Tag: care physician

How to Find a Chiropractor

Do you suffer from painful recurring headaches, arthritis, were you in a car accident, or are you just experiencing pain and discomfort? Most Americans head to their medicine cabinet or their primary care physician. These provide you with temporary relief, but dont you want more? If so, schedule an appointment with a local chiropractor.

What makes chiropractors better than over-the-counter pain relievers and primary care physicians? They believe in natural medical care. A chiropractor may use x-rays and MRIs to diagnose a problem, especially after a car accident. The treatment, however, is hands on, literally. It is known as manual therapy. Chiropractors commonly perform alignments and adjustments. Precision force is used with the hands to thrust joints into their proper position. For most, this results in a reduction or elimination in pain, as well as increased mobility.

If you like the sound of chiropractic care, you may be ready to schedule an appointment. First, you need to familiarize yourself with chiropractors in and around your area. How?

Your local phone book. In the back of your phone book, you will find the yellow pages or the business directory section. Chiropractors may be listed under the headings of physicians, or chiropractic care. Your phone book will give you the names, addresses, and phone numbers of chiropractors.

A standard internet search. When performing a standard internet search, search with your city and state. You will be linked to a number of websites. Some of those are directories, where many chiropractors are listed. These websites are similar to phone books; they provide you with just the names, address, and telephone numbers of local care providers. What you want to look for is chiropractor websites. In addition to getting the contact information, you should get in-depth information about the provider, such as specialties, background, and see pictures of the office.

An online business directory. Many websites serve as online business directories. From Yahoo.com, select Local, from the main heading. Enter in your city and state and the phrase chiropractor. You will see local listings for nearby chiropractors. Most only include your specific city, but you can expand the search to nearby communities. Some online business directories link to you to provider websites, if they exist. Many also enable ratings and reviews.

From your insurance provider. If you are covered by health insurance, see if chiropractic care is covered. Although some still classify this natural form of healthcare as alterative medicine, many are now embracing the benefits. There is a good chance your insurance provider extends coverage for care. When calling to ask, inquire about providers in their network or known providers that accept your insurance. Your insurance company can provide you with names, addresses, and phone numbers.

Recommendations from those you know. Since many Americans, insurance providers, and employers are now embracing chiropractic care and realizing the many benefits, its popularity continues to increase. You may know someone who has seen or uses the services of a chiropractor. Ask those that you know, such as friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors. Ask for the name, address, and phone number. Be sure to ask for feedback too.

As you can see, there are many ways to find chiropractic care providers in or around your community. Once you familiarize yourself with your options, the next step is to choose a care provider. When doing so, consider reputation, feedback, costs, and the wait until you can get a first appointment.

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How to Choose a Chiropractor

If you suffer from pain, discomfort, and difficulty moving, you can head to your primary care physician or your medicine cabinet. These approaches do work, but only temporarily. You want to do more than just treat the symptoms of pain. You want to find its cause and fix it. This is where chiropractic care can and should come in.

What is chiropractic care? It is a natural form of medical care. Patients can seek relief from a wide range of aliments, including arthritis, sleep difficulties, allergies, headaches, joint pain, joint stiffness, and so forth. As for how it differs from traditional forms of medical care, chiropractors believe in an all-natural approach. Relief is sought though manual therapy, which involves use of the hands. Common treatments include realignments and adjustments. Chiropractors use precision and force to thrust a joint into its proper position.

Since chiropractic care has many benefits, you may want to seek treatment. When that time comes, you need to find chiropractors in your area. First, examine your options. You can do so by looking in the yellow pages of your local phone book, performing a standard internet search online, or using an online business directory. You now have the contact information for local chiropractors, but who will you choose? You need to do more than just find a chiropractor; you need to choose once. What should you consider?

Insurance coverage. If you have health insurance and if that coverage includes chiropractic care, contact your health insurance company. See who you can visit. Some insurance providers work with a network of physicians. You may receive extra discounts and other moneysaving benefits by opting for an in-network chiropractor. If you have the freedom to choose, opt for a one that accepts your insurance.

