Informed Consent

It is important to you, the patient, to recognize the difference between chiropractic and the practice of medicine.
They both may be important to your health, but for different reasons.
Chiropractors seek to restore health through natural means and without the use of medicine or surgery.
Although a medical diagnosis may be of great importance to a patient, such diagnosis does not necessarily assist the chiropractor in his efforts.
A chiropractor’s services are based upon his efforts to promote the natural flow of energy in the patient’s nervous system.
His objective is to give the body maximum opportunity to heal itself. The success of these procedures is often dependent upon underlying causes and conditions.
It is important you understand what to expect of chiropractic and how it differs from medical services, in order that you, the patient, can better determine whether either or both may be of benefit to you.

Analysis

A chiropractor conducts a chiropractic analysis for the express purpose of determining whether there is evidence of spinal subluxations.
Subluxations result from misalignment of the spinal column.
When subluxations are found, chiropractic adjustments are given in an effort to restore proper spinal alignment.
Due to the complexities of nature, no chiropractor can promise or guarantee you a specific result.
This is often dependent upon the recuperative powers of your body.
However, it is the chiropractic premise that spinal alignment allows free nerve flow throughout the body and gives the body its best chance to restore health.

Chiropractic analysis is the basis for chiropractic service.
Chiropractors do not claim superiority in the field of medical diagnosis.
Diagnosis is a medical specialty and one which is practiced as a specialty by medical internists.
The patient is reminded that the chiropractic analysis is not an effort to diagnose. If diagnosis is of vital concern, the patient may wish to request referral to a specialist.
Certainly, every patient must be aware of his own symptoms and should secure a second opinion if he/she has concern as to the nature of his/her illness or injury. This is the right and shared responsibility of the patient regardless of any diagnostic opinion which might be expressed by or elicited from the doctor of chiropractic.

Chiropractic adjustments

The patient, in coming to the chiropractor, has given the chiropractor permission and authority not only to examine the patient, but to adjust the patient in accordance with the chiropractors’ analysis.
The chiropractic adjustment is given for the benefit of the patient.
Such adjustments are usually beneficial and seldom cause problems.
In rare cases, unknown physical defects, deformities, or disease may render the patient more susceptible to injury than would be the case had these underlying problems been known.
The chiropractor of course, will not give a chiropractic adjustment if he is aware that such conditions exist.
Again, it is the responsibility of the patient to ascertain whether he is suffering from any latent pathological effects, illness, or deformities which might cause chiropractic adjustments to be contraindicated.
It is then the responsibility of the patient to make this known to the chiropractor.
A patient should never rely upon a doctor of chiropractic for in-depth diagnostic procedures.
The doctor of chiropractic provides a specialized health service and does not become involved in the patient’s medical regimen.
Chiropractors do not prescribe or dispense drugs or medicines.
A patient should not ask for or rely upon the advice of a chiropractor concerning the taking pf prescriptive medicines.

Results

The purpose of chiropractic services is to promote natural health through the maximum release of nervous energy.
Since there are so many variables, it is most difficult to predict the time schedule of efficacy of chiropractic procedures.
Sometimes response is immediate and long-lasting.
In many cases, there is a more gradual, but quite satisfactory response.
Occasionally, the results are mediocre or dismal.
Sometimes what may appear to be similar conditions may respond quite differently to the same chiropractic care.
Many medical failures find quick relief through chiropractic.
We must also recognize that some conditions which do not respond to chiropractic care may come under control or be cured through medical science.
The fact is that the sciences of chiropractic and medicine may never be so exact as to provide definite answers to all health problems.
Both have made great strides in alleviating pain and controlling disease.

Questions

You as the patient should feel free to discuss any questions or problems with the doctor prior to undergoing chiropractic care.
You are encouraged to continue to ask questions throughout the duration of your care.