The Bone Cracker

One of my favorite sayings is that "our brain often writes checks that our bodies can't cash." It becomes a more compelling comment with age, as we aging baby boomers think that we are still able to perform physically like we did 30 or 40 years ago. Yes, there are some of us that have kept a vigil to fine tune our physique and to them, I say: "good for you, smart alec." For the majority of us, however, the assault on our good humor seems to accelerate with each passing year. It is with this in mind that I have to admit something I never thought I'd believe. Chiropractic medicine works.

Ask any traditional M.D. what he or she thinks of chiropractors and you'll get everything from guffaws to a grudging statement along the lines of, "Well, if it works for you, for whatever reason, that's fine." In other words, the AMA holds Chiropractors in the same esteem as say, witch doctors. This is the general impression I had of Bone Crackers until I spent four days on the floor in Houston some years back. My primary care physician ordered me enough drugs to mask the pain but it was easily the most incredibly debilitating experience I had ever suffered through. At a friend's insistence, I went to a chiropractor and in a few sessions, I was fine. With that experience, I lost my contempt for chiropractic medicine.

This past week, carrying a roll of carpet pad for a neighbor who had flood damage in Atlanta's deluge, I felt something pull and for four days, I had pain reminiscent of the Houston experience. There simply is not enough Advil in America to remedy that kind of pain. This morning, I visited Dr. Utberg, my wife's bone cracker. Through heat, electric stimulation and a few minutes on the table, my pain is now manageable and I can turn my head without wanting to scream. To the bone crackers of America, I say: "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

For those of you still suspicious of chiropractors, I hope you never experience the kind of pain that leads some of us to their door. I do hope that you'll try this therapy before submitting to the knife of a surgeon. Those kind of surgeries have very mixed results and I can count on one hand the people whose outcome was profitable. At any rate, I digress. Suffice it to say that I am a fan of bone crackers and can sit here and write this as a direct result of Dr. Utberg's expertise.