Eish! London 5 August

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Wednesday, 5 August – (visit the Chiropractor)

I was really nervous and unsure what to expect. You hear so many stories about things that go wrong, dodgy situations in foreign countries and the like. I waited in the waiting room filling in forms and reading the posters on the wall. The receptionist was an older lady who was very pleasant. The chiro arrived and I went into the room where the chiropractic chair (or an ‘instrument of torture’, depending on how long I’ve put off being adjusted) was right in the middle. He started to work through the forms with me; he was chatty, open and honest with a sense of humour just like mine. His bedside manner was great and being there felt right. Amen, thank-you Lord. I was weary when he started talking about having 12 sessions in a few months, I did the math: That’s over 300 Pounds! That wasn’t going to be happening. I said I’d stick to once a month like I did inSouth Africa.

He then went through my medical questions and asked me where the most painful areas were. I explained that I had ‘apparently’ just had Swine Flu, I get nausea, occasional vomiting, stomach cramps in connection with my colon, and that I found it better to stay away from alcohol. I pin pointed the areas of back pain and told him of my minor scoliosis; and tried to give valid reasons to justify why my body didn’t seem to behave as ‘normally’ as other people’s. After listening to me explain everything he said that it sounded like I had gluten intolerance and candida.

“Do you know what candida is?” He asked.

“Isn’t that too much sugar?” I recalled from memory. Two other alternative health practioners had told me they reckoned I had a sugar problem; one specifically mentioned candida; I hadn’t really paid much attention at the time though.

“Yes, that is one big part of it. It may be a good idea to cut gluten, wheat, sugar and dairy from your diet; sticking to fresh, healthy foods instead, in order to cleanse your body and then see how you feel. I can do tests for you if you like, to see what your body reacts to after you’ve managed a full detox. It’s up to you.”

I had seen the sign in the waiting room for the testing and I thought of the costs involved. I could try the cleansing detox to clear my system and get rid of all the irritations and symptoms of this candida; but I didn’t foresee myself having the tests, it sounded a little strange and expensive to me. “OK, I can try the diet thing; but I’m not very good at changing my diet.”

“It would be worthwhile and there are loads of fresh foods and healthy things you can eat instead; soups and the like.”

I think my face said it all: Fresh food? Oh dear, I’ve always had a problem with the texture of fresh food. Yuck. The idea of rearranging my diet now became daunting; not really as simple as all that. “I don’t like eating salads, fruit and veg.”

“Surely there are some that you do eat?”

“Peas, carrots, apples, that’s about it.” I said rather embarrassed that I’m not like ‘normal’ people.

“Ok, well start with that; then see if there are other things you can try. Just do what you can; this is a lifestyle change, not a rush.”

I looked at him dubiously, completely unsure, but I knew I had try something. My family history has diabetes, colon problems, spine problems and new things keep popping up as we all get older. If I could start to sort this out now, then I’d probably be in for far less hassles later, or at least be able to handle any problems with greater ease if they did happen. I sighed knowing full well it was time to get myself and my body sorted. Baby steps.

He asked me what exactly I was looking for from him. Was it full body health, or only adjustments for pain? I wasn’t sure. I knew I needed the adjustments, but I also knew that a healthier lifestyle was something I needed to sort out and soon. I could only be honest with him:

“Right now I’m in pain and I would really like an adjustment.” I said, “I would like all the other stuff to be sorted out too, but I’m not very good at focusing and keeping up with the healthy stuff.” He was the kind of guy who looked me straight in the eye and told me exactly what he was thinking and exactly what I should be doing. I liked that; I always appreciate upfront honesty, even if it does hurt a little sometimes. He seemed to genuinely care and wanted to help, but at the same time he realised that I was being cautious in this new environment and that it would take me some time to build up trust. I was serious though; in this exact moment my focus was on: losing the pain.

“Alright then, because you have been adjusted before I’ll adjust you now and then we’ll go from there.”

I did some exercises for him and he watched for whatever chiropractors watch for. Then he checked muscle points and told me that my muscles were weak and I needed to strengthen them. He was exactly right; I know I don’t pay enough attention to keeping them strong. I only go walking in the evenings and that’s hardly going to build muscle strength. He was not happy that I had waited so long to see him and the points in my back were in a bad state. It was my own fault. He adjusted me and it hurt. He wasn’t happy with the pain or my reaction and said that he really did need to see me sooner than ‘in a month’. I knew in my heart he was right too, so I settled on the following Tuesday, because if I wasn’t healthy then I wouldn’t be working at all. He also advised that I have X-Rays taken so he could see what my spine structure was doing, and I told him that I had some X-Rays back inSouth Africa; which I would bring in as soon as I could get them sent toEngland. That was not something else I was going to pay for.

Feeling relieved and content that I had made a good choice, I was happy to return on Tuesday as my body really needed it; and I was happy that I hadn’t had to live through any strange experiences that would’ve stopped me going to a chiro altogether. Yay for getting rid of pain.