Despite the fact that the practice of chiropractic care has been around for more than 100 years, many fears and misconceptions about it remain among African Americans.
“A lot of people say chiropractors are quacks or bone crackers, but the big thing in our community is that we aren’t educated to what chiropractic care is all about,” Dr. Michael Gerdine said.
Dr. Gerdine has been practicing chiropractic care at West End Chiropractic & Rehab Center for 6 years. He said myths about chiropractic can only be changed once a person changes their mindset concerning healthcare.
Dr. Gerdine feels that the African American mindset toward health is to seek treatment only after an illness or injury has occurred.
“Every since we were kids, if we had a problem we’d go to the doctor and get some medicine or get a shot. That’s the way we were trained,” he said.
However, Dr. Gerdine feels that this attitude is changing.
“People are becoming more proactive in their healthcare and not just taking for granted what the doctor says,” he said.
Dr. Gerdine encourages this shift towards preventive healthcare without discrediting the use of traditional medicine.
“I’m not saying we don’t need medicine at all. What I am saying is that, when we take a proactive approach to our health naturally, we don’t have all of the side effects (from medications).”
Chiropractors work by adjusting the spine. “We align the spinal column to free up interference within the nervous system,” he said.
“The nervous system controls everything in the body, so by freeing up the interference, we allow the body to function at its maximum capacity so that it can heal itself naturally.”
The interference is caused primarily by stress. Dr. Gerdine cited regular chiropractic care as a first line of defense against it. Through chiropractic care, he said, “you eliminate the stresses in the body. You relieve stress, tension from everyday stuff.”
It’s the tension from everyday stress like, work, school and managing finances that causes the tension in the body which can lead to pain and discomfort.
“I see a lot of teenagers with back problems, athletes, elderly people with arthritic problems, corpal tunnel and sinus problems,” he said.
While he stressed the benefits of chiropractic care, Dr. Gerdine was quick to state that it is not a magic bullet to cure a lifetime of improper habits.
“You can’t go to a gym, work out and get the body you want in a day, and you didn’t develop your postural habits in one day,” he said.
“It takes time to fix them. Chiropractic care is not a quick fix. It’s a long-term approach or adjunct to wellness care.”
Through his practice, Dr. Gerdine hopes to encourage a proactive view of health and to educate everyone about the benefits of chiropractic care.
“I want people to understand that wellness is within you, you just have to bring it out by doing the things you’re supposed to do,” he said.
Some of the tips he gives his patients include what he calls the four keys to good health: diet, exercise, stress reduction and proper rest. He also says that sleeping posture is important to maintaining good spinal alignment.
“If you sleep on your side, put a pillow under your head and put a pillow between your legs and another under your side to keep your spine straight,” he said.
For those who prefer sleeping on their backs, Dr. Gerdine said, “put the pillow under your knees so that your back will stay straight. And ,if you sleep on your stomach, put a pillow under your stomach and under your feet, so your legs will come up and your stomach won’t sink into the bed and you won’t wake up with back pain.”
Through his practice Dr. Gerdine said he hopes to “educate every human being about chiropractic care and the benefits of it and give people the option to see that there is something other than medicine that is very effective.”
West End Chiropractic & Rehab Center is located at 305 Union Blvd. For more information, call 361-4650.