News : Chiropractor Pays it Forward through Teaching Others

Dr. Betterton & Dr. Pomajzl in Austrailia

A Temposcope is used to locate inflammation in a patient.

Dr. Betterton (back row left) with the Gonstead Seminar Staff who teach Chiropractic care around the world

"The goal of Gonstead Chiropractic is to do the least to achieve the most."

-Dr. Clarence S. Gonstead

Dr. Matt Betterton, of Betterton Family Chiropractic has been in practice in Vinton, since April of 2001. The skills that Betterton uses are techniques that he has learned through the training of the Gonstead Method of Chiropractic. This ability has taken him far outside of Vinton to help others. 

The Gonstead Method.

Dr. Clarence S. Gonstead had suffered from rheumatoid arthritis as a teenager and was helped by a chiropractor, which gave him an interest in learning the practice. A graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic, he began a practice in Wisconsin in 1923. Over the next 55 years, he perfected chiropractic care. Gonstead's methods are now the gold standard of care and are being taught as one of the techniques at his alma mater.

A Gonstead practitioner specializes in specific adjustments without rotating or manipulating the spine. The treatment illustrated by Gonstead is used to avoid twisting the spine to achieve relief. The methods that Gonstead uses are gentler on the body. During the examination and adjustment, the doctor will isolate inflamed nerve roots the cause of many health disorders. A true Gonstead chiropractor uses just their hands to relieve the causes of discomfort and assist the body in healing itself. Gonstead understands the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems and helps to adjust both. (For a better understanding of what those systems are and do, CLICK HERE.)

A "temposcope" is one of the tools the practitioner uses. It runs along the spine watching for a spike in heat generated from inflamed nerves, joints, discs and soft tissue surrounding each vertebra. This directs the doctor to the specific area that should be treated. They also use x-rays to check the structure of the spine as part of checking for other issues. 

Gonestead Seminars are held four or five times throughout the year. Dr. Betterton has had the privilege to travel with the program for about the last 15 years. He teaches and instructs on techniques and fundamentals, the fine motor skills that can be learned with practice.

Betterton has crossed the country from California to Florida and made several stops between the two coasts. The seminars have also taken him out of the United States to Norway, England and the latest trip sent him to Australia. He will soon be adding New Zealand to the list. On his most recent trip to Australia, he taught an advanced class with attendance between 150 and 200 across the three-day seminar. He said that these seminars are his way of giving back to others who are learning. The trips are a time of sharing his experience with others. These opportunities have given him the chance to teach the techniques to those who are still searching for better ways to treat their patients. Sometimes it will be a time that he shares a little "pearl" of something that might help those who have been in the field for years.  The trips take him away from his own practice for a few days of the year, but he knows that he's helping so many others by doing it. 

It is often assumed that all forms of chiropractic care are the same. If you've ever shopped around for a chiropractor, you soon discover that there might be several different techniques. Some chiropractors manipulate the spine into alignment, while the Gonstead Method takes a different approach. Gonstead is a skill takes a fine-tuned approach that tries to be gentler on the body.

The body is much like constructing a building. The foundation is the most important part of the structure. If there is any slight change, shift or damage to the foundation, it will affect the rest of the structure. The vertebrae are the foundation of the body. When one becomes misaligned, maybe through repetitive damage, an accident or several things have snowballed making life miserable, the body might need a little help to heal itself. If the vertebrae shift and either tilt or rotate out of the normal placement, the body needs a hand to recover. Sometimes it takes several visits or just a few to help things realign, it just depends on your body.

The youngest candidates are often newborns. Being scrunched in a tiny space and finally arriving in whatever manner, can really mess with these little bodies. You might notice it in a baby being "colicky." Sometimes there's no explanation for the baby in distress. They've been fed, changed, had a nap but are still out of sorts. It might be that they need a simple visit to Betterton's office. He is able to assess and adjust as needed. It's not a painful procedure at all for the baby. While mom is there, she for sure would need an adjustment after carrying and delivery as well!

Everyone from the newborn to the elderly can benefit from treatment. Something like a fall or stepping off of a curb the wrong way can be enough to change things. Did you know that an adjustment can help with infections, colds, stuffy noses, posterior babies, sciatica pain, bed-wetting, and even constipated babies? Proper chiropractic care is also important to a healthy immune system. Who knew? The body can heal itself, but sometimes it needs a hand, the hand of someone who specializes in alleviating the ailments that we face. 

If you think you might need a little adjustment, give Betterton Family Chiropractic a call at (319) 472-5151 to set up an appointment!