Losing My Chiropractic Virginity

By guest blogger and patient Nicole van Esselstyn

It happened. I demystified the world of chiropractic by having my first adjustment.

What brought me to this point of deciding it was the right time?

Two things:

1. Getting to know a chiropractor and hearing her patients' rave reviews. That's Dr. Sherin Bourne at Integrative Chiropractic Center. 

2. Watching my husband lie flat on the floor for nearly five days straight after throwing out his back.

Dr. Sherin Bourne

I was desperate for him to be well. Desperate. As any wife can understand when her husband is injured. Desperate. 

So I made him go first to Sherin. And he did. And he survived. In fact, he walked out feeling better than he had in a week. But this story is not about him. It's about me, losing my chiropractic virginity.

I was nervous. Let's just be honest here. Throughout the years I'd heard horror stories. Of cracked backs that just got more jumbled. Of an endless string of visits that never produced more than just extra bucks in the pockets of the chiropractors.  

I took all of these at face value, never looking into it myself. Considering all chiropractors to be the same, doing the same. 

Until I met Sherin. Until I heard about her services. Until I heard the stories of her patients, from the patients themselves. 

But a little skepticism remained. I mean, I'm a farm girl from southern Virginia. We tough things out. We keep going. That is ... until we can't anymore. And that's what happened to my husband. I didn't want that happening to me. So I made my appointment and went in. Nervousness and all.

I could be honest with Sherin, telling her I really didn't buy into the whole thing. I asked many questions. All were answered patiently. She scanned my back using a wand, which revealed my areas of discomfort. Those areas matched up precisely with how I was feeling ... stiff neck and shoulders, clogged sinuses, and headaches. OK, I was beginning to feel a little more convinced.

On the adjustment table

Then it was time for the table. After lying down, she started with a heated blanket and massage pulses. Heavenly. Next up was the adjustment. Sherin didn't push me too far. She was confident but with a gentle approach. She explained what she was doing as she went. It actually felt quite nice. 

Once it was over and I stood up, I noticed a difference immediately. My feet felt more firmly planted on the ground. As if I was standing up straighter and taller. Sherin never told me I might feel that way. I noticed it all on my own. Further convincing me that this isn't hooey after all.

In the days that followed, I felt a little sore. But then, not much different from how I felt before my adjustment. The next week, I went back for a second appointment. That was when I really started noticing an ongoing difference.

My neck isn't as stiff anymore and isn't as uncomfortable when I'm lying down to sleep at night. My headaches are almost all gone. I was at least good for several a month - all minor. My sinuses feel more open, again leading to the decrease in headaches. And all of this from two adjustments. I couldn't believe it.

Coincidence? Maybe. 

But I can't imagine that these symptoms would disappear all on their own, especially since I'd had them for years. I honestly believe it is a result of chiropractic intervention, an intervention I didn't know I needed but am glad I tried. I just wish I had lost my virginity sooner.

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