Finding chiropractic care in Grenoble
November 10th, 2011 | Published in Features, Info & Advice, Interviews | 1 Comment
Dr. Bazot during his non-profit work in Tunisia
New resident Elise Hahn talks about how she found chiropractic care in Grenoble in the form of Dr. Fabrice Bazot, whom she interviews here.
If you’re the planner in your household, preparing to move can be ridiculous. The sorting, the packing and the cleaning are time-consuming enough, not to mention all the necessary administrative tasks like actually giving notice, canceling water and electricity and transferring those very-important-but-somehow-still-forgettable contracts like tenant’s insurance. Add to this changing not just cities but continents and languages, and your move just got a whole lot more complicated.
Needless to say, when my husband and I decided to make the move from our small town in western Canada, to Grenoble, France, the last thing on my mind was how I was going to find a new chiropractor. No big deal, right? After all, I’m a relatively active and healthy, twenty-something-year-old university student who loves cycling, yoga, and walking until the soles of my feet hurt. I know what you’re thinking – my stressing about finding the right chiropractor is like worrying about finding a capable dentist.
Personally, I beg to differ.
I’ve been seeing a chiropractor for longer than I can remember. Since I was a small child, in fact. Not every week or even every month, but frequently enough to get an update on my chiropractor’s grandchildren when I pay him a visit. However this changed last year, when aching-wrists and tingling-toes resulted in visit after visit to my doctor, followed by blood tests, arm braces and terrifying talk of an autoimmune disorder.
Thankfully, this article isn’t about my struggle with fibromyalgia (which I did not have), but how corrective chiropractic care gave me my body back.
As it turned out, my neck was out – and had been for a very long time. I was only beginning to feel the symptoms because misaligned vertebrae were putting pressure on a nerve running from my brain stem down my right arm, not to mention wreaking havoc with the rest of my nervous system. X-rays confirmed this intense misalignment of my neck vertebrae.
I began seeing a new chiropractor three times a week who focused on proactive, corrective treatment. Within a month, the pain in my wrist was gone, and so was the tingling in my feet, the headaches and sore shoulders.
If you don’t come from a city like mine in Canada where there are easily as many chiropractic offices as walk-in medical clinics, my story might sound a bit colourful. But hopefully at the very least, you’ll see why finding a good chiropractor in Grenoble quickly became one of my top priorities.
Naturally, I began my search online. I quickly came across Dr. Fabrice Bazot’s chiropractic website, www.lechiro.fr. Five months later, I’m still seeing Dr. Bazot on a regular basis to keep up with the treatment I started in Canada. I am so thankful to have found his Centre Chiropractique Bien-Être et Santé in Grenoble’s centre-ville, and a chiropractor who believes in holistic, preventive healthcare (not to mention, he speaks English!).
All this said, I’m pleased to share that on Wednesday, November 23rd, Dr. Bazot will be holding a Chiropractic Info-Session in English at his office in downtown Grenoble. To better describe the work he does, I interviewed Dr. Bazot about chiropractic care and his personal philosophy towards health.
Elise: For those who aren’t familiar with this type of treatment, how would you define chiropractic care?
Dr. Fabrice Bazot: The purpose of chiropractic care is to restore harmony to the body. The often painful physical symptoms and discomfort which initially prompt most people to visit a chiropractor are due to physical imbalance within the body. This imbalance is typically the result of exposure to one of three main stresses: physical, chemical or emotional.
When your body is exposed to more stress than it can handle, you can experience a “subluxation”. A subluxation occurs when a bone is out of alignment and begins to interfere with the brain’s communication in the body. In this state, the body is no longer at ease – and if not corrected, is prone to illness or disease.
The role of the chiropractor is to restore body functionality to normal by correcting any subluxations, permitting the body to begin its normal self-healing processes.
Elise: What is the difference between chiropractic and other types of alternative medical care, such as osteopathy or massage therapy?
Dr. Bazot: Chiropractic is unique because it is the only discipline that focuses not on suppressing symptoms, but actually improving overall body functionality. Chiropractors do not treat pain, musculoskeletal problems or other diseases; however, many of their patients may be experiencing these types of symptoms as a result of a greater imbalance their chiropractor is seeking to correct.
To me, though there are many important aspects to the maintenance of good health, chiropractic is the fastest, most complete and effective way to care for your body.
Elise: Would you characterize chiropractic as retroactive or proactive care? If I don’t have any back or neck pain, should I still see a chiropractor?
