Frquently Asked Questions.

• Will the Doctor schedule a talk at my workplace, church, or other group?
• When am I given exercises to do?
• Where did my adjustment protocol come from?
• How long do I need to be adjusted 3 times per week?
• What happens at the end of my recommended corrective care period?
• How do payment plans work?
• Can I traction before my adjustment?
• Can I get adjusted any time of the day?
• How many adjustments can I miss during my corrective care program?
• Should I get adjusted when I am sick?
• Why should I go to a chiropractor?
• What happens on my first visit?
• Can I go if I'm under medical care?
• What is a spinal adjustment?
• How should l feel after an adjustment?
• Who should visit a chiropractor?
• How much training does a chiropractor receive?
• What do I do if I am in an accident?
• Can chiropractic help?
• Is chiropractic care safe?
• How long will it take?

Q: Will the Doctor schedule a talk at my workplace, church, or other group?

A: Absolutely! Just call Susan at (201) 261-7200 and she will schedule it for you based on the Doctor's availability. He will even talk at his expense! top

Q: When am I given exercises to do?

A: You will be given specific postural exercises at your re-evaluations. These are given in sets of 2 so that you are not overwhelmed with too many things at once. top

Q: Where did my adjustment protocol come from?

A: Your care plan is based on research of several thousand patients who have been through similar spinal corrective care using CBP (Chiropractic Biophysics) Protocol. Each adjustment builds on the last, and there is a cumulative effect over time. top

Q: How long do I need to be adjusted 3 times per week?

A: This applies only if you are on a corrective care plan. After your 1st post x-ray, we will be able to determine how much your spine has changed, and how well you are holding your adjustments. As you hold your adjustments longer, you should need to be adjusted less frequently. top

Q: What happens at the end of my recommended corrective care period?

A: Your care plan term is an estimation based on others your age, activity level, and spinal health. When your spine is either 100% perfect (sometimes that is not a possibility depending on the amount of degeneration present), or when we see that your spine stops changing positively, the doctor will make a recommendation for continued spinal maintenance. The reason your spine was in poor health initially, is because you may not have sufficiently maintained your spine in the past. It would not be wise to invest the time and money in your care plan if you did not maintain your spine after correction is achieved. top

Q: How do payment plans work?

A: If you qualified for a payment plan for your care plan, you are paying full fee for all of your care until your case fee is met. Your payment does not necessarily equal full payment for the total care you receive for any given month. You are being allowed to average your cost for care over a several month period. After your case fee is met, some or all of your services may be gifted to you, but it is the balance on your account that you will be participating for. top

Q: Can I traction before my adjustment?

A: You will receive the most benefit from tractioning after your adjustment because your spine will be in a healthier position than before your adjustment. top

Q: Can I get adjusted any time of the day?

A: The office schedule is very efficiently laid out so that there is minimal waiting in the office. The doctor gives his best adjustments when he is focused on just adjusting; therefore we have specific times during the day when only adjusting occurs in the office. Likewise, there are specific times when the doctor just gives reports or just does x-rays. This keeps the doctor focused on doing one task at a time in a focused manner. This also prevents you from having to wait for him to finish giving a report before your adjustment. You will always get the best adjustment possible when the doctor is just focused on adjusting. We always schedule longer and more time intensive consultations during non-adjusting hours. top

Q: How many adjustments can I miss during my corrective care program?

A: ZERO! Every adjustment builds on the last. Every single missed adjustment can set you back as much as a week in your care program. top

Q: Should I get adjusted when I am sick?

A: Absolutely! Recent research with bloodwork shows that immune cell function will increase by up to 400% for several hours after a chiropractic adjustment! Your immune system is controlled by your nervous system, and your adjustments help strengthen your nervous system function by taking stress off your spinal cord and spinal nerves. top

Q: Why should I go to a chiropractor?

A: Because having a healthy spinal column makes good common sense. If you're sick you should go to strengthen your natural healing ability. If you're feeling fine you should remember that painless subluxations can undermine your health. You and your family should get your spines checked periodically to make sure you're living free from hidden spinal nerve stress so you're functioning at your fullest. Why wait for disease to happen before you begin to improve your health? top

Q: What happens on my first visit?

During your first visit, you will find your doctor of chiropractic concerned about you as a person as well as about any specific problem you have.

First comes a full case history of your problem, followed by a complete physical exam plus a spinal and musculoskeletal examination. Also, your first visit may include x-rays. If it is decided that your condition will respond to chiropractic care, then adjustments can begin. Adjustments consist of unlocking certain spinal segments which may have become subluxated causing abnormal movement or nerve irritation in the spine. These "adjustments" are performed by hand and are generally painless. top

Q: Can I go if I'm under medical care?

A: Yes. You always need a healthy spine no matter what other type of care you're receiving. You can have your spinal column checked for vertebral subluxations by a doctor of chiropractic and still visit a doctor of homeopathy, naturopathy, osteopathy or medicine. MDs and other healers cannot tell if you're suffering from spinal nerve stress (vertebral subluxations) and are not trained in correcting them. top

Q: What is a spinal adjustment?

A: A spinal adjustment is a highly specialized procedure your chiropractor uses to free your body from a serious form of health-destroying stress called the vertebral subluxation complex (also known as subluxations). It takes years of training for your doctor of chiropractic to master the techniques needed to locate and correct your subluxations.

When you first visit your doctor of chiropractic you will receive a spinal analysis to determine where and how many subluxations are in your spine. top

Q: How should l feel after an adjustment?

