A Place Called Vertigo

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There seems to be a vertigo epidemic in my practice as of late.  I’ve had three people in the past month walk through our doors, looking for some relief from their symptoms of vertigo; far and above the four to five cases I typically treat annually.

Vertigo is defined as:

“the sensation of spinning while stationary.”

A specific type of dizziness, vertigo can be unrelenting and difficult to live with, as its sufferers will attest.  But it’s actually quite a common condition, and up to 10% of the population will experience vertigo at some point in their lives.

Can I help?

In short, YES.

A simple procedure, called the Epley maneuver, is very effective for vertigo when an inner ear component is involved.  You see, our inner ear contains the semi-circular canal, which is a key element in our system of balance.  Tiny calcium carbonate crystals are present within our semicircular canal, and their location allows our body to figure out our head position in space.  If the crystals, called otoconia, are disturbed and get into the wrong spot, our equilibrium gets thrown off, and the end result can be vertigo.

 

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The Epley maneuver is painless, takes less than five minutes, and is very effective.  And while I don’t have a double-blind controlled research trial to present to you, I would estimate my success rate with this maneuver to be well upwards of 90%.

Oh, the things you learn on a Tuesday…..

NEW CLINIC HOURS

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The week that I’ve been dreading for months has come and gone, and both of my children are now in school full-time, officially closing the a-child-at-home chapter of my life.

My son was born in January 2009, when I was only a few years into my chiropractic career.  My clinic was a brand new baby too, and it soon became apparent that I could not manage being a full-time mom and a full-time business woman effectively.  I chose to sell my clinic and build my practice as a part-time associate rather than a full-time chiropractor, and that’s what I’ve done for the last seven and a half years.  My husband and I have managed to juggle our work hours so that one of us is always at home, thus eliminating the need for daycare, and I’ve gradually increased my clinic hours as my children have gotten older.  The flexibility of my job has been an unexpected quality-of-life bonus for me, and not something that was on my radar as a 20-something embarking upon my chiropractic degree.

Here I am on the other side of that transition away from work.  Taking a conscious step back from my practice in 2009 seemed like a huge undertaking at the time.  The feminist in me felt guilty about taking my foot off the gas of my growing career and the mother in me felt guilty for feeling that way.  But long hours at the clinic were soon traded for long hours of newborns, diapers, and strollers, and my primary hat shifted from clinic to kids.  It’s been that way for a long time, and my “normal” is daytime with my kid(s) and afternoon/evenings with my patients.  That’s about to change.

Effective yesterday, I’ve increased my clinic hours by nearly 50%.  This is the largest change in my professional life to date, second only to the sale of my clinic in 2010.  My daytime availability is skyrocketing, and my afternoon/evening availabity will shift only slightly.  For my current patients, I hope that this opens up more opportunity for you to get an appointment with me at your convenience, and for my new patients, I look forward to having much more time to meet you and help you.

0K0A4007-ExposureIf you’re reading this, you’ve been a part of my professional journey thus far, and I hope that you continue to do so.  I appreciate your support, and I will see you soon.

NEW CLINIC HOURS:

Monday: 11:00am-7:00pm

Tuesday: 9:00am-2:00pm

Wednesday: 9:00am-5:00pm

Friday: 9:00am-6:30pm

Saturday: 9:45am-1:00pm

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Body mechanic

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I posted on my Dr. Ashley Facebook Page last week about an experience with my kids and chiropractic:

“My seven-year-old son was complaining of a plugged ear this morning.  “Want me to adjust you?” I asked him.  He said yes (he doesn’t always), and I adjusted his neck.  My children are very used to being adjusted, and you can often find me poking around their spines, wrists, ankles, hips, etc, to make sure things are moving as they should.”

There was lots of online chatter about this, and I received a few emails from curious patients, so that’s prompted me to explain things further here (although I’ve written about children and chiropractic before).

I am a chiropractor first and foremost, and an evidence-based, clinically-guided one at that.  One of my patients calls me his “body mechanic,” and I’d say that title is pretty accurate.  Like an auto mechanic for your car, it’s my job to find the source of the problem, and to figure things out and help your body fix things up.  I’m not a symptom-chaser, I’m a problem-solver.  Not everything I do has research to back it up, but everything I do certainly has anatomy or biomechanics or clinical experience to back it up.

That’s why I poke and prod my kids.  That’s why I check their backs when they’re snuggling beside me for a movie, that’s why I check their necks when I’m cutting their hair, that’s why I check their ankles when we’re shoe shopping.  Because I believe that good movement creates healthy bodies.  I get them to move often (playgrounds! triathlons!  running races!  outside time!) and I check their movement often.

After all, movement is medicine.

tedison

 

 

***Disclaimer: Please note that I am not claiming that chiropractic helps with ear infections, but rather sharing a story about my kids and their experience having me as a mother.***