I recently wrote a speech for our Toastmasters club. For those of you who may not know about Toastmasters, the intent is to create leaders. One of the ways to do so is to learn public speaking and the underlying principles. They have awesome curricula for achieving that. You play to your audience’s learning styles and look for their body language cues. You use voice modulation, word choices, eye contact and your own body language to foster interest and attention.
The speech was to be timed at only 5-7 minutes long. Not so hard, right? In my case, finding the material and self-history to talk for 5 minutes is usually easy. Stopping around the 7-minute mark is tough. I admit it, I love to talk.
Since I needed to get a speech up and ready in a short time (I was to replace another member that could not make the meeting), I decided to go with what I know, and know best.
That part was easy, I know chiropractic and chiropractic care and the benefits associated with it. I had the speech ready in a short time, tweaking the wording here and there, then prepared a PowerPoint presentation to go with it. That way, my audience could have something to take home and refer to after the speech. And, I admit, perhaps gain a patient or two… ?
I titled the speech “Chiropractic, the What, How and Why”. Not very catchy, but I tried.
For the “What”,
I communicated the chiropractic foundation principles:
- The body has the innate capability to heal from within.
- The nervous system is the master system of the body, controlling and coordinating all other systems. It allows adaptation of function in response to changes in the body’s internal and external environments.
- The nervous system is made up of the central nervous system – the brain and spinal cord and the peripheral nervous system – the nerves that travel from the central nervous system to the end-organs (our skin, muscles, liver, heart, bones, tendons, etc.)
- The joints of the body are designed to allow movement. When normal motion of the joints are restricted or decreased, it can cause nervous system inhibition.
For the “How”,
I explained how adjustments are performed as well as how much education is needed to become a chiropractic physician:
- Chiropractors use hands-on HVLA (high velocity, low amplitude) adjustments
helping your body function efficiently. These adjustments work by restoring proper motion in your joints, improving nervous system and end-organ function, increasing your ability to participate in your activities of daily living, and diminishing or eliminating pain.
- These adjustments engage the body’s innate ability to function and heal!
Chiropractic care maintains health naturally and may prevent serious health complications before they start, minimizing the need for drugs or surgical procedures to keep you well long-term. We focus on your function and treat the spine and other joints of your body (arms, legs, hips, etc.), depending on your needs.
Also for the ‘How”,
I educated my audience on how a Chiropractor is made, the process required for licensure. Chiropractors earn a postgraduate doctorate Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree. Completion takes 4 years, requiring 4300+ hours of basic sciences, anatomy, physiology, diagnosis, radiology, pathology, microbiology, genetics, etc. An intern period treating patients is also required. A bachelor’s degree is also needed for licensure.
Every state requires chiropractors to be licensed. The licensing requirements require passing the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners exams. Every state also requires a number of continuing education (additional training) hours be completed, on a yearly basis.
Chiropractors who specialize in a particular area of chiropractic treatment like: sports chiropractic, pediatric chiropractic, extremities adjusting, or care during pregnancy. These often have additional training and certifications.
For the “Why”,
well, that was the easy part. The benefits of chiropractic care are so numerous, it was not a problem to come up with plenty of material. The problem came in when I tried to cut the material down enough to stay within the 7-minute maximum. For more information on the benefits of Chiropractic care, click here!
I chose the following benefits as a snapshot of chiropractic care. By no means are these the only benefits, there are SO MANY!
Wellness – You don’t have to be in pain to experience the benefits of chiropractic adjustment. Many patients experience their overall wellness and quality of life improve.
Improving range of motion – Your joints, connective tissue and ligaments will change and deteriorate over time, it’s just a fact of life. Chiropractic care helps your body to maintain and improve your range of motion. Chiropractic improves joint mobility and addresses muscle function as well.
Immune system strengthening – Your immune system is influenced by your nervous and endocrine systems. Because chiropractic care helps your nervous system operate at peak performance, it can help strengthen your immune system.
