This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting the Rock and Roll hall of fame with two friends who are in their 60’s as we are, yet, their ability to walk, mount stairs, move about pain free was alarming to me. It reminded me and my wife what we never wanted to be; waiting for the next doctor, the next MRI and the next procedure which would do nothing to help me age better. Unfortunately, this is more common than we believe and so many believe aging has to be like this. The good news is life is full of choices; growing older naturally with better care for our musculoskeletal system through chiropractic and fitness is one of them. As a chiropractor in practice for 40 years, not being able to demonstrate an exercise would be a horrible look for someone who spends their life helping others. You need to lead by example. Both my friends know what I do for a living but do they really understand what I do? My my job is to help patients keep their joint health, their activity levels and their overall health better naturally while helping them avoid the risks associated with the next surgery, procedure, etc. I don’t think either of them ever have thought of coming to see me for a chiropractic evaluation, but they do believe in their problems being medical with spinal stenosis leading the way. I have treated thousands of stenosis cases and most of them do best with a chiropractic approach which helps them function and feel better. Many find out that the stenosis found on the MRI, may not be why they hurt. Actually, this is quite common with the right active care regimen, common in many chiropractic offices. They have both been living the life of polypharmacy, which is taking more than one drug. In 2019, patients made 1.04 billion medical office visits with only 28% of those visits ending without a prescription. In other words, 3/4 of those visiting doctors or multiple doctors for different conditions are now likely taking multiple drugs.. Here is the percentage of those office visits resulting in a prescription. One prescrption 18,6% Two prescrptions 12.5% Three 8.2% Four 5.9% Five or more 26.8% Ten or more 10.5% My two friends who are seniors are more likely to be victims of polypharmacy over time, with impaired function due to ignoring pain, and having their symptoms managed rather than having their problems solved. We are seniors as well and are a few years older. A 2024 report released by the CDC reported the percentage of seniors who were taking drugs increased to 88.6%. Maybe this is why nurses assume we are taking something and are surprised when we are not. I take nothing and choose a healthy lifestyle which, combined with good genes help me stay drug free. One nurse complemented me during my pre colonoscopy screen for staying drug free. When we were driving to Chagrin River Falls, about 45 minutes from downtown Cleveland, we had a conversation regarding health. Neither of these friends are my patients. I explained that there is a better way of living than waiting for a stenosis diagnosis to worsen on the next MRI. I suggested understanding back and hip pain always begins with a thorough history and exam rather than waiting for an MRI to tell me how bad they got after years of poor function without the guidance on how they can live better lives. The idea of holistic care and understanding function was foreign to my two friends, one of which already had a hip replacement and had difficulty mounting a stair with one leg on our trip. Unfortunately, mechanical problems do not improve with pills although the pain may be more tolerable for a while until permanent joint damage occurs from ignoring the pain. It has been my experience that keeping people out of harms way comes with better care for the musculoskeletal system. I have had so many patients who had procedures from doctors they trusted on their spine which may have seemed like something they needed, but months or years later affected how they move and function. I never mentioned the word chiropractic during our car ride however, they both know this is what they know I did for 40 years. I have made it my life’s mission to help people naturally, and hopefully earlier in life so they can avoid the damage done by a botched surgery, a sliced nerve, a procedure that was avoidable as my mom experienced with a hip replacement. My book, Cheating Mother Nature, what you need to do to beat chronic pain was written to help people think differently and perhaps think chiropractic before they go to their next specialist, or wait for their next MRI result which will worsen over time without the proper management. Controlling pain seems like a good idea at the time as a pill bottle is convenient. Not getting out of bed without assistance years later due to the pain is a bigger inconvenience. Moving better feeds circulation. Eating better reduces diseases and inflammation which causes many of the illness’s such as metabolic syndrome and diabetes. As Americans, we are getting less healthy with our current pill lifestyle. Chiropractors should be referred to by all physicians for their musculoskeletal problems and patients should think chiropractic first for a good primary care approach to pain that is natural and low risk. Despite the effectiveness of the approach, people are still stuck on the specialist bandwagon which leads to more injections, medication and procedures that can leave us worse off months or years later. I am well aware of what happens since so many of our patients come in months or years later after these procedures have taken their toll. I too refer to the right specialists when medically necessary, as I practice Primary Care for the musculoskeletal system. Unfortunately, rarely do they refer to chiropractors when it is appropriate to do so. The incentives in our corporatized current healthcare system need to be changed for this to happen. Unfortunately, I do not see anyone changing those incentives as they are the ones with a seat at the table for healthcare policy, not the providers on the front line. Change incentives, change behaviors, improve the cost and help people stay healthier, rather than what we do now which is disjointed non holistic care that is not good for our long term health. When someone is in pain, it is always appropriate to refer to a chiropractor first. In the USA, we spend more on healthcare than everyone else in the world. Patients have choices. In pain, choose chiropractic first. You will be surprised at how effective we can be. All you have to do it choose differently. Patients have all the power to do so. The provider you visit first will determine your experience and your effectiveness and cost of care. It’s your body, your choice and we are here to help you. Need help today? Book online or call either of our offices today.