Sometimes in life you find yourself led in a direction only to find that you went down that road not just for the reason you originally started, but for a bunch of reasons you never even imagined. I feel that way about my experiences as a six-year patient of AC Spine & Wellness Center.
I came to AC because I was suffering from chronic headaches, neck pain and sciatica. I had been to two different chiropractors on a weekly or biweekly basis in the course of eight years, but was still waking up with severe headaches, neck aches and I couldn’t sit on the couch for long periods of time because my hip hurt so badly. I was in my thirties and I felt like an old lady!
After complaining about my chronic suffering to a friend from church, Lynn Fonseca, who just happened to be a patient at AC, she said, “Why don’t you try AC? The doctors are great and they have helped my whole family.”
“But, I already go to a chiropractor,” I told Lynn. “Why should I come to AC?”
They’re different,” Lynn said simply. “Just try them. What have you got to lose?
I thought about it. She had given me the “365” card that was good for free spinal X-rays, an exam and consultation with the doctors, so what did I have to lose? Besides, I was pretty desperate. I was tired of chasing my two-year-old around all day and not being able to sleep well at night because my neck hurt so much, or my hip hurt when I lay on my side, or I woke up with a headache. “I’m too young for this!” I told myself, and called to make my first appointment.
My first impression of Dr. A and Dr. C was that their approach was different than the other chiropractors I had experienced in the past. The AC approach seemed to be much more comprehensive than simply getting adjusted once a week. I was doing exercises for my neck and spine, traction (hanging a three-pound weight off my head, for those of you who have not yet experienced this), and ultimately, becoming educated about all the benefits of chiropractic care. They even suggested that I bring my daughter (then two-and-a-half years old) in for an evaluation.
“Spines are hereditary,” Dr. C said when he explained my X-rays to me. “You have scoliosis that has gone undetected all of your life, as well as degenerative disc disease in your neck. If we adjust your daughter while she is still young, she has a much better chance of avoiding all the problems you have had as an adult.”
I was convinced. As a firm believer in preventive health care, this made sense to me. My daughter, Antonia, became a patient of Dr. A before her third birthday.
Now, six years later, we have both learned so much about our health and wellbeing from Dr. A and Dr. C. What began as a quest to relieve my headaches and neck pain has turned into a journey to become as healthy as we can possibly be, naturally. Not only do I live a pain-free life, but I am healthier overall than I was six years ago, and so is my now eight-year-old daughter. Thanks to the education we have received from Dr. A and Dr. C, we no longer eat fast food. We are aware of food sensitivities that we both have. We take all-natural, organic supplements, and we eat gluten-free foods because, through food sensitivity testing, we learned that Antonia is severely sensitive to gluten. We know this because when she began complaining of headaches, stomach aches and wasn’t sleeping well, Dr. C said, “I bet she has a food allergy.”
I must admit, I was skeptical that what my daughter was eating was giving her headaches and not allowing her to sleep at night. As with every other suggestion from Dr. C and Dr. A, they offer it, and you can test it out to see how it works. So, that’s exactly what we did. We eliminated gluten and soy from our diet and it’s amazing what a difference we have both experienced! Antonia never has a headache or a stomach ache, and she sleeps without interruption every night, which of course, makes her happier, more alert at school and much more pleasant to be around.
And, a side effect of eating healthier, I have discovered, is losing weight. I have lost a few pounds and actually wear a smaller size than I did in high school. But, most importantly is how I feel. I have an abundance of energy, and I almost never get sick! Incidentally, Antonia has perfect attendance at school this year, too.
Recently, I went to the dentist and the eye doctor and the assistants at both offices took my blood pressure and asked the routine questions. The health professionals at both of these offices seemed amazed that a “woman my age” is not taking any kind of prescription medication.
“Really?” the young male dental assistant said, looking up from his clipboard in disbelief. “You don’t take any medication?”
“Nope,” I smiled at him.
“Wow. That’s really good,” was his reply. This tells me that most of the women he speaks to in their forties are taking something. Ah…the over-medication of our society…but that’s another story altogether.
It’s pretty amazing to live a pain-free, active life without medication when you’re in your forties! I owe some of that to my genetically strong Italian heritage. But, I am quite sure the rest of it is the cumulative effects of my visits to AC Spine & Wellness.
