Commander-In-Chief Complaints: How Chiropractic Could Have Helped

By Sara Butler

You may think of U.S. presidents as these mythical, all-powerful beings, but rest assured they put their pants on one leg at a time just as you do. In fact, presidents are so normal that they even suffer from aches, pains, and other disorders that plague the rest of us plebes.

February 18th is President’s Day and in honor of this noble office, let’s talk about how the people who have filled it through the years were just as likely as you to pull their back out bending over to pick up a pencil.

Thomas Jefferson

Oh sure, at first glance Thomas Jefferson is a really accomplished guy but it’s unfortunate for him that chiropractic wasn’t around in the 18th century. Jefferson was known to suffer from headaches, some of which lasted for weeks, as well as severe back pain. He even had a wrist injury that never healed -- but I guess that didn’t stop him from penning some incredible stuff.

Abraham Lincoln

Instead of Honest Abe, maybe he should have been Achin’ Abe -- because Lincoln lived through quite a lot in his 56 years.

It’s thought that Abe suffered from Marfan Syndrome, a genetic disorder that can result in a person who is tall and slender with an abnormally curved spine and flat feet, among other things. People with Marfan’s often suffer from intense low back pain and foot pain, something that a chiropractor can help with.

Chester A. Arthur

Say what you want about Chester, but the guy knew how to have a good time. He was well known for enjoying his food, which led to an unhealthy weight later in life. As a result, he developed high blood pressure, kidney issues, and swelling over his entire body. If he’d had a chiropractor, they may have been able to help him find a healthy eating and exercise regimen that worked for him. Instead, he died at age 57.

Calvin Coolidge

When it comes to a list of ailments, old Calvin has a short one. His only real vice was sleep -- he got far too much of it, which may have contributed to the blood clot that took his life in 1933.

Getting enough sleep is crucial to your health, as the chiropractors at The Joint Chiropractic will tell you. But it’s up to you to be the Goldilocks of sleep because you have to get just enough in order to support your continued health and wellness. Too little and you’re at risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. Too much and you’re at risk for, well, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.

Aim for between seven and nine hours of sleep per night and endeavor to wake up and go to sleep at around the same time each day.

John F. Kennedy

Perhaps the president most famous for his ailments, JFK was vitality and youth personified on the outside, but on the inside, he was in chronic pain for a variety of reasons. Chief among them being his chronic back pain and gastrointestinal issues (which we now know was a form of irritable bowel syndrome).

Even though the 1960s don’t seem that far away, living with JFK’s ailments today would be much different -- and probably more tolerable too. We know today the joint dysfunctions and restrictions responsible for his pain could have been treated naturally and effectively with the help of a chiropractor. Chiropractors can even offer patients relief from the chronic pain of IBS.

In today’s world, don’t ask what your chiropractor can do for your back pain, ask what you can do to treat the underlying cause of your discomfort with the help of a chiropractor!

Gerald Ford

If there’s one thing people seem to remember about Gerald Ford, it’s that he was incredibly clumsy. It may have had something to do with the fact that he had both knees replaced as the result of college sports injuries. Hopefully, he had a chiropractor to help him with both his recovery from joint replacement surgery and his balance and coordination issues!

I’m certainly glad no historian is keeping track of what’s ailing me -- but I’m also glad to have a chiropractor from The Joint Chiropractic to help me keep my health and wellness on track!

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