Costs. Whether you are insured or not, costs should be considered when choosing a chiropractor. It is important to seek natural pain relief, but you must be able to afford it. When uninsured, find a quality chiropractor who has flexible payment options. This may include monthly payment plans or credit card payments.

Recommendations from those you know. As previously stated it is easy to use the internet or a phone book to find a local chiropractor. Unfortunately, these options usually just provide you with a phone number and an address. All chiropractors ease your pain, but they have varying people skills, rates, and overall attitudes. You need a chiropractor you feel comfort with. This may involve trial and error and meeting with a number of professionals, or you can ask those that you know for recommendations and detailed feedback.

Read reviews online. Although it is best to ask those that you personally know for feedback on a local chiropractor, you may not know anyone. Chiropractic care has many benefits, but most wait until they are in pain or suffer an injury before seeking treatment. If you do not know someone who has undergone this natural medical care, turn to the internet. Many online business directories, such as the one operated by Yahoo, enable consumers to rate and review businesses, including chiropractors. Enter in the chiropractic care, your address and see what results popup. Reviews are shown as stars.

As mentioned above, you may need to rely on trial and error. If you are unable to find reviews online and do not know someone who as received chiropractic care, use your best judgment. Schedule an appointment with a local chiropractor. In most cases, the first appointment is similar to a consultation appointment. Make mental notes. Is he or she listening to you? Are they offering helpful suggestions for at home too? Do you feel comfortable with your chiropractor? If so, you made a good choice. If not, move on to the next. You can switch care providers at anytime and for any reason.

In short, you need to do more than just pick a chiropractor out a phone book. It is important to receive quality care, but start with costs. Ending your pain and discomfort is important, but make sure you can afford treatment.

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Chiropractic Care: What to Expect

Do you suffer from constant pain and discomfort? For most, this is due to an injury. For others, there is no explanation. Pain can easily be treated with over-the-counter pain relievers, but relief is short lived. Since pain relievers do have risks, especially with prolonged use, it is important to seek proper medical care. One of your options is chiropractic care.

If you werent already aware, chiropractic care is a form of medicine. Some classify it as alternative medicine, as the treatment options are very different. Most notice a difference between the care provided by a chiropractor and a primary care physician. Chiropractors believe in manual therapy. This is therapy with the use of the hands. Common methods of solving pain problems include therapeutic massages and manipulation. For example, neck pain may be treated with a neck realignment.

If you like the sound of chiropractic care, the first step is to schedule an appointment. Chiropractors can be found online with a standard internet search or an online business directory. Most are also listed in the yellow pages of local phone books, under the heading of physicians or chiropractic care. If you have a number of local options, look for the best care with the most affordable price. Some insurance providers do cover chiropractic care. If covered by insurance, speak to a representative to see if your care qualifies for coverage and to familiarize yourself with in-network providers.

Not long after making your appointment, you will arrive for it. The wait can be as short as two days, but as long as two months. The more chiropractors you have in your area, the shorter the wait should be. As for your first visit, it will be similar to a consultation appointment. Your chiropractor will take your medical history. They may take your blood pressure, measure your height and weight. Your source of pain will be examined, like your neck, hands, knees, or feet.

Some chiropractors can diagnose a problem by simply looking at or feeling your source of pain. However, additional tests may be needed. These may include an MRI or x-ray. Some chiropractors will begin treatment immediately, but you may need to return for an additional appointment. It will depend on the length of your appointment, the type of care needed, and how soon a course of treatment was decided on.

As for the second appointment, this depends. As previously stated, treatment may have started right away. If not, it will start here at the second appointment. Once again, treatment depends on the diagnosis made. If your chiropractor wants to treat your neck pain with realignment, they will start the manipulation. If ongoing therapeutic massages were recommended, your treatment will start.

After the initial treatment has been performed, it is important to communicate with your chiropractor. For example, if regular therapeutic massages are needed, you automatically know that continued care is needed. On the other hand, if your neck was realigned, you may mistakenly believe you are done. Despite the common misconception, chiropractic care does not always translate into continued care, but there are benefits. After a neck realignment, therapy may be needed. Patients regain mobility they never had before; it takes time and practice to readjust to it.

