Last month both Dr. Corey and Dr. Dave each got the “privilege” of experiencing an audit from the Chiropractic Association. The regulating body plans these on a regular basis for chiropractors to ensure that we are following the guidelines set out by the College. While I (Dr. Dave) understand the need for these reviews, it doesn’t mean it was not still stressful, even after 34 years in practice. It was a 3 hours process where a peer assessor came to the office to review several cases and files, as well as hypothetical situations one might encounter in practice. Just as one may feel anxious when pulled over by the police when they haven’t been speeding or drinking or doing anything wrong, it is natural for the chiropractor on the hot seat to feel… hot!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, I am happy to report that we both passed with flying colours. New guidelines direct that you, as patients, will have even more <\/em>opportunities for you to sign your name on informed consents (sigh) and we will be doing these every 2 years starting in January 2024. But I thought I could use this opportunity to talk about the stress response<\/em><\/strong> we both experienced in preparing for and going through our audits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You have probably heard of “Fight or Flight”. This is a natural instinct we have when faced with danger. Our body cannot tell the difference between a lion about to attack us and a challenging work deadline (or audit!) There are many things our body does automatically to help us cope with impending danger, even if it just our perception <\/em>of danger (ie. stress!) Muscles tighten up to get ready to help us escape the situation. Our heart rate speeds up to increase the blood flow to our muscles to prepare for the fight or the flight. Our breathing can speed up to bring in more oxygen in preparation for the escape. Our digestive system my turn off or speed up as part of the preparation (yes, constipation or diarrhea) . The frontal part of our brain that is used for creativity and memory takes a back seat to the lower part of our brain that is used for quick responses and escapes. All of these responses are useful to us in a dangerous situation, but a problem when the situation is prolonged or it doesn’t really <\/em>involve danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have been reading a book on brain science, and the author, Dr. Jim Wilder, points out that when we are faced with stress, our brain can flick a switch – kind of like a circuit breaker – and go into enemy mode<\/strong>. When in enemy mode, our perception of normal events and people can be altered, so that we tend to view others as enemies. We can perceive even those closest to us as “the bad guy”. This is why you might snap at your spouse after a bad day at work. Our brain stops looking for relational attachments and sees others as the enemy, viewing even “normal” interactions as attacks. Again, this can be useful if we are being chased through the wilderness by wild beasts and need to be hyper alert to any potential threat, but it can play havoc with your relationships if you can’t recognize when this is happening and turn it off!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some patients have wondered why our questionnaires during the initial exam and the follow up re-evaluation ask about things like relationships. This is because the stress response can affect our personal relationships, and patients often notice a change in their dynamics as they break and reduce the stress response. This was reported in a retrospective study of 2.800 patients under Network Care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many ways to re-set the nervous system, breaking the cycle of fight\/flight\/freeze and getting the body to rest and restore. Somato Respiratory Integration (SRI) and Network Care are an important part of this process, as they help to release tension patterns and restore ease to the body. Make sure you get in for your regular care!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Needless to say, Dr. Corey and I both booked in to see each other right after our audits and we make sure to get regular Network care in our lives too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last month both Dr. Corey and Dr. Dave each got the “privilege” of experiencing an audit from the Chiropractic Association. The regulating body plans these on a regular basis for chiropractors to ensure that we are following the guidelines set out by the College. While I (Dr. Dave) understand the need for these reviews, it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":943,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-our-blog"],"yoast_head":"\n