The general population is going to chiropractors in record numbers. Seniors, the fastest segment of the population is no exception. According to a recent August 24th 1999 article in USA Today, more than 80% of seniors age 65 or greater are aware of what the article termed alternative medicine. This awareness has lead to a fairly fast growing utilization of these services. The breakdown for usage of chiropractic and other non-medical health care is as follows: Chiropractic lead the way with a utilization of 32%, second was massage therapy at 16%, followed by acupuncture 9%, homeopathy at 4%, naturopathy 3% and Chinese medicine 3%.
A recent study published in Topics in Clinical Chiropractic of a randomized clinical trial showed data that found chiropractic geriatric patients were “less likely to have been hospitalized, less likely to have used a nursing home, more likely to report a better health status, more likely to exercise vigorously, and more likely to be mobile in the community.” Chiropractic is unique in its ability to keep your joints moving and your muscles flexible as you age and this keeps you moving and more able to be active and meet the demands of an active life. There is no reason to accept the common belief that getting older means you must take more medications, do less than you want to do and accept the diagnosis of “you’ll have to learn to live with it, you know you’re not as young as you used to be”. If you want to stay active and truly value your health then chiropractic may be right for you. Call me today and schedule an appointment so that we can customize an approach to wellness to keep you doing the things you love.