Although there are many different age groups for Veterans, one in particular I want to tell you about is elderly. I was given the privilege of caring for this Veteran in his late 80’s beginning a couple weeks ago. As with all my elderly patients, I would be lying if I didn't say I was slightly dreading his appointment. “Why didn't you see a Chiropractor sooner?” is always my first thought. It is so hard to make the dramatic improvements, my type-A personality wants to see, in the elderly. But most of the time, our elderly are unaware of the benefits Chiropractic could have had on them throughout their life. But in this particular case, finding the right Chiropractor was what he needed.
He called me one Monday morning and had left a message because the office was closed that day. A message nearly 3 minutes long I might add. He said he had seen my advertisement in a magazine and what caught his eye was when I quoted B.J. Palmer by saying “the power that made the body, heals the body”. He was convinced I had the answer to his problem. He was probably a little bit more convinced than I was when I first met him.
What he had been experiencing for the past year and a half was extreme vertigo. I had cared for other patients experiencing vertigo, but nothing like this. He needed help doing everything, moving into any position, and looking any direction. He had a history of a decent amount of head trauma both before and during the vertigo so I was hopeful that the upper cervical adjustment technique I specialize in would benefit him.
His daughter who accompanied him on each visit had expressed her concern in coming to me. She was understandably tired of spending time and money on a symptom that wasn't improving, while watching her father’s health decline in the meantime. They had been to two other Chiropractors, and a variety of Medical Doctors and specialists and no one knew the answer. I get a range of emotions when patients tell me this. I am at first anxious for the challenge and then secondly I am overwhelmed with doubt. He was confident in my ability for some reason, so I was ready to try.
The first visit took a decent amount of time, both because we had such a good time visiting with each other and because vertigo is not something you can rush through. If you have ever experienced it, you will know what I mean. We did a few very basic adjustments, typical for what I perform on all of my elderly patients and an additional procedure specifically for patients experiencing vertigo. He claimed to feel no different after the adjustment, which I told him I expected and to be patient. He came back three days later for his second adjustment and although he said his neck felt “less tense”, the vertigo had not changed.
He came back for his third adjustment a few days after that and I knew there was something different the moment he walked in the door. “Can I hug you?” he said. Then with tears in his eyes he told me that his vertigo left after that second adjustment and hadn't been back since. THAT is why I am a Chiropractor. And I am honored that God chose me to utilize this great tool.
In just a couple weeks after recovering from vertigo, this patient has made a variety of health improvements. He had always been very active and with the presence of vertigo it had become very dangerous for him to do something as simple as going for a walk.
One of the most debilitating influences on a person’s health as they age is a sedentary lifestyle. Exercise can improve a person’s mobility, digestion, and circulation, and can decrease anxiety. Walking improves elasticity in blood vessels, which makes them less susceptible to aneurysms.
Chiropractic care is essential for the elderly because of the dramatic changes that occur in the spine with increased age. As we age, spinal discs, joints, ligaments, muscles, and other spinal tissues become weaker, less hydrated, more fibrotic, and less able to endure “normal” stresses. As a result, back pain and injury become more prominent. Anti inflammatory medications and pain relievers only mask the symptoms and have many undesirable side effects, which is why Chiropractic care is so advantageous resulting in pain reduction and decreased spinal stress and degeneration. Popular reactions among my elderly patients are increased energy due to pain reduction, which also leads them to sleeping throughout the night, and better balance is often experienced as well.
Chiropractic care has a number of benefits as we age:
• Relief from spine and joints
• Decrease in muscle stiffness
• Increased mobility
• Straighter posture
• Increased balance and coordination
• Increased energy
• Increased sense of well-being
• Decreased arthritic pain
• Minimized spinal stress
• Reduce risk of falls/injuries
My elderly patients also enjoy both the nutrition and ergonomic discussions we have. Most of them have lost a decent amount of teeth as they have aged and have not been taught how to change their food habits now that they can’t chew certain foods, which leads to them simply eliminating them altogether. Reassessing what they are eating to assure proper nutritional needs are being met is very important. Also, they are sitting a lot more now and perhaps their favorite lounge-chair isn't so favorable for the proper maintenance of spinal alignment.
Thank you to all of you who are Veterans!
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