FAQ about our Chiropractic Care
What will happen when I come in for treatment?
We’ll ask you to complete some forms that will provide us the necessary background information to enable us to begin your treatment. Then, Dr. Gretchen will sit down with you to discuss your needs. A medical history will be taken, and both a postural evaluation and an orthopedic/neurological exam will be done. You will be asked to perform range-of-motion and other orthopedic tests, which will help rule out different conditions and provide information that will help Dr. Gretchen to proceed with your treatment.
What is the treatment like?
An adjustment is usually performed by hand while you lie on a special table. Pressure will be applied to various areas of the body, returning the bones to normal functioning position, thereby stabilizing the nerve function and associated muscle attachments.
Dr. Gretchen believes in treating each patient as a “whole person”- not simply manipulating the spine. She may prepare you for treatment with muscle work, electro-therapy, ultrasound, intersegment traction, and/or hot or cold packs. These adjunctive therapies (see Pain) may be performed before or afterward to further address associated muscle conditions, resulting in a more complete and effective overall treatment.
Who can use chiropractic care?
Every member of the family is treated at Sandia, from babies and children to pregnant women and grandparents. Each has their special set of conditions. Auto accidents and on-the-job injuries often bring someone in for treatment, but the daily stress and lifestyle also are addressed. Dr. Gretchen will work with you to evaluate your habits, discuss possible dietary and nutritional needs, and teach you home stretching and strengthening exercises to rehabilitate the neuro-muscular-skeletal system.
How long does treatment last?
At first, it may take a number of treatments to resolve the complaint. Every situation is unique, and some conditions may not improve even with treatment. Once your response is stable, it is good to establish a routine visit, usually monthly; some people call it a “tune-up.” This keeps bad posture habits and stress from becoming “big pains.”
How does chiropractic care work?
The manipulation of vertebrae, the bones that make up your spine, is called an adjustment. Displaced vertebrae can interfere with normal functioning of the primary nervous system that travels along the spine. This distress can be traced from the spine to seemingly unrelated illnesses in any part of the body. Dr. Gretchen uses techniques learned through years of study and experience to realign the bones, thereby reducing irritation to the nerves that may cause muscle tightness and soreness.
What can be adjusted?
The spine is not the only part of the body that may become misaligned and stressed. Dr. Gretchen works on elbows, knees, ankles, hips, and even more delicate aspects such as ribs, collarbones, ears, jaw, toes, fingers, and skull.
Why would a child need chiropractic care?
Children can suffer spinal stress as early as birth, so children should be checked for spinal alignment whether they exhibit symptoms. As a mother of two sons, Dr. Gretchen sees firsthand the need for children to receive regular chiropractic care. If your child is more irritable than usual, a visit to the chiropractor should be the next step. Bed-wetting, for example, is a childhood problem that often responds well to chiropractic. Childhood problems such as scoliosis, headaches, earaches, stomachaches, sore throats, asthma, insomnia, excessive crying, loss of appetite, bed-wetting, and hyperactivity also may be related to misalignment of the spine.
Do you accept Insurance?
We accept Blue Cross Blue Shield and Medicare
FAQ about our Biopuncture Therapies
Are these products safe?
Yes, because the ampoules do not contain high concentrations of active substances, they usually contain diluted products. As a result, toxic side effects are very unlikely. Additionally, the ampoules used in Biopuncture are manufactured by companies that guarantee the production quality of their products. Most of the ampoules used for
injection are made in Germany and are held to very strict quality control regulations. Clinical studies on thousands of patients have confirmed the safety of ampoules such as Traumeel.
How can such as small dose influence your body and stimulate healing?
Scientists don’t have the final proof yet, but they postulate that these injections work through the stimulation of the immune system (which is in fact your defense system). Let’s compare it with a vaccination. When you receive a tetanus vaccination, only small amounts of a particular product are necessary to stimulate the immune system against lockjaw. In other words, just a few injections can protect your body for years. Biopuncture injections are not real vaccinations of course but the idea of the mechanism of action is similar: small doses of the right product can have an important effect on the defense system of your body and the effect can last for months or years. Biopuncture produces its clinical effects because it stimulates your immune system to restart its innate healing capacities.
How can these dilutions actually have an effect on the body?
The fact that most ampoules contain low concentrations of plant extracts is often a reason for conventional physicians to criticize the effects of these products. But it is important to know that the products used in Biopuncture are not diluted as much as in “real” homeopathy. This is why we call them ultra-low doses.