Why Your Chiropractor Should Be Your PCP

"Why consider a chiropractor as your Primary Care Physician (PCP)?" 

This is important to talk about, considering the disparity between the amount of money the US spends on health care vs the actual health of our citizens. We live in a country that spends 17% of its GNP on health care and consistently ranks below the top 50 in the world in providing ‘health care’. I put the quotes on ‘health care’ because we as a nation have been trained to look for ‘illness care’ and call it ‘health care’.

We’re clearly doing something wrong. One way to get on track is checking who we choose as our PCP’s and including chiropractors in our choice. So much of the time, allopathic medicine (traditional MD, DO, etc. physicians) provides “illness care”, looking for what is wrong and using drug therapy to reduce symptoms to help you feel ‘healthy’.  Chiropractic is considered “health care” and looks for what it takes to actually get your body right and let your body heal.

Here are just some of the reasons to see a chiropractor as your Primary Care Physician (PCP).

• Chiropractors know the musculoskeletal system, related conditions, AND how to treat them.
• Chiropractic education is comparable to the education of MDs and DOs. We have more education in certain areas (diagnostic imaging, musculoskeletal anatomy, and related conditions), less in others (pharmacology, drug interactions, and surgery.)
• Chiropractors know that we do not heal anything - we remove restrictions in your body, increasing nerve energy function, circulation, thereby encouraging end-organ function and self-healing.
• We help you with nutrition advice so you know what raw materials are required so your body can heal itself.
• No drugs (conservative care) Once drugs suppress symptoms (how your body reacts to stimuli), all health care providers may have a problem getting to the root cause of a condition. Your symptoms tell a story, about where your body is in health and give us clues to help determine what your care plan should contain to help you heal. 
• Some chiropractors advocate the use of supplementation (not drugs) - these (natural) substances work with your body to encourage healing by giving the body the raw materials it needs.
• No surgery (conservative care) When surgery is complete and recovery is over, there are many possible outcomes that may inhibit your healing - adhesions (internal scars), the fusion of spinal elements (that were made to move, and now can’t move.)
• Typically, a lower cost for a course of care.

We hear from our patients that their allopathic physician's office has long wait times in reception, is inattentive to their conditions and questions, and has short, hurried encounters (sometimes less than 5 minutes.) They get too many prescriptions (sometimes trying to correct a side-effect of previously prescribed medication) and, it seems there is always a referral to a specialist, and so on. So — you might consider chiropractic as another option.

Today, selecting a chiropractic physician as your PCP is not as radical as it sounds. Many insurance websites have the question “What types of doctors serve as PCPs?” It’s clearly stated, “depending on your benefit plan, a PCP may also be a chiropractor.” If insurance companies are willing to pay for this health care, they have done some research. We all know that insurance companies are picky about what qualifies!

Chiropractors are physicians, and, with the exception of pharmacology and surgery, we receive the same training in science as medical doctors. Chiropractors are trained to recognize signs and symptoms of illness and can order blood tests and x-rays, but if we’ve made a diagnosis or are seeing test results beyond our areas of expertise, we absolutely refer to medical doctors. Virtually all PCP chiropractors maintain a referral list of allopathic physicians and specialists. The relationship between the PCP chiropractor and other physicians is one of mutual respect.

Like MDs, DCs (Doctors of Chiropractic), spend a lot of time learning to perform a good physical exam. That means you can come to your chiropractor for:

• Annual check-ups
• Sports physicals
• Exams required for work
• Exams required for driving
• Travel exams, (mission trips, cruises)
• Excuse notes for school or work
• Recommendations for ergonomic accommodations (how your workspace helps or hinders your health)

Chiropractors go beyond regular check-ups, adding sophisticated musculoskeletal and neurologic testing. A good musculoskeletal exam is more important than you might think; as you age, the first systems in your body that start to decline are often the bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Chiropractors may notice subtle signs of neurologic conditions too, and help you understand what these signs might mean.

If you’re basically healthy, odds are that your first encounter with the health care system may be for a strained back, pinched nerve, or torn ligament, and these are what chiropractic treats.

Chiropractic physicians introduced functional testing into health care. Commonly used test kits that evaluate your digestive function, measure hormones, or test for food sensitivities all got their start in chiropractic offices. Chiropractors have paved the way for plenty of testing that has been pivotal for improving health and well-being.

Because of our training (and license limitations), chiropractors do not perform surgery or prescribe drugs, so treatment for virtually any condition — from a bad cold to a bad back, from high cholesterol to high blood pressure, from heartburn/GERD to a bladder infection — begin with lifestyle changes and non-pharmacologic nutritional supplements. The mainstay of chiropractic medicine is prevention: nutrient-dense eating, regular exercise, stress reduction, and nutritional supplements when needed. 

It’s unfortunate that allopathic physicians may skip benign interventions and reach for the prescription pad, speed dial you a specialist, or schedule you for surgery.

PCP chiropractors opt for less invasive means of addressing your symptoms.

Intense medicalization of your condition may be dangerous. Many MDs sometimes too quickly offer overly aggressive treatments. In the US, ‘medical error’ is now the third leading cause of death, and incorrectly taken prescription drugs are the fourth!

At Armour Chiropractic we truly care about you and your family. Give us a call today to schedule an appointment and see the difference in care.

“There are no strangers, only friends we haven’t met!”

Best of Health,

Dr. Armour and the staff of Armour Chiropractic. 

For more information, visit https://armourchiro.com