Activator: More Effective and Less Creepy

By Bentley Weisel | Dr. Weisel‘s daughter

My dad is a chiropractor. As a chiro-kid*, people are often curious as to what my father does for a living. When I say, “He’s a chiropractor,” I always get the same facial expression; it’s a not-so-subtle combination of intrigue and wincing with absolutely no real knowledge or experience with what being a chiropractor means.

My dad is not just a chiropractor, he specializes in the Activator Method. I’m sure if you are reading this post, you have some general familiarity and appreciation for this method of chiropractic treatment. From what I know, the Activator is an instrument that applies a certain amount of pressure to needed areas in the spine in order to put it back into place. But, if I say that to my fellow twenty-somethings, they would tune me out—I say this from personal experience.

So, I created a response that would alleviate the initial shell-shock and stigma that is often attached to classic chiropractic care. I now tell people that what my dad does as a chiropractor is “more effective and less creepy” (I am putting quotes around this as a way to let everyone know that I am coining this phrase, so don’t get any ideas) because he uses the Activator. Then I proceed with an actual explanation and some novice hand motions to complete my answer.

“I tell people that what my dad does as a chiropractor is ‘more effective and less creepy’ because he uses the Activator.”

This is my not-so-subtle way of reducing the stereotype of a chiropractor “needing” to, dare I say, get all up in your business to effectively treat your back. And, it works just as well as old-fashioned, done by hand way.

For me, chiropractic care has been a way of life. I did not even realize I was any different from my peers until I went away to college. I don’t go to a medical doctor very often. I am not given antibiotics to treat every cough, cold and sniffle. Instead, I get adjusted regularly by my dad with an Activator. I try to eat foods that are actually real. I get my sleep most of the time. I stay physically active walking a lot around campus. And, when I’m sick, I rest and let my body do what it was designed to do, as in get better on its own. And guess what? I’m totally alive and well (most of the time).

So yes, “this Activator thing really does work,” and it is a more effective and less creepy way to do chiropractic care. I should know, I’ve been a chiro-kid since 1992.

*Chiro-Kid (n.): an offspring of a chiropractor. (This is a term I was made aware of only recently by Dr. Becky McGinnis, a fellow chiro-kid and chiropractor.)