by Sue Staropoli, M.A.

Featured Healing Modality: Chiropractic
Featured practitioner: Louis Catapano, DC

Path to Healing: Rosemarie's Story

"Symptoms are misleading… we find the hidden cause"

Picture an iceberg with the tip showing above the water - and the huge hidden reality under the surface. What is hidden beneath the symptoms we experience and often treat?

Or another image: Two roads - one with filled potholes and the other with a smooth re-sealed surface. And beneath the image: "Patch it? Or Fix It?"

These are the posters that fill the walls of a chiropractor's office, reinforcing the message in the waiting room: "Our ultimate goal is WELLNESS."

Rosemarie*, our guest in this column, turned to chiropractic care when bulging discs from a work-related injury left her in severe pain that limited her activity and lifestyle drastically. Even high doses of anti-inflammatory and pain medications, and care at a pain clinic, had been unsuccessful in restoring her life. She sought chiropractic care (at the recommendation of her sister, whom she trusted) with the hope that she might be able "to do things like normal people e.g. cooking, vacuuming the house, exercising, going to a mall, gardening, etc." Her story exemplifies the holistic nature of chiropractic wellness care - looking beyond symptoms and pain reduction to deeper causes of dis-ease.

Like most holistic modalities, chiropractic is based on the philosophy that the body is a self-healing, self-regulating and self-developing organism. Dr. Louis Catapano, D.C., who has been practicing chiropractic in Rochester for the past 17 years, describes: "Chiropractic is over 100 years old and is based on the philosophy that the spine houses the nervous system….The nervous system controls and coordinates everything in your body….Chiropractic philosophy is based on the belief that if there is a problem with your spine and the nervous system is not functioning correctly, the body experiences what is called dis-ease….The word dis-ease means that the spine biomechanically is not doing what it should and will result in something called a vertebral subluxation." Any interference with the proper functioning of your nervous system would interfere with your body's ability to heal and regulate. It is the primary goal of the chiropractor to detect and correct subluxations so that you can improve healing, regulation and general well-being. Drugs, on the other hand, often can cover up what's really going on and alter the biochemistry of the system.

Thomas Edison stated: "Some day we will look to the spine for the cure of all diseases." And further: "The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in care of the human body, in diet, and in the causes and prevention of disease."

When Rosemarie first came to Dr.Catapano's office she had been suffering for about 5 years and was emotionally and physically drained. At her first appointment she was given a full evaluation - with diagnostic testing that showed that she had several problems in her nervous system that was not functioning correctly. Her injury had caused a permanent partial disability, a loss of functioning of her nerve root. She was given education to explain the way her chronic musculoskeletal pain was related to her nervous system malfunctioning, was given an initial chiropractic adjustment, and, as she describes, she was given "hope."

Initially Rosemarie saw Dr. Catapano 3x/week and began to experience less pain, could walk further, and be a bit more active. A holistic approach to wellness was evident as Dr. Catapano describes: "The emotional aspect of her pain is such that patients dealing with chronic pain find it difficult to do almost anything and ultimately become depressed…. So when fixing their chronic musculoskeletal pain, you must also work with their psychological, mental and spiritual aspect in the healing process, because if you do not, they will not get well. Getting well does not necessarily mean they are out of pain."

While many people associate chiropractic care with chronic or acute musculoskeletal pain, Dr. Catapano explains that since all bodily functions are controlled by the brain, the coordinator of the nervous system, chiropractic care addresses ALL aspects of health. Nerves that flow from the spine affect all the organs and systems (e.g. The nervous system controls the immune system, so chiropractic recently helped me when I had a cold! The problem was not primarily the germs invading my body but my body's immune system was not working 100%).

When Rosemarie went for chiropractic care over many months (gradually reducing the frequency of visits) she received a course of chiropractic adjustments and several forms of adjunctive therapy, which included electrical stimulation, ultrasound, as well as exercise. She was also given many recommendations for self-care at home to support the healing process, including: changes in her footwear, a daily exercise regimen, dietary education and changes, increased water and sleep, nutritional supplementation, and other complementary healing modalities (massage, acupuncture). She describes that she began to notice significant attitude changes: - "Beginning to like myself again - not feeling useless after all!… Don't need to be dependent… Lost 20 pounds and like the way I look!"

Chiropractic care is not about "quick-fix" care. It is about prevention and a lifelong process of self-care and wellness. It is obvious from Rosemarie's story that treating just the symptoms of pain was not the focus of her healing experience. The underlying cause of the pain was addressed (malfunctioning of the nervous system), as well as the emotional and spiritual dimensions of her life that promote her overall well-being. Through her chiropractic care Rosemarie developed healthy lifestyle habits that support her body's natural healing process, and she continues with preventive monthly chiropractic appointments that monitor and manage her nervous system so her body functions to the best of its possibility, within the pre-existing problem in her spine.

What has Rosemarie learned through this healing process? "Determination is the only way to go. Listen to yourself and not an internist who wants to prescribe. As long as you have your faith you have it all. God is always holding my hand. You have to listen to what your body is telling you. Take care of yourself first so you can be there for others."

What does she say to someone who is considering chiropractic care?
"If you want to get well - go to a chiropractor who will help you get your life back together again without depending on medication. You will receive encouragement to become well through exercise, diet, positive attitude, supplementation and other natural modalities." She celebrates the new life she experiences: "I now have the joy of being able to play with my grandchildren on the floor!"

I recall about 15 years ago that anyone practicing chiropractic - or going to one! - was suspect - since it did not fit into the traditional western medical model of health care. Now, chiropractic care is covered by most insurance companies and is becoming more and more mainstream as a modality that is bringing relief and wellness to many people. What has changed? Has chiropractic itself changed? Or have we become more open to a holistic and broader way of viewing the body and how it functions?

Rosemarie and Dr. Catapano offer us a vision of another path to healing and wellness - looking for the deeper causes and interferences that keep our body from healthy functioning and self-healing, and developing an attitude and lifestyle that promote wellness of body, mind and spirit.

Many thanks!

*Rosemarie is not her real name.

Reprinted with permission from Nature's Wisdom Magazine.
Volume I / Issue VII (Early Winter 2003)