Chiropractic versus Acupuncture????

[Mawood]

Hi Mamas, I have really bad back aches and headaches lately and I need to do something. I think my back aches are a result of the night time nursings and co sleeping and also I think having these tight muscles cause part of my headaches. My daughter just turned one and I will continue to night nurse for a while but my back gets worse and worse. It is so hard for me to get up and get going in the morning. I used to do a lot of yoga but it doesn't fit in our schedule anymore even though I know I should make it fit :(

Anyways I have great experience with acupuncture and have had a wonderful provider through pregnancy and postpartum but she does not take insurance and I can not afford to pay cash if I need an ongoing treatment. Since I have to search for someone new anyway I thought I 'd check if I should try chiropractic instead. Does a chiropracticer give massages as well? Does it have side effects when they crack your body like that? Any insight would be greatly appreciated!!! TIA warmly Maren

[Marnica]

 As a advocate of Chiropractic (an acupuncture as well) I woudl definitly rec. getting adjusted regularly. I get adjusted 2x/week and my almost 3yo DS once a week. His first adjustment was at 2 days old! It is very safe and side effects are rare. My good friend is a chiro and he says that he has never encountered anyone in all his years of practice that has reported an adverse event. Sometimes he finds a problem may not be responding and little relief is found, but no negative side effects. Sometimes you feel tired after an adjustment or your pain may increase temporarily ( a few hours to a few days) after the first few visits before it goes away.  This is just my experience.

Chiropractors do not give massages, although many chiro offices also use heat and electrical stim. as adjuvant therapies.