Tanning beds are a quick way to bring color to pasty white skin. Unfortunately, the results are temporary and begin fading in less than a week. To combat this, tanning businesses offer weekly/monthly membership plans that give customers an opportunity to maintain their golden bronze tint. The more often you go, the longer you’ll be tan.

While this model works in the tanning business, it’s no way to approach chiropractic care.

The chiropractic adjustment, while tremendously helpful, should only be delivered when necessary. Its effectiveness depends on timing. Knowing “when” and “when not” to adjust is one of the most valuable lessons a chiropractor can ever learn.

Some people believe that they’ll get well faster and live healthier if they receive more adjustments… But I’m of the opinion that the fewer adjustments a person needs, the better off they are. I wouldn’t operate my St Louis chiropractic office any other way.

It’s a bit contrary to the “tanning bed model of chiropractic” to which some people might be accustomed.

Chiropractic adjustments aim to correct a problem involving misalignment of the head/neck and spine. This problem alters nervous system function. Corrective forces applied to the spine during an appropriately timed chiropractic adjustment are beneficial to the body… but if force is applied to the spine at the wrong time and is given too frequently, I believe the opposite to be true. It can actually make a problem worse!

This is why it’s so important to have objective criteria that measures not only the effectiveness of a chiropractic adjustment, but when the adjustment is/isn’t necessary.

If you’re currently under the care of a chiropractor, how often are you being adjusted?