A: Occasionally a person may initially feel muscle soreness or some other uncomfortable feeling after an adjustment. These reactions may be caused by:

• A detoxification or cleansing of your body after the adjustment. It's especially good to drink a lot of water afterwards (and all the time).
• Weak, underused muscles may be working to realign your spine; they may become sore or "charley horse" for a brief period.
• Old injuries that haven't healed completely may "reawaken" for more complete healing. Memories and feelings associated with the original injury may also come to the surface. This phenomenon is known as "retracing" and is as a conscious memory - old energy may release in dreams. Chiropractic patients have at times noticed that their dreams are unusual, intense or revealing after a chiropractic spinal adjustment.
• Some people are in such good general health that they may feel no difference, while others may feel no difference for the opposite reason - they are so ill or toxic that they have lost sensitivity to their body.

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Q: Who should visit a chiropractor?

A: Researchers tell us that over 80% of the general population will suffer from one of the great variety of vertebrogenic disorders for certain periods of their life. Vertebrogenic disorders mean disorders of the body that are caused in whole or in part by spinal faults.

In addition to pain and discomfort in the neck and back, these disorders include tension headaches, migraine headaches, dizziness, neuralgia, pain in the shoulders and arms, certain types of pain in the chest and abdomen, pain in the hips, knees and legs (sciatica), disc disorders, certain digestive disorders and problems with menstrual cycles. The connection between these seemingly unrelated conditions and the spine is that the nerves, which serve all areas of the body, can be irritated directly or indirectly by spinal disorders.

Even people suffering from arthritis find great relief with chiropractic care, although complete cures from arthritis are not possible.

Frequently spinal problems start in childhood, years before clinical symptoms appear. Identified early, most of these disorders are reversible, and it is for this reason that spinal examinations for children are imperative. top

Q: How much training does a chiropractor receive?

A: Chiropractic training is extensive. Each student begins with at least two years of undergraduate college, followed by four to five years of specialized chiropractic training. Naturally chiropractic students take all the basic science courses - anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and microbiology. They also take intensive courses in diagnosis, radiology, orthopedics, neurology, nutrition and public health. Each student then participates in a clinical internship followed by a licensing exam.

Your doctor of chiropractic is trained to restore the health of your spine through special, gentle chiropractic methods, called adjustments. Adjustments help relieve the irritations that cause pain, normalize and heal the function of many body systems. Anyone can receive chiropractic adjustments regularly, from babies to the elderly; even pregnant women are benefiting from regular chiropractic adjustments and experiencing a healthy and natural pregnancy free of back pain. top

Q: What do I do if I am in an accident?

A: If you are involved in an automobile accident or other type of accident that causes immediate pain or immobility, see a physician immediately. Many persons come to a chiropractic office for care long after an accident, making the symptoms more difficult to treat, and a correction and proper healing much more difficult to accomplish. Injuries are best treated within the first 5-7 days with chiropractic care. If the only care you getting is painkillers, hot packs and massage, you are missing an important part of getting well. Correcting the spine is just as important as any other thing you may do to get well. top

Q: Can chiropractic help?

A: If areas of abnormal spinal function are identified, your doctor will recommend a chiropractic care program of spinal adjustments. Your plan of care is based upon your age, condition, lifestyle, and unique spinal problem(s). The primary course of care will be specific chiropractic adjustments. This will help return individual spinal bones to their proper motion and position. There are hundreds of ways of using carefully directed and controlled pressure to restore better position and motion to "stuck" or fixated spinal joints. This may require a quick thrust, or in other instances a slow, constant pressure. Sometimes, only one area of the spine is adjusted, and other times the entire spine will receive attention.

Some adjusting approaches can result in a faint "popping" sound. This sound is created by the shifting of gas and fluids in the joint. The presence or "loudness" of this sound has little meaning and varies with each patient. top

Q: Is chiropractic care safe?

A: Chiropractic adjustments are safer than aspirin, muscle relaxers, and back surgery. Dozens of research studies have documented the safety and effectiveness of chiropractic adjustments. When compared with traditional approaches, chiropractic care is remarkably safe. In fact, millions of chiropractic adjustment are safely delivered to satisfied patients every day! top

Q: How long will it take?

A: Chiropractic results vary. Some patients get results quickly. Others find their recovery takes several months or longer. Children often respond quickly, while adults with long-standing spinal problems heal more slowly. Depending on which phase of degeneration you are in it can take any where from 12 months-3 years for Total, Proper Correction equaling an Optimal Nervous system and health to every cell in your body. We do not aim at relief or 'band-aid' care at Abundant Life Chiropractic. Dr. Zaino feels all of his patients deserve the best treatment and to receive total correction of the nervous system. The healing process takes time.

Dr. Zaino's main concern is for you to reach your optimal God given potential in health and life. This is only done if your spine and nervous system are aligned and functioning at 100%, or as close as you can get to that level. Periodic progressive examinations help determine the course of your care. Once you understand true health, and after total correction, you may want some type of ongoing chiropractic care. Like brushing your teeth, eating wholesome foods, and other healthy habits, a regular chiropractic checkup makes sense. How long you decide to benefit from chiropractic care is always up to you.

Maintenance Care - With the maximum restoration of spinal function many patients enjoy regular chiropractic "check-ups." This type of preventative, wellness care can save time and money by helping prevent little problems from becoming serious. top