TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS — When you have a persistent backache, or something is a true “pain in the neck,” a friend may suggest you try going to a chiropractor.

That’s been a traditional reason for people to seek chiropractic assistance. And it’s still one of the main factors bringing patients to their offices, local chiropractors say.

But during National Chiropractic Month, they’d like people to know how their profession has advanced and now provides a wide array of care for people throughout their entire lives.

According to the American Chiropractic Association, chiropractic is “a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health.”

It’s a drug-free, hands-on way of improving health, association literature states.

For some local practitioners, chiropractic medicine is not only their calling; it continues a family tradition.

“I’m the third generation on both sides. Both grandfathers and my mother and father graduated from chiropractic school,” said Dr. Christian R. Abels of Abels Chiropractic Centre.

And Dr. Brianna Batey practices with her stepfather at Miller Chiropractic Clinic.

“We help our patients with diet and exercise, as well as keeping their backs aligned,” she said.

The three chiropractors focus on the patient’s entire health, offering nutritional supplements, a range of diagnostic equipment and therapy at both clinics.

“Exercise is very important, and I think we need to stress it here,” said Batey, citing a statistic she recently heard that Cherokee County has one of the highest obesity rates in the nation.

“People come here for everything from acupuncture to helping them lose weight,” she said.

She has helped pregnant women prepare for childbirth, and has practiced on their babies once they’re born. Her oldest patient is nearing the century mark.

Dr. Christian A. Abels said chiropractic medicine is suitable for all ages, from birth until their nervous system stops working at death.

All say people who have benefited from chiropractic care frequently want to see their families experience the same results, and sometimes bring in families for regular adjustments, just as they take their cars in for regular tuneups to keep them running well.

“We cover such a multitude of problems here, conditions that chiropractic can help that are outside the box of neck and back pain,” said Dr. Christian R. Abels. “We work on the nervous system, and the nervous system runs every process in the body. We want to get people well and keep people well.”

But most people don’t seek out a chiropractor because they feel good. Often, an accident brings them to the clinic for the first time.

Some are seeking help with workers compensation cases. Others have been involved in auto accidents, falls on the job, at home or elsewhere. During the winter, people sometimes need adjustments after falling during a ski vacation.

Insurance covers the majority of treatment, the chiropractors said.

Dr. Christian A. Abels has been in practice since 1974, and has seen his profession evolve – as do all medical fields – with improvements in technology and research.

“I think it’s changed dramatically,” he said. “The instrumentation we have now is much better than what we used to have. The tables are better now. But the basic philosophy hasn’t changed. It still remains the same. It’s still a lot of ongoing health care.”

In the case of an injury, the chiropractor focuses on improving that area of the body and making the patient feel better. But once the symptoms improve, many people continue to seek chiropractic treatments because they believe their health has improved as a result, Batey and the Abelses agreed.

“Most people come out of a chiropractor’s office feeling better than when they come out of a physician’s office,” Batey said. “We realize how much it helps, how much healthier you can be.”

Her office also has a decompression machine used to treat herniated discs.

“We have helped keep a lot of people from having to go to surgery,” Bates said.

Chiropractors promote patient participation in their care through proper diet and exercise, and provide counseling in those areas to improve their general health.

Apart from the generally-recognized ailments that can be helped by chiropractic treatment, the Abels Centre offers information on chiropractic therapy for asthma and emphysema, arthritis and rheumatism, headaches and stress.

Dr. Christian R. Abels encouraged people to seek more information on their Web site, abelschiro.com.

And Batey said anyone interested in discussing whether chiropractic treatment can improve their health should call.

“It’s not just about your back. We want general fitness and health,” she said.