Reducing neck pain- Neck pain is common. If you sit for many hours a day, bend your neck to hold a phone, have poor sitting posture, or drive a tractor, twisting around, looking behind you at an implement… We like to call this tractor neck and tractor b*tt ?.
A 2012 study found that 12 weeks of spinal manipulation was more effective than medication.
A 2019 study found that cervical spine manipulation decreases neck pain in the short-term by modifying levels of neuropeptides.
No drugs or Surgery – Granted, prescribing of drugs and surgical procedures are excluded from our ‘scope of practice’, and I LOVE this aspect of Chiropractic! Of course, there are times when drugs may be needed. Combating severe infection, treating a particular condition or illness, etc. and that’s great! Drugs have their place, and if you need them, by all means, use them as prescribed.
Surgery should be considered for trauma, and for conditions that fail to respond to conservative care (Chiropractic) and prescription therapy.
A great benefit of conservative care:
What do you have to lose by trying conservative care first? Side effects, more drugs to treat the side effects, possible complications from anesthesia, adhesions that restrict proper movement, lifestyle restrictions, perhaps lose the ability for self-healing. (Think of having your spleen removed.)
Improving nervous system function – Your spine contains bundles of nerves that connect your entire body to your brain. Your nervous system controls every bodily function. Spinal restrictions can impede your nervous system and cause almost imperceptible changes in how your body works. Chiropractic care removes interference, improves your ability to carry nerve impulses, and enhances overall function of the nervous system. In turn, this enhances whole body performance!
Other benefits:
Reducing reliance on opioid pain relievers – People with chronic pain are often given prescriptions for opioid pain relievers to help manage their discomfort. However, undergoing chiropractic treatment may 
lower your need to take these pain relievers, and reduce your risk of addiction.
A 2020 study found that adults who visited a chiropractor were less likely to get opioid prescriptions for their pain.
Back pain – Chiropractic treatment – an alternative to more invasive alternatives like surgery or injections for treating back pain. (Multiple injections for pain control can have devastating side-effects…) A 2017 review of studies found that spinal manipulation was associated with moderate improvements in back pain and function for up to 6 weeks. This could have been a speech on it’s own!
Digestion Issues – Your digestive system and nervous system are closely linked. Nerves in your spine control how your body digests food. Without proper nerve function due to spinal restrictions, this can interfere with digestion.
Reduction of osteoarthritis symptoms – Osteoarthritis pain is caused by the degenerating cartilage in joints, causing the joints to rub together. Some types of chiropractic adjustments may help align your joints, reducing pain and aches
A 2020 study found chiropractic manipulation may help slow progression of (osteo)arthritis.
Easing headache symptoms – Spinal manipulation is effective at treating your migraine, tension and other type headaches. A 2016 study found that 6 to 8 sessions of neck and back manipulation were effective in relieving chronic headache pain.
Reducing scoliosis symptoms – Chiropractic care may help improve the Cobb angle of people with scoliosis. The Cobb angle is a measurement of how much side-to-side deformity there is in the spine. A 2016 study found the Cobb angle in a group of children with scoliosis improved after 8 weeks of treatment.
Improving posture – Chiropractic care can help correct poor posture. A 2017 case study examined chiropractic treatment on a woman suffering back pain, neck pain, and headaches caused
by hyperkyphosis, commonly known as “hunchback” posture.
Improving quality of sleep – Misalignments of your spinal structures can interfere with sleep. Regular adjustments, recommendations about sleeping positions and pillow and mattress selection can promote relaxation leading to better sleep.
Improving athletic performance – Spinal adjustments may potentially improve athletic performance by increasing joint mobility, reducing pain, and less tissue restriction.
Affordable – Chiropractic treatment may be less expensive than conventional treatment for chronic low back pain. Researchers found in a 2016 study chiropractic treatment had lower overall treatment cost. The study also determined treatment duration was shorter than conventional medical treatment.
Where’d it all come from…?
When you’re giving a speech about the benefits of your profession, you COULD talk for hours…