A lot has been going on lately, and we all have less and less time to think about ourselves. Less time to listen to our bodies and less time to do anything about it.
I’ll tell you a story.
Not long ago, I woke up with a strange feeling in my back. It wasn’t necessarily a new feeling, but one that prompted me to reach behind and notice something I hadn’t noticed before. A slight bump, right on my spine, right where I wouldn’t expect such a bump. At first, I just ignored this, as I didn’t have time to deal with it…. off to work.
Days went by, and days turned into weeks. The bump was still there.
After some standard research online, it was decided I either had some extremely rare case of _______ (fill in the blank with any related disease the internet can imagine) or I was simply the new owner of a bump on my spine. A trip to the local clinic was the next place I went.
After almost 2 hours waiting in the clinic to see a doctor; I am chatting with a Doctor, who does a standard 5 second examination. Asks a few standard questions like: does it hurt, can you do this, can you to that, etc. After this very brief assessment, she tells me it’s probably just a muscle problem and that she will prescribe me muscle relaxants.
…
Excuse me? I should take drugs for this?
I suppose drugs have their time and place, like when my arm is falling off, and I need morphine; but what happened to referring a therapist? Perhaps some physio, a massage therapist or a chiropractor? Each of those suggestions would have been much more beneficial to me and my body.
Fast forward a month.
I’ve since gone to the Chiropractor and Massage therapist, a few times each. The muscles are feeling much better, my range of motion is also much better. The Chiropractor identified several physical issues which I already knew about, but had not mentioned them. He gave me stretches and exercises to improve my range of motion, my muscles mobility and overall health. The massage therapist also had advice for me to improve my body and stay healthy.
This is the kind of care that most North Americans need. Most of us don’t need drugs prescribed from a family Doctor. We need healthcare professionals that take a holistic approach to treating and healing, not Doctors who get kickbacks for prescribing more drugs to mask the pains.
