Acupuncture? Chiropractic? PT? How Do You Choose?

It can be confusing to decide who’s going to help you with that pesky body part or system that recently flared up. I know how it feels. You JUST WANT THE PAIN OR DYSFUNCTION TO GO AWAY so you can get back to your business/fun. 

Physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, assisted stretching, naturopathy, etc. How do you decide what kind of therapy is going to do the trick?

The truth is there ISN’T A RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWER. Sure people have strong opinions. Especially the practitioners themselves. 

So to answer your question on where to start – TRUST YOUR GUT.

If you like one particular modality over another JUST TRY IT OUT.

You might already know a good practitioner or find one on Google or get a referral from a friend.

But trust your gut. If it’s not a good fit, YOU CAN JUST MOVE ON.

How do you know if it’s not a fit?

Practical guidelines apply. Do you trust the practitioner? Do they seem knowledgeable on your particular issue? Are they confident? Are you seeing improvements? 

Some of my patients want to see just one type of practitioner and some like to see multiple practitioners to heal one issue.

SEEING MULTIPLE PRACTITIONERS IS USUALLY NOT A PROBLEM. Sometimes it accelerates the healing process but it’s hard to know for sure.

A good way to know which practitioner is the most effective is to layer them on with a couple of weeks between the start dates of your sessions with each practitioner.

TRY ONE FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND THEN ADD ANOTHER.

That way you have a better chance of knowing what is working the best.  If you start with two or more practitioners in the same week it’s hard to know which one is making the biggest difference.

If you’re not getting RESULTS AFTER 4-5 SESSIONS you can move on.

That doesn’t mean that you should be cured in 4-5 sessions. But in most cases, you should at least be seeing some improvement in your symptoms.

OK, How did I come up with 4-5 sessions as a time limit on a practitioner’s effectiveness?

Well, there just isn’t a perfect number to determine how many sessions are needed to determine effectiveness.

But in my practice, if you aren’t showing improvement in 4-5 sessions and I predicted that it would take 4-5 sessions to see improvement, I’m going to be thinking about different modalities for you. Even if I don’t offer those modalities.

As healers OUR JOB IS TO GET YOU BETTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, not to keep you coming into our practices for the longest time possible.

One practitioner or modality is not necessarily better than another. RESULTS DEPEND ON A LOT OF FACTORS including:
– The practitioner’s expertise in diagnosing and treating your current condition
– How well the practitioner knows your body/health history
– Is the particular modality being used a good match for your issue?
– How willing you are to do your homework from your practitioner?
– How much do you believe that this practitioner/modality can help you (placebo is a factor in all human health experiences and that is fine)

If you’re still unable to decide who can help you REACH OUT TO ME. I’ll be candid with my answer. I certainly can help you in my clinic with most pain, hormonal, digestive, and upper respiratory issues. But if I can’t I likely know a physician who can help.

I hope that you have a really fun and safe Independence Holiday. 

Sincerely Yours,
Mike Julien

P.S. Initial consultations are always free of charge. New patients meet with me in person (or via video conference if preferred) to discuss their wellness goals and see if our services are a good fit. Click here to request a free consultation if you’re a new patient. For current patients Click here to schedule your next visit.