Cianci Chiropractic Center Success Stories

The Story Of A Survivor

Authored by Bruce Hotchkiss

Bruce, who has since passed, was a friend of Dr. Cianci, a patient, a significant chiropractic advocate, and one heck of a journalistic writer.

“I didn’t want my grandchildren seeing me grow old.”

It was largely that fervent determination with which now vigorous and spunky 73-year old Carol O’Hare recaptured her future, beating back the disabling pain of osteoarthritis and scoliosis, a double curvature of the spine.

The grandchildren are Nicholas, 12, and Declan, 10, who live in North Carolina.

“When we visit, I can play basketball with them,” Carol said delightedly. “I can swim with them. Before, I couldn’t even lift a suitcase.”

Before? Before what? Before becoming a patient of Easton chiropractor Dr. Christopher Cianci.

Go back to the early and mid 1960s. Carol and her husband, Brian, now a retired banker, had four children, in five years. The carrying, birthing, and subsequent infant care would ultimately take their toll on her back.

Then there was cancer, ovarian cancer, once in 1997 and two reoccurrences in 2004. That, she noted, caused “huge amounts of chemo to be put into my system which can be very damaging to the kidneys.”

She noted, in terms of relieving the persistent pain in her back, that the warning labels on all back pain medication mention possible kidney damage.”

I really didn’t want another serious problem.”

Drugs when necessary, as in chemotherapy, okay, she said, “but as a daily regimen for a lifetime didn’t seem like a plan to me.”

“Since chiropractic care, I am walking two miles each day and before my back pain was so bad I walked only when necessary and took a cane with me on trips.”

In the course of her search for some back comfort, after she and Brian had moved to St. Michaels 15 years ago, she consulted an orthopedic surgeon. He told her that the chances of a successful surgery, particularly with scoliosis like hers, were only 50-50.

She wanted better odds than that. “We love to travel,” she said. (This year she and Brian will spend three weeks in Italy and will journey to Spain in May). “But it got so I couldn’t walk without pain. I was disabled.”

Back in 1991, when she and Brian were living in Des Moines, Iowa, and when she first began to experience the disabling pain in her back, she sought chiropractic care. She recalled the chiropractor telling her that if she ever sought chiropractic care in the future, make sure he (or she) was a graduate of Palmer.

The reference was to Palmer College of Chiropractic, the founding college of chiropractic located in Davenport, Iowa. It was established in 1897 byDaniel David Palmer and is considered “The Fountainhead,” as it was the first school of chiropractic in the world.

Carol checked the chiropractors in the Mid-Shore and learned promptly that Dr. Cianci was a Palmer graduate. Her first appointment was in December 2005. She’s been a patient ever since.

“Carol is an example of someone, who like many, could fall victim to the worn-out adage of “you’re just getting older” or “you just have to slow down,” commented Dr. Cianci.

No travel. no sports, not gardening, no whatever.

“She decided the status quo and a lifetime of limitation was not for her.” It’s easy for patients to become convinced that their problem is “arthritis” or “scoliosis” and cave into a life of restriction”, Dr. Cianci continued “Carol did not. She sought out natural care that would give her the life she craved and allow her to avoid the pitfalls often presented by an aging body. Carol’s scoliosis — the double curvature of her spine — is severe”.

Some specialists may even say ‘extreme.’ Dr. Cianci noted. With Carol, the curves will be permanent. But the pain and the limitation do not need to be.

“With severe osteoarthritis and scoliosis, it’s about maximizing spinal mobility,” the Easton chiropractor said. “You don’t get that by simply resting or taking drugs.”

It takes a natural, carefully laid-out plan of care from a progressive-minded chiropractor to make those changes.

“Our office is committed to maximizing a person’s health. That means maximizing the mobility of which they are personally capable,” Dr. Cianci said.

The spine of an eight-year-old is obviously going to be more flexible than that of a senior patient, Dr. Cianci said. “But I see too many people settle for a life of a lack of mobility. The answer lies in the spine. Spinal mobility is paramount to living a healthy, mobile and active life.”

Brian O’Hare, who married Carol 53 years ago, is an avid physical fitness fan and is concerned about his general well being, Carol said.

He noted that her chiropractic care “couldn’t hurt anything” and said he’d be glad to drive her to her appointments.
“He sat there and listened to Dr. Cianci and it wasn’t too long before he could see that I was getting better.”

When she travels, she obviously misses her regular appointments with Dr. Cianci. How’s that work out? No problem, she said. “I don’t worry about it. When I get back, he gets me back on track again.”

And oh yes, husband Brian. Delighting in Carol’s progress, he decided there must be something to it. He now is a Cianci patient, as well.

Cianci Chiropractic, located at 8737 Brooks Drive in the Easton Industrial Park can help keep you on a healthy path.
Contact Cianci Chiropractic at 410-820-4070. You can also find Cianci Chiropractic online at www.drcianci.com.

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