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Walking past the
Chiropractor’s sign every day was making me wonder if I shouldn’t give
them a call for an appointment for Rhonda and with this in mind I jotted
down their number. The daily meeting of Linda at the park brought me by
their offices. I was open to anything that might help and I did call for
an appointment when I made it home.
“Come on in, won’t you?”
Dr. Mary Cozarth herself invited me into her office. She was a lovely lady
with a touch of some accent. Her plain, graying hair was neatly smoothed
back and she was dressed in a dark suit. The woman was very slim and had a
quick way of moving. Politely she listened as I answered her questions
about Rhonda’s delivery.
“I am not worried about
walking and talking at this point,” I told her.
“It is the fact that I’m
having so much trouble with her bowels. She stays constipated and can’t
seem to have a natural movement. Enemas have been the only solution. My
husband’s aunt, who is a nurse, taught me how to give her those.”
“Bring her back to my
treatment room,” Dr. Cozarth led the way and I followed her to where she
had a table. She worked with Rhonda for a while and said, “I can help her
but you must bring her in weekly. “I’ll give you a diet and you must
adhere to it without fail. Do not give her anymore water enemas, instead,
warm olive oil like you would warm a bottle and use that. The diet isn’t
difficult it is just good balanced, portions of food but I want you to do
one extra thing. You must cook a sweet potato for her, daily. After a week
you shouldn’t have to give her any more enemas.
Methodically we followed
the doctor’s instructions and in a short time Rhonda’s health improved
with no more need for enemas. Almost like a miracle Rhonda began to creep
on her hands and knees. It all seemed too wonderful a thing to happen.
Whatever the chiropractor was doing certainly was helping her.
The season was now winter
but the sunny crisp days were too inviting for them to stay inside. I
bundled Rhonda up in her warmest clothing and away we went to the park to
meet Linda and her son. We had all become friends, Linda, myself, her son
and my daughter and we looked forward to spending time together. I went
with Linda to her appointments for therapy with her son and the doctors
there at the University set up appointments for Rhonda to come at the same
time. So began the scheduled therapy for her.
Linda’s son was able to
stand alone with his braces and crutches but Rhonda couldn’t. With her
problem of no balance and her hands being so involved there was no way she
could hold the crutches. Nevertheless, we went through the paces,
religiously. The parallel bars were one thing they were trying to use
because Rhonda could hold on to them with her one hand that would work.
Dragging the heavy braces along as she tried to take steps was
unbelievably difficult for a child.
So many times in our life
we look back and wish we would have done something different. If I had
known about the disagreement between entities regarding the acceptable
ways of treating disabled people maybe there would have been an ability
for standing up for something that was working. The chiropractor’s good
advice on health and diet made the difference. The only physical
improvement toward Rhonda's being able to use her body was brought about
by these treatments. Of course, there was no direct confrontation from
medical people. Everything to pull us away from the chiropractor, as I see
it now, was done in an insidious way.
I had no way of knowing
that the best thing to happen was what I was doing as far as the
interaction with the children. They were natural therapists and were the
best. Whatever the chiropractor was doing, worked. If only I had known
this was far better than the braces that were being used by the other
doctors I would have taken a stand. My ignorance made it too easy to be
diverted by what appeared to be a magnanimous society of medical people in
huge castle like buildings setting at the top of the hill.. I, like Eve,
was deceived. |
