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Let me introduce myself…

Arleen Scholten

I have never done anything like this in the 18 years I have been in practice so I am going to have a go?  Why?  Over the years many patients have asked if I get adjusted regularly. Yes, absolutely, so let me explain why. Some of you have been under regular Chiropractic care for years, some of you even since I started practicing in York, way back in 2006. Some of you know a lot about me, some of you not a lot and some may not be interested and that is OK as long as I  ‘fix’ you.

I am going to take this opportunity to share with you what this Chiropractic stuff means to me and why I have been under regular Chiropractic care for over 20 years and will be for… forever!

Some of you are aware that I recently trained and completed my 2nd ½ Iron Man Triathlon (Aug 31st to be exact), this is why you will see Triathlon 220 in the practice, I love this sport. A ½ IM is aka a 70.3 (70.3 miles of swim, bike, run)  WHY????  I don’t know… a glutton for punishment, I like a challenge, or maybe just a deep desire or need for some ‘me time’ as a busy Mum of 3. Exercise is also necessary for normal nerve function and we all feel better once it’s done.

When I completed it the 1st time last year my training was negligible, our youngest hadn’t started school yet. My daughter, 13 at the time, even asked me ‘Mum aren’t you scared….you haven’t really trained at all?’. The answer ‘Yes Darling, terrified is a better description, but done is better than perfect, just don’t be embarrassed if I come last’… I didn’t. I was banking on my fitness from pre 3rd child, I realised half way through the 56 mile bike that that fitness was long gone.   

What struck me most is even though my fitness level was not up for the 70.3 nothing hurt. No aches or pains, no injuries sustained, just the lactic acid my body had no idea how to cope with.

This year I tackled it again, trained harder amongst the busyness of being a working Mum, and juggling entertaining children over the summer, I haven’t really sat down much the past 4 months. Again nothing hurt, no injuries during training, recovery was fast and I am back to running etc.

This in a nutshell is why I get adjusted. Not to complete distances without the recommended amount of training from my 220 magazine but to have the confidence in my body, spine, nervous system that I can challenge myself without the fear that I will get injured.

I discovered long distance running in my early 20’s when a friend at Chiropractic College suggested we run our 1st marathon together. We signed up for the Twin Cities Marathon, I loved it and I was hooked. I have run a total of 10 marathons, many triathlons of all distances, although the full Iron Man has yet to be tackled. I have remained injury free.

We have 3 children and I was adjusted throughout all 3 pregnancies. 2 were home water births and 1 was almost delivered by my husband in the car – note to self, take the expected due date with a pinch of salt – she was born at St. James in Leeds, we didn’t have enough time to get home.

When I chose this profession I had no idea what it was all about. I had had 1 adjustment previous to starting. I wasn’t one of those miracle cases where it changed my life after a sustained injury. This is what you often hear from Chiropractors. I was a bit lost at Uni, focussing on my sciences, as I knew this was the direction I wanted but it wasn’t clear what my ‘JOB’ was going to be.

Chiropractic is about correcting your structure and posture with the intent of improving nerve function. That is it.  It’s intent is not to wipe out your pain, that is the job of pain killers and other meds. Please understand, when you start feeling better after a series of adjustments it is because function is being restored. You feel better because your body functions better, your nervous system fires better. We say ‘what fires together wires together.’ This for me is important, forever. It is important for our kids to grow and develop without interference. Yes, Chiropractic is wonderful and beneficial for children as well.    

I love the functional understanding we were taught about movement, nutrition, mental health etc. It is all necessary for us to function optimally. We are not into fads and diets and weight loss gimmicks, we study the genetic requirements for us to function and heal naturally.

I turned 40 shhhhh. More mileage accumulates as we age. We are machines and the older we get the more wear we accumulate. It’s amazing… not really!   

I do not want to break down. I love my sport, I love feeling healthy and energetic, I love being able to keep up with our children, and at the moment I still love training for Triathlon.

Patients will come in and explain, ‘I have never had this before. Ever. It started yesterday when I…’ So much of what presents in clinic is an accumulation of stressors that over time will affect your spine, posture, movement and therefore your nervous system. At some point, your body is going to nudge you to get things sorted. Pain is a gift. Without it we would continue to drag our bodies through the ‘mud’, the many stresses of daily life. Not just the physical, like sitting and staring at mobile phones, but the chemical – stressed from what we consume, to mental emotional strains that make our muscles tighten.

So for me in a nutshell and at this point in my life Chiropractic is my Bio-Hack…  Ageing is for the birds!

Arleen

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