In addition to wondering about chiropractic care visits, many patients are also curious about payment. Not all insurance providers cover chiropractic care. And, not all chiropractors choose to work with insurance providers. If you are uninsured and paying out-of-pocket, this will not be a concern for you. Instead, examine your available payment options. They do vary. Some care centers accept credit cards, debit cards, and checks, while others only take cash.

Returning back to insurance coverage, do not make any assumptions. Always speak to an insurance provider first. If chiropractic care is covered, determine by how much. Do you need to pay for a percentage of treatment costs or just a co-pay? Can you seek care from any chiropractor or must you work with an in-network provider? These are all questions you need answers to before scheduling an appointment.

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Chiropractic Care versus Traditional Medical Care

Are you suffering from mild to severe pain and discomfort? Whether it is your knees, hands, neck, back, fingers, toes, or another part of the body that hurts, you may be ready to schedule an appointment with your primary care physician. This is nice, but have you considered chiropractic care? If not, you should. It is similar, but also very different from traditional medical care. How?

Natural versus Artificial

Over the past few years, a lot of focus has been placed on natural and organic. Many Americans are making the switch to all natural and organic foods and supplements. This nice, but many of those same people turn to traditional forms of medicine and over-the-counter pain relievers to seek relief. This is not natural. Chiropractic care is. Chiropractors may use x-rays and MRIs to diagnose a problem and decide on a course of treatment, but that treatment is done with the precision of the hands. It is manual therapy.

Medications

Medications are commonly prescribed in traditional forms of medical care. They are not with chiropractic care. In fact, chiropractors are unable to write prescriptions. Some believe this is because they arent enough of a doctor. This is not true. The main reason for their inability to write prescriptions is because they do not believe in their use. Patients are not discouraged from seeking temporarily pain relief with over-the-counter products, but it is only temporary. Chiropractors prefer to make adjustments to treat the problem of pain at it source, not mask the problem with prescription medication.

Side Effects

In keeping with medication, it is important to note the side effects. They are common. It is rare to find a prescribed pain reliever without side effects. Even little side effects, such as an upset stomach or dizziness, can have a profound impact on your life. When seeking medical care, you want to seek relief, not have a new set of problems to deal with. That is why chiropractic care is best to treat pain, discomfort, and decreased mobility. Since there are no drugs prescribed, you will not experience side effects. But, you will get positive effects from either proper adjustments or therapeutic massages.

Safety

In terms of safety, there are little to no risks associated with chiropractic care. In fact, care is recommended for individuals of all ages. Both those young and old can benefit from chiropractic care. With traditional medical care, there are more risks present. Many of the medications prescribed are only safe for certain individuals. For example, those under the age of 4 can rarely seek safe pain relief from over-the-counter or prescribed medications. They can, however, get a safe therapeutic massage or undergo a safe realignment to treat pain and discomfort.

Complications

Chiropractors cannot perform surgery. In most cases, it is not needed. Patients who seek medical care experience pain, discomfort, and decreased mobility. As previously stated, realignment or a therapeutic massage may do the trick. Since surgery is only considered a last resort and performed by surgeon, there is little risk of complications. Surgery opens up a world of complications, including the invasion of germs and infection. Since the body is naturally healed using manual therapy, complications are non-existent.

NOTE: Chiropractors encourage those suffering from pain, discomfort, and difficultly moving to seek chiropractic care. What they dont encourage is avoiding all traditional forms of medical care. Some conditions, such as the flu, cancer, and diabetes cannot be treated with manual therapy. Never put your health at risk. Chiropractic care is best to treat pain and discomfort. Always keep your primary care physician in mind for other non-pain related medical problems.

In short, there are many differences between chiropractic care and medical care. So, which should you opt for? If you suffer from pain or experience difficulty moving, contact a local chiropractor. See what they can do for you. Since there are little to no risks, you have nothing to lose.

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