Dr. Bazot: I would definitely describe chiropractic as proactive care, even if this is not the way most patients use chiropractic because of their limited knowledge of its purpose. Many patients finally see a chiropractor only once their symptoms have become very severe. At this stage, due to numerous uncorrected subluxations, spinal degeneration may have already begun. So generally the first goal of corrective care is to restore the body’s integrity, successfully halting any further degeneration. Only after a patient has successfully overcome this first step in their treatment does my work really begin.
Dr. Bazot giving a chiropractic treatment during his recent trip to Tunisia
Elise: When were you first introduced to chiropractic care?
Dr. Bazot: I was first introduced to chiropractic care when I was just 22, after the tension between my shoulders became too much to bear. At the time, I was very skeptical. I had never heard of it before, and I wanted to become a medical doctor. But after just one visit to my chiropractor, my body felt completely different. For the first time in years, I stood up with no effort. My experience at the chiropractor literally blew my mind; it completely changed my philosophy on life. Ultimately, this led to a decision to become a Doctor of Chiropractic myself.
Elise: How would you describe your personal philosophy as a chiropractor?
Dr. Bazot: My philosophy is very simple. To me, chiropractic is an art, science and philosophy. And in my mind, this is both unique and important. Nine out of ten people need chiropractic care – even if they don’t have any symptoms. It can improve the life force of not just your body, but also benefit your emotional and mental well-being. Some of my patients have affirmed this view by telling me that following their treatment, they feel more connected to themselves, have more inspiration as an artist, etc.
Again, to me, this is what makes chiropractic care so beautiful and unique. Chiropractic provides a way to reconnect people with themselves. That’s why it is so important, especially in our world today.
Elise: What is the difference between “corrective” treatment and more common types of chiropractic care?
Dr. Bazot: As I’ve mentioned, corrective care is usually the first part of treatment. It allows the body to return to a place of equilibrium and begin functioning normally.
“Treating pain”, as many chiropractors do, involves working with patients who only see a chiropractor when they have symptoms. Sadly, these patients are not experiencing all that chiropractic care has to offer. In my mind, this can be dangerous, because pain is simply a signal that something else is going wrong in our bodies. If we shut off the alarm but don’t put out the fire, we’re not doing ourselves a lot of good. This is precisely how many doctors and other individuals use medication, and not how we should be using chiropractic.
“Wellness care” is the ultimate goal in my mind, for every person. This is the best way to keep your body at its highest functionality.
Elise: On the side, you have also recently founded a non-profit organization, Terre Chiro. What is the purpose of this association?
Dr. Bazot: The purpose of Terre Chiro is simply to reach people who wouldn’t otherwise benefit from chiropractic care. We went on our first trip in October, to Djerba in Tunisia. It was an incredible experience – I had the chance to work with so many people in such a short time. From our estimates, I treated nearly 700 people!
Everywhere we went, I was welcomed in – I was invited into a high school to treat students, the teachers and the principal, and I had the opportunity to visit many families in the intimacy of their own homes. It was definitely a fantastic experience, and I was so moved by the people I encountered.
I am also a member of “Life Force 1000”, a group of chiropractors whose mission is to give every person on the planet the opportunity to become a student or patient of chiropractic.
So if you are interested in health and want to help people, we are looking for students to study chiropractic. In my experience, the domain of chiropractic provides many great opportunities and a career that is rewarding, fun and challenging.
Elise: How would you convey the relevance of chiropractic care today?
Dr. Bazot: More than ever, people need chiropractic care to stay connected to themselves and to change the world. Actually, chiropractic is also environmental in its stance on medication. We often see patients come off of their medication after under-going chiropractic care for some time. Since medication ultimately ends up in our water systems, this is very important in my mind.
My vision for the future is crystal clear. I envision a world where people take greater care of themselves, using ways that are safe, natural and effective. This is chiropractic care.
Dr. Bazot will be hosting a Chiropractic Info-Session in English at 7:00pm on Wednesday, Nov. 23rd. To RSVP, please call 04 76 51 16 09 or email centrechiropractique@lechiro.fr
Centre Chiropractique Bien-Être & Santé
1 rue Paul Bert – 38000 Grenoble
February 9th, 2012 at 11:01 pm (#)
What a fascinating introduction to a little-known nor understood discipline. It is admirable that Dr. Bazot has time to offer free consultations in other parts of the world – great way to combine ‘business with pleasure’!