goes table to table, ministering gentle touch to various places along the spine, on the head, on the feet, or along the legs. Each patient is doctored according to their need. The objective of the practice is to put in balance the opposing sympathetic and para-sympathetic neuro pathways.
Our bodies carry a history of all events, good and bad. When the ‘bad’ (chronic illness, a car accident, emotional stress, physical or emotional abuse, sports injury, work stress - again, physical or emotional, even the physical stress of working out too much) upsets the equilibrium of the two systems, our body becomes over stressed and suffers the effects. Common symptoms include:
- pain in the neck, lower back, pelvic girdle, hips
- awkward posture
- digestive difficulty
- tension headaches
- chronic sinus trouble
- fatigue
The light touch of this chiropractic method calls upon and transmits a healing energy to the patient. And, the practice I go to, coaches the patient to be mindful of the body’s own healing power and encourages that we call on that power to assist in bringing our selves to whole health.
During a session, I might feel a tingling sensation along nerve paths during or after a touch. Or, I might feel great warmth at the site of the touch. At the end of a session, I feel a sense of wellbeing, as if I’ve completed a wonderful meditation. My body feels lighter, freer, and moves more fluidly. And, ongoing, my pain is less. I know this because on occasions when I’ve had to be away from the treatment for a week or more, my pain increases a great deal.
Light touch healing comes in various forms. I’ve given a glimpse into the chiropractic method I am able to access. Here is the link to a descriptive interview with a practitioner of a similar type, http://www.fmaware.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5285
Second best to the positive physical results of this treatment is that my insurance covers it. I love observing the mainstreaming of ‘alternative’ modalities as we learn that caring for our health takes more than the expertise of our medical doctors.
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