My own story of a diving accident that turned my life into Chirorpactic

This story is actually told by a reporter who wrote this story in the paper.

The son of a physician, Dr. John Garfield always turned to the medical community for health services. So, when in 1990, the newly married Garfield dove into a pool at his apartment complex and hit the bottom with his head, it was natural for him to rely on medical doctors to help him regain his health.

After the accident, Garfield was rushed by ambulance to the hospital. Unable to lift his head, Doctors told Garfield that he had come within fractions of an inch of being paralyzed. While he escaped paralysis, Garfield was unable to turn his head for several weeks even after he left the hospital. He eventually could turn to the right but did not have full range of motion to the left.

As time went by, the pain would subside, Garfield says, but then he would wake up two to three times per month with a pinched nerve. Doctors suggested surgery. Doctors told him that there was a 75 percent fail rate on the surgery, but no one ever mentioned chiropractic as a treatment option. All Garfield would get is a new prescription for pain.

Two years after his accident, Garfield bumped into a chiropractor and he explained to her his story. She suggested that he should come to her office for an exam and x-rays to see if she could help him.

"I was hesitant, but thought it had to be better than surgery," Garfield said. "I was tired of all the medications I was on and of being limited in my activities - I could no longer participate in sports - so I decided to go see her."

Following an examination, the chiropractor decided she could help Garfield. He underwent chiropractic treatments for about five weeks straight. After just a few adjustments, Garfield says, he was no longer in pain and was able to turn his head all the way to the left, he slept better and has never once woken up with a pinched nerve since. In addition Garfield no longer had to take pain medication and anti-inflamatories.

Struck by the evidence of how chiropractic worked in his life, Garfield then observed the chiropractor's work for several weeks. From newborn babies to 90-year-old patients, patients were getting better thanks to her hands-on treatment. Patients also told Garfield story after story how they got relief from chiropractic, Garfield was amazed.

Knowing that he wanted to do something to help people, Garfield, a self-contractor who had toyed with the idea of attending medical school prior to learning about chiropractic, decided to become a chiropractor.

Garfield graduated from TexasChiropracticCollege in 1998. While in school, he was a physiology lab instructor at the college and also taught anatomy and physiology at the Phoenix School of Holistic Health. Garfield had an interest in school activities as well, serving as class president to his fellow classmates.

Garfield describes chiropractic as a non-invasive, gentle, more healthful way to treat patients, realigning the back, relieving nerve pressure, stresses to the muscles, ligaments and bones by restoring motion and therefore reducing pain.

"For health and prevention, people should give chiropractic a chance to change their life. I love chiropractic because I love seeing people get well, going from misery to contentment," Garfield said. "Chiropractic should be the No. 1 choice for neck, back and joint pain. We are able to prevent many patients, who have been told their only option was back surgery, from having to undergo surgery.

"Back surgery has a huge failure rate and also involves extensive rehabilitation. The pain can be the same or worse after surgery and there is no turning back. Chiropractic has a good 90 percent success rate in treating patients and fortunately some orthopedic doctors and medical doctors are now referring back pain patients and surgical canadates for conservative non-invasive treatment first. Our goal is to bring the pain level down to zero or as close to zero as quickly as possible," Garfield continued. "However, if I can't correct the problem with conservative care, I'll refer you on."

Garfield tells how some patients that have been in pain for a long time, come in hating the world. "I get patients that have come in with such misery that they snap at me, the staff, their spouse and children. The whole family becomes torn up because the spouse in pain is feeling terrible all the time day and night. When the patients pain level drops from treatments, I usually get a lot of apologies and a thank you from both spouses. The comment I like the best is: " We should have come to see you a long time ago".

If you still feel skeptical about chiropractic, a new book is out "Chicken Soup for the Chiropractic Sole". It gives real life testimonies of many many people who's lives were changed by a chiropractic experience.

Mountainside Chiropractic treats patients of all ages, offering complete chiropractic services, including a free consultation, orthopedic and neurological examinations, X-rays if needed, physical therapy using a variety of modalities such as hydrotherapy, ultrasound, diathermy, traction, massage, trigger point therapy and electrical muscle stimulation, chiropractic adjustments, consultations and nutritional consultations.

We treat Auto Accidents, Work related injuries, Sports injures, Neck and Back Pain, Pregnancy back pain, Shoulder pain, Hip pain, Sciatica, Leg pain, Arthritis, Headaches, Disc problems, Pinched nerves, Carpal Tunnel, Knee pain, Muscle Tension and spasms, etc.

In most cases, Doctors of chiropractic do not actually cure the problems directly. The goal of a chiropractor is to unleash your body's own natural ability of healing by correcting a "vertebral subluxation" (bone out of place). What does this mean?

When your brain is unable to communicate to a part of your body at 100 percent capacity, that part of your body develops lower resistance and is unable to respond to any kind of stress, whether bacterial, viral, normal function or external stresses of life, etc. Without proper communication, disease takes over and we become sick.

Another problem is the actual subluxation or bone out of place. When these bones are not in correct alignment, Garfield says, not only does it cause nerves to be pinched, therefore blocking correct communication to muscles and organs from the brain, but the non-movement of these bones over time will cause degeneration to the bones from lack of movement. We call this arthritis.

By having a doctor of chiropractic correct your subluxation(s), it will restore normal motion (preventing acceleration arthritis to this joint) so your brain can communicate to the area(s) that were literally pinched off therefore reducing and/or eliminating pain, spasms, and may even help restore organ function at the level that the nerve was pinched.

This is why chiropractors have been known to help people by promoting and renewing their physical and mental health, increasing vitality and strength.