What
is Chiropractic? Questions About Chiropractic Care?
Many people
must learn about chiropractic for the first time at some point and we
realize that this may be your first experience. So we will do our best
to give you some idea as to what we do as chiropractors.
In 1895
a magnetic healer by the name of D.D. Palmer was communicating with
the janitor in his building who was deaf, as to the cause of his deafness.
This man, Harvey Lillard, told D.D. that he was underneath a wagon pushing
and pulling against some heavy objects when he felt something “pop”
in his back and he immediately lost his hearing. This was 14 years earlier.
D.D. reasoned that if something “popped” in his back that
he should be able to find this malpositioned bone in his back and pop
it back in. Well he was able to do just that, and Mr. Lillard regained
most of his hearing almost immediately. Thus forming what would become
the chiropractic profession.
Chiropractic
is currently the most popular form of “alternative medicine”
out there. It has been around for 107 years and is still growing. With
that first adjustment the whole philosophy of chiropractic was born.
Chiropractic is founded upon simple yet truthful anatomical and physiological
principals. These tenants are summarized below:
1. The
body is a self-healing and self-regulating entity: When you were
born you came complete with instructions, you didn’t have to teach
your body a thing, it already knew how to do it. For example when you
cut your finger you don’t have to think about it healing, nor do
you have to “tell” it to heal, it just happens. Also, when
you eat something you don’t have to tell your body to digest the
food, it just occurs. Nor is it necessary for you to tell your body
to create a bruise or swelling when you get injured. In fact everything
you do is self-regulated when it comes to your body’s function.
2. Controlling
this ability is the nervous system: This ability to self-regulate
is amazing, but it needs some control in order to know what to do. Controlling
this ability is your nervous system. The nervous system is made up of
the brain, spinal cord, and the nerves. Your nervous system controls
every single function of your body either directly or indirectly. Your
heartbeat, your breathing, your food digestion, your healing, your muscle
contraction, etc., etc. is all controlled by your nervous system. As
chiropractors this is what we deal with, the nerves and nervous system.
3. Your
body cannot work to the best of its ability if there is interference
to your nervous system: This is a very simple truth that people
sometimes have a tough time grasping. Control messages on how to run
things are sent out from your brain and down your spinal cord. These
messages must get to all of the systems of your body, and in order to
do that your body uses nerves to relay the messages. Sometimes the bones
of the spine impinge, choke-off, or irritate these nerves causing the
messages to be impeded, blocked, or altered. This is called a subluxation
and it causes nervous system interference. A good analogy is taking
a garden hose and kinking it, notice how the water doesn’t flow
out? Your body’s messages act the same way when there is interference.
4. Chiropractors
remove this interference: As a chiropractor we work to remove this
interference by delivering what is known as an adjustment. An adjustment
involves placing the hands on areas of the spine where there is a subluxation
and very gently and specifically replacing that bone into its correct
position. Often there is a “popping” sound as the bone moves.
In almost all instances this procedure is painless, although there is
a feeling of pressure being applied. Occasionally due to swelling within
the joints there is slight discomfort or pain, but this feeling will
go away within a few visits.
5. Chiropractors
do not “cure” any diseases or conditions: This concept
takes a bit of thinking to understand. Most people know chiropractic
for back and neck pain but that is really not what it is about. It is
about removing interference to your body’s ability to heal. When
any positive changes are made it is due to the body regaining control
of an improperly functioning area or system. With an adjustment we allow
the proper messages to get through and the body can once again work
how it should. But lets give you an analogy:
Let’s
say you have indigestion and heartburn; this is caused by too much acid
in the stomach. Every single health care professional will agree on
this. What causes too much acid to be secreted? Is it the type of food?
Is it the amount of spices in the food? Is it lack of water to help
dilute the acid? All very valid questions but lets look at the big picture.
The stomach secretes acid in response to food or drink being placed
into the stomach. Triggering the release of acid is the nervous system,
which senses the food or drink being introduced into the stomach. Once
again, every single health care professional agrees upon this. What
if the communication to release acid gets interfered with? What if the
messages are altered and instead of getting one ounce of acid the stomach
“thinks” it should release ten? Don’t you think you would
get heartburn by having ten times the acid that should have been released?
What if these messages are always interfered with or altered? Don’t
you think you would get heartburn a lot? Why doesn’t every person
get heartburn? Do they have “better” stomachs or better functioning
control? Now it is possible that they have a food allergy or some kind
of disorder that causes normal acid release but still get heartburn.
That is why we do not treat any condition. We cannot say for sure who
has an allergy or who has poor body control. However we can find out
if they have interference to those nerves that go to the stomach. And
if they have interference in these nerves doesn’t it stand to reason
that if the interference is removed that the stomach will work better?
Now we
realize that there is a ton of causes to poor health. Lack of proper
diet is a real big one. For example if you give two carpenters the exact
same blueprint for a house but give one person oak, brass, and the finest
materials and the other rusty nails and rotten wood who is going to
build the better house? What about someone who never exercises? Will
their heart, lungs, or muscular system ever be as good as it could be?
As chiropractors we are just part of the health equation. However, I
do know this, your body works better without any interference! This
is why chiropractic can possibly affect any health condition and this
is how it is entirely possible that chiropractic can affect none of
them! When there is no interference your body will work as well as it
can and you will live to your fullest potential.
Questions About Chiropractic Care?
