If you are considering your first visit to see Dr. Nathen Horst, odds are good that it is for a problem that your regular primary care physician has been unable to treat. In many cases, primary physicians recommend medications that cause adverse side effects, such as fatigue, insomnia, the potential for addiction, or adverse interactions with other medications.

If you have done research online, or discussed chiropractic care with friends and family, you may have gotten the impression that chiropractic care is looked down upon by primary care physicians. In fact, that trend is changing, as more primary care providers are seeing the value that chiropractic can offer patients. Many are even looking for ways to integrate it into their menu of offerings for patients. How can this integration of chiropractic and primary care benefit you, as a patient? Read further to see how you can get the most out of this exciting trend of combining wellness medicine and more traditional, primary health care.

One-stop Health Care

Under the more common, non-integrated system of health care, a primary care provider is a separate entity from a chiropractic care provider. What this means is that if you have any type of musculoskeletal issue, you will most likely start with your primary care provider to get relief.

If your primary care provider cannot solve the problem, you are then sent to a specialist within the standard health care system, who also may not be able to determine the root cause of the problem.

Now picture how this scenario would go if primary care and chiropractic care were actually fully integrated. You would make an appointment to see to your primary care physician about your musculoskeletal problem. As soon as you tell the receptionist on the phone the nature of your visit, they know to book you with the chiropractor in the practice.

When you arrive for your appointment, you will get your history and exams taken by the chiropractor, who can consult immediately with your primary care physician if there is a question about your medical history. You will then get a chiropractic adjustment. In other words, all of your health care needs can be done in one visit to one provider. There’s no need to run through a maze of various specialists before finally going to a chiropractor. You can start out with proper chiropractic care.

A Holistic Approach to Medicine

You probably hear a great deal about holistic medicine, but what does that actually mean? It means treating you as a whole person. It also means that a health care provider has the capacity to treat you in such a manner.

Integrating chiropractic care into primary care allows for this because it delegates certain conditions to chiropractors, such as sports injuries, musculoskeletal pain, and nutritional counseling and exercise. Even if your condition is treated by your primary care physician, a chiropractor can provide additional support, such as nutritional advice to help you combat the common cold or flu.

This holistic approach really is the best way to approach a patient. Seeing you as a whole person, rather than just a sore back or a pulled Achilles tendon provides a much better picture of what is going on, healthwise, and gets you better treatment faster than you would from just a primary care physician alone.