Something felt fundamentally flawed with the United States healthcare system with life expectancy continually declining and soaring chronic diseases rates driving up expenditure. Despite being an advanced nation spending significantly more on healthcare per capita than other countries, the U.S. does not even rank among the top 10 healthcare systems in the world. These statistics frustrated me and encouraged me to find a way to think about health that was different from the traditional approach. To obtain better patient outcomes and improve the healthcare system, we cannot continue using the same approach, or as Albert Einstein once said “we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used to create them.” Not only does Chiropractic play a quintessential role in the transformation of healthcare as a primary care provider, it also fuels my passion to learn more about the body, pain, and most importantly helps me understand myself better in my journey to overcome personal health challenges. For these reasons, I am motivated to pursue a Doctorate of Chiropractic. Pain has been one of my most valuable teachers, it has gifted me many life lessons that led me to further study myriad aspects of healthcare. From childhood concussions, motor vehicle accidents, and spinal injuries to emotional hardships, I developed a strong passion for holistic health, nutrition, exercise, and manual therapy out of a desire to recover from these injuries. In my journey, I worked with a variety of physicians, and while some were resourceful, some also felt unsupportive. Fortunately, I was able to find a variety of Medical Doctors and Chiropractors who could lead me through my health challenges. I became fascinated with the level of care and compassion these Chiropractors shared with me, their vast knowledge of the body, and ability to explain and correct a variety of symptoms I experienced. They helped me develop health goals and create a realistic path to recovery which motivated me to pursue further education in the field of Chiropractic. With six years of private practice in exercise rehabilitation, fascial techniques, and nutrition/lifestyle coaching, I believe in multiple layers of healing, but each level is often limited by a client’s motivation. Level 1 involves therapy modalities that are often a portal of entry for patients, such as massage, acupuncture, or Chiropractic. This “level” often requires minimal motivation as the patient takes a more passive role while the practitioner treats them, however this is not a negative, as it is an opportunity to educate a patient about their health options. Far too often the patients are offered costly options, such as medication or surgery, without being given the option to try other treatment modalities. Level 2 encompasses exercise interventions which require more motivation from the client to do on their own, and this is a step towards playing an active role in self-care. Level 3 includes nutrition and lifestyle changes, which is more demanding and requires an individual to change their diet and habits. Level 4 incorporates mental and emotional coaching to reduce stress, improve their mindset, and overcome psychological challenges. Being a level 1 treatment option, Chiropractic can inspire patients to do more for themselves. From my perspective, the role and responsibility of a primary care provider is to meet the patient at their current stage of recovery and motivation, and develop knowledge to inspire individuals to progress through multiple levels of care. My desire to study Chiropractic stems from the fact that Chiropractors play a pivotal role in our healthcare system, being a first point of contact for patients and having the ability to use advanced manual therapy techniques to support patients in their health journeys. As a primary care physician, Chiropractors are also able to educate patients on improved stress management techniques, nutritional habits and exercises that they are able to do on their own to complement the Chiropractic treatment. Obtaining a thorough understanding of the Chiropractic approach and treatment process will allow me to leverage this information to help others and inspire self-help using an integrative health treatment approach that also incorporates movement, nutrition, and lifestyle changes. Chronic care management is a leading factor associated with increased healthcare costs, and Chiropractors have one of the greatest opportunities to address this issue. It is common for individuals to have multiple comorbidities such as chronic low back pain, obesity, and diabetes. In my observation, if a patient has little desire to change their diet or incorporate exercise, in some cases, successful Chiropractic treatments can establish trust in the practitioner and consequently promote healthy lifestyle changes for the patient. It is exciting that Chiropractors can be primary care physicians to help patients overcome several conditions at the same time. For a patient to work with a Chiropractor capable of treating and guiding them through their health challenges using a variety of approaches, this is critical in reducing healthcare costs while delivering highly effective treatment options. A Chiropractor’s education in diverse fields allows them to be a generalist, being able to screen and potentially treat multiple conditions, which could reduce the need to see multiple specialists unnecessarily. As more individuals obtain access to high quality care and knowledge of self-care techniques, this information can be shared with others to promote community health. A Chiropractor’s impact can be expansive, and it is my vision that the impact they have on the community will produce a domino effect onto other communities. This is an integral step towards reducing healthcare costs and improving patient outcomes. In the same way the Chiropractic approach has enhanced my quality of life, I am motivated to obtain doctoral level education in anatomy, biomechanics, and physiology as well as the clinical tools required to make a difference in other people’s lives. With my current knowledge of holistic health, nutrition, and exercise, receiving a Chiropractic education would not only enable me to understand my health conditions better, but will also allow me to help others in an innovative way distinct from the traditional medical approach. In today’s society, an increasing number of individuals exhibit multiple comorbidities that are preventable with proper access to quality healthcare. Thus extensive knowledge of the human body and being able to treat multiple systems with Chiropractic provides increased value at a reduced cost. In this manner, Chiropractic can lead the way to changing how the healthcare system operates, and transform the lives of many along the way.
