If you're under treatment and it doesn't seem to help
14104/06 Filed in: Health
Today, a young man asked me in an email whether
chiropractic care was helping his back problems or
not -- he'd been seeing a chiropractor for 4 weeks.
Here are some thoughts on what could be happening
when you think a given treatment -- be it
conventional or complementary medicine -- doesn't
work for you:
It is possible that the treatment really isn't helping:
The diagnosis could be wrong, and thus the treatment tries to fix something that "ain't broke", or the diagnosis is right, but the treatment is wrong. Kinda obvious this won't work...
The more common reasons why a given treatment doesn't seem to work:
The treatment is right, but you're undoing the effect because you are unaware of your own contribution to the problem.
If you keep hitting your thumb with a hammer, it'll hurt -- again and again -- until you stop hitting it. Many health problems are a direct result of our doing something wrong. Pain is one way of telling us to stop, and we'd better heed that warning. In my opinion, a good healthcare provider should try to find out how your problem arose, so they can advise you how to avoid it in the future.
It's working, but your body simply needs more time to heal.
Most health problems that have persisted for a long time don't just go away overnight. Be patient with yourself. Do mention it to your healthcare provider if you think you're not progressing. I expect a good healthcare provider to have enough documentation of your diagnosis, your symptoms and their severity that they can evaluate your progress.
Also, check whether you're resting enough. Unless you're with a certified miracle worker -- please forward me his or her details, I still need one in my network -- your body needs time and energy to heal. It does that best when you're resting.
Resting, by the way, means just that: resting. Doing nothing. Sleeping. Possibly meditating. Resting is NOT exercising, it's NOT watching TV, and it's NOT doing housework either. It's RESTING. Sorry to be so persistent, but that's how it is.
The treatment is working, but you forgot how bad your former problems were.
This is normal and happens very often. Most people (including us healthcare providers) forget their symptoms and how much they bothered them as soon as they are gone, and thus it can seem as if a given therapy is not working, even if it is. This is the other reason why good documentation is so important...
What to do if your treatment doesn't seem to help:
First, second, and third: speak with your treatment provider. Nothing substitutes for communication. Most of us are in a helping profession because we want to help people. We can do that best when we know what's happening. Speaking is a brilliant way of relaying information -- both ways!
It is possible that the treatment really isn't helping:
The diagnosis could be wrong, and thus the treatment tries to fix something that "ain't broke", or the diagnosis is right, but the treatment is wrong. Kinda obvious this won't work...
The more common reasons why a given treatment doesn't seem to work:
The treatment is right, but you're undoing the effect because you are unaware of your own contribution to the problem.
If you keep hitting your thumb with a hammer, it'll hurt -- again and again -- until you stop hitting it. Many health problems are a direct result of our doing something wrong. Pain is one way of telling us to stop, and we'd better heed that warning. In my opinion, a good healthcare provider should try to find out how your problem arose, so they can advise you how to avoid it in the future.
It's working, but your body simply needs more time to heal.
Most health problems that have persisted for a long time don't just go away overnight. Be patient with yourself. Do mention it to your healthcare provider if you think you're not progressing. I expect a good healthcare provider to have enough documentation of your diagnosis, your symptoms and their severity that they can evaluate your progress.
Also, check whether you're resting enough. Unless you're with a certified miracle worker -- please forward me his or her details, I still need one in my network -- your body needs time and energy to heal. It does that best when you're resting.
Resting, by the way, means just that: resting. Doing nothing. Sleeping. Possibly meditating. Resting is NOT exercising, it's NOT watching TV, and it's NOT doing housework either. It's RESTING. Sorry to be so persistent, but that's how it is.
The treatment is working, but you forgot how bad your former problems were.
This is normal and happens very often. Most people (including us healthcare providers) forget their symptoms and how much they bothered them as soon as they are gone, and thus it can seem as if a given therapy is not working, even if it is. This is the other reason why good documentation is so important...
What to do if your treatment doesn't seem to help:
First, second, and third: speak with your treatment provider. Nothing substitutes for communication. Most of us are in a helping profession because we want to help people. We can do that best when we know what's happening. Speaking is a brilliant way of relaying information -- both ways!
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