What Your Joints And My Old Truck May Have In Common

I have always been enamored with the 1993 Ford F-350 Crew Cab. The model with the 8’ bed catches my eye every time I see one. Do not ask me why, it just does.  It has clean lines, and packing a powerful engine under the hood, it can tow 15,000+ pounds with speed and stability. Beauty and braun embodied.

This crush of mine started decades ago when I was part of a landscape crew and it has stuck with me ever since.

One day as I was cruising along the backroads of Smithfield, NC, my eye was caught and my heart began to flutter.  There she was…

When I saw an F-350 Crew Cab, I estimated…”6, 7, 8”.  There was an 8 foot bed on this beauty!  

Some random yard along my back road travels not far from home had therein the object of my affection.  I just had to stop.  

Dream Come True Or Nightmare In Disguise?

It was only $1,000. Was it a dream come true?  Or a nightmare in disguise.  I didn’t even consider the latter. I wanted it. 

Six years and $25,000 later, I have an old truck. 

Oh, it runs and will drag 15,000 pounds.  But for 25 Grand you’d think it would have a luxurious leather interior and an epic sound system, not to mention run like a dream!  Not my old truck.  

Here’s the issue: my “truck care provider” focused on the “symptoms” my old truck was having. To every “symptom” he’d pair a “solution”.  He’d reassure me that once the symptom du jour was gone, my old tTruck would be “like new”. 

Here I was, just a guy with a crush.  I saw the possibility and felt that rush you only get when the object of your affection is within reach.  

Now I’m a skilled, experienced “health care provider” for the human body, sure.  But what did I know about the 5.81 Liter F-350 power plant beneath the exterior? 

“Trust Me, It’ll Be Like New.”

So was it “like new” every time he solved the latest “symptom”? 

I’ll give you one guess.  

You, my friend, are correct.  It was never “like new”.  Not even close.  

It turns out that several of the “solutions” to its paired symptom caused even deeper issues unrelated to the initial central problem. 

Yep… $25 Grand and STILL an old truck that could not haul itself out of my backyard.

The Parallel

Liken this to the “symptom -based” approach alive and well in our healthcare system today. The protocols are not based upon the core issues and thereby, in line with that, the overall solutions to those core issues go unaddressed. 

Take our collective approach to Type 2 Diabetes, for example.  Instead of getting to the core or central cause of the disease, we treat Type 2 Diabetes with stuff that often exacerbates yet another aspect of the condition. 

Next thing we know we are taking a pile of pills: 

• statins for our cholesterol
• blood thinners to prevent clots
• muscle relaxers to get rid of the ensuing cramping
• water pills for our edema
• histamine blockers and gas pills for our bloating and, and, and! 

You see where I am going with this. 

Spending a lot of time and money, not to mention energy, without even mentioning the effects each “solution” is creating in the background.  Another crisis arises. Time and time again.  

The Slippery Slope

This is my summation of where healthcare is today.  

I’m no medical economist, nor am I a data scientist.  I’m just a guy who bears witness to the struggle of others as they attempt to navigate “the system” and one who has experienced this slippery slope firsthand.  As such, I’ve seen behind the Wizard’s curtain: a bunch of guys pulling levers, hoping their shenanigans don’t get exposed. 

The insurance companies are just as happy as can be to keep you on that treadmill of never-ending “solutions”.  They are well aware that they don’t have the true solution in their bag o’tricks.  They want you ever-dependent upon the system and their approval of your “choices”.  

Choices like the things peddled by Big Pharma and paid for by your insurance carrier.  You’ve been led to believe that “your” insurance company has your best interests in mind.  Nothing is further from the truth.

Many buy into this racket.  When the solution at hand is “not covered by insurance”, the person often counts it out of the running.  

Irresponsible.  Abusive Even.

This whole scenario is irresponsible, if you ask me.  Abusive is another word that comes to mind. 

The main reason I became a Chiropractic Physician was to provide solutions.  Solutions like the one I needed way back when.   

I was seriously injured on the job. I had a functional impairment in the form of a biomechanical central issue that affected my nervous system and my ability to stand upright.  Essentially, it had greatly impeded my function as a human being. 

Just Wait For It To Get “Bad Enough”

The so-called “solution” I was offered at that time?  Kill the pain with drugs. 

They proposed that if they could just kill this pain, then I could get back to work until the tissue was so damaged that they could actually “justify” surgery. 

That right there was their plan. 

They had admitted to me that surgery was not warranted until I had damaged myself more. Having pain killers would help me through that process without feeling the full extent of the daily added damage.  

Some plan.

No. Thank. You.

I knew I didn’t want that route, but what were my options?  Never was it mentioned by a doctor, or a pharmacist but I thought, “Maybe chiropractic could help?”

Did I Ever Eat Crow

Though low in carbs, and packing a decent protein punch I am sure. The literal crow cannot be all that tasty. I can attest to the fact that the theoretical kind can be hard to swallow.

The chiropractor I turned to was Clyde Porter, DC.  An amazing chiropractor with a solid reputation. 

Truth be told, I had called this guy a “Quacker-practor” previously.  To his face!  I humbled myself; severe pain has a way of doing that to a person.  

I called upon Dr. Porter and asked him for his help.

And help me did he ever!  He administered to me the healing power of the chiropractic adjustment.  That very action that frees the body up to heal and repair itself. 

It worked. He addressed the central issue, and it worked! 

Doing A One-Eighty

I’ve been a staunch opponent to the typical medical approach for decades.  If you know me, you know that. 

So why am I doing “a one-eighty” now? 

Why am I embracing medical modalities, specifically Regenerative Therapy as well as physical therapy rehabilitation, and integrating them with corrective chiropractic care? 

Because, in a word or two… well… seven, it is the RESPONSIBLE thing to do.

With the integration of medical regen therapies, corrective chiropractic care and rehab modalities, we are prepared to address the vast majority of the chronic biomechanically rooted pain scenarios and acute injuries that make up the “central issues” that plague Americans today. 

Being Responsible

By honing in on the central functional issues our patients present with, we, as Team Horizon Medical, will tease out and address directly those central issues.  We will apply our decades of combined training and experience in our respective fields to the central issue. 

Responsibly beginning with the most conservative, least-invasive, most direct options to deliver “Responsible Pain Management” solutions to you and your family.

Don’t end up with a $25,000 Old Truck. 

Be responsible. 

Let us help.