The ‘Stranger Things’ of Chiropractic
By Sara Butler
Have you finished binge-watching your way through the new season of “Stranger Things” on Netflix yet? Unless you just made your way out of a cave, I assume you probably have. Therefore, I feel confident in asking: Wasn’t it awesome? The Duffer brothers could continue creating ‘80s-themed sci-fi drama for the rest of eternity and I would be quite pleased.
Of course, I’m always looking at things through the lens of chiropractic, so this season of the show got me to thinking about all the strange things that surround us each day. In chiropractic, there is no upside down or secret lab with a portal into another dimension (I think), but there are some interesting things about chiropractic that many people aren’t aware of. So, I did a little digging to bring you the stranger things of chiropractic!
The Paper Sheet
Do you find the paper sheet that covers the headrest on your chiropractor’s table a little strange? I mean, how can that possibly keep germs from spreading -- it’s paper! The strange truth of the matter is the thin piece of paper actually works. The Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College did a study of the cleanliness of chiropractor’s offices and found chiropractors to be very proactive with disinfection of surfaces around the office, including their adjustment tables. That paper saves you from the sniffles (along with those chiropractic adjustments that help to support a healthy immune system.
The First Chiropractic Adjustment Restored Hearing
A man named Daniel David Palmer is the father of chiropractic. He had a patient named Harvey Lillard who once felt something in his back “give out” and then immediately lost his hearing. Seventeen years later, he went to Palmer, who performed a chiropractic adjustment and restored his hearing! Not as cool as being able to move objects with your mind, but still pretty awesome.
Chiropractors Don’t Do the Healing
You go to the chiropractor to find relief from what’s ailing you, right? Not to disappoint you, but it’s not actually the chiropractor who is doing all that healing, it’s your body! What your chiropractor does is restore proper neurological balance and mobility to your joints, and the body self-corrects. Kind of like the scene in Stranger Things in which they try to drive out whatever has a hold on Will. It wasn’t Joyce, Nancy, and Jonathan that drove the evil thing out of Will; it was Will’s own body in response to the heat. See, chiropractic lessons are everywhere!
NASA Research Has Helped Advance Chiropractic Care
Astronauts have back pain when they return to earth. No kidding! In fact, NASA claims that astronauts are 68 percent more likely to suffer from back pain than people who keep their feet firmly planted below the stratosphere. They discovered through research that astronauts were experiencing back pain due to the weakening of the muscles that support the spine.
Your chiropractor knows that exercise is a key component to good spinal and overall health, and what NASA learned only drives that home. After watching Stranger Things you may not have the most faith in government-run programs (what are they really doing?), but it’s really cool that NASA is looking into a connection between the right amount of exercise and spinal health, something we’ll all eventually benefit from -- just like plastic, memory foam, and Tang.
Well, don’t you feel like your world has been put right again? Sure, we didn’t save the town of Hawkins from yet another other-worldly calamity, but you are living in this world with just a little bit more knowledge than you had when you started!
And one pro tip: If you find a strange animal in your garbage can, call animal control. Don’t keep and feed it -- especially if you have a cat in the house.
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