What is "Chiropractic?"
How is chiropractic different from medicine?
What training does a doctor of chiropractic possess?
Is Chiropractic safe?
Does Chiropractic really work?
I still have questions!
Chiropractic (Greek for 'done by hand') is a safe, natural and effective system of health care discovered by Dr. Daniel David Palmer in Davenport, Iowa, in 1895. Its foundations are in science, art and philosophy, with over 55,000 licensed practitioners in the U.S. alone. Chiropractors may be found in nearly every country on Earth. Doctors of chiropractic (DC) utilize many different techniques to help their patients achieve optimal health, without the use of drugs or surgery. Chiropractic is also different than medicine in the respect that doctors of chiropractic do not treat diseases. Rather, they help the body remove interference from the nervous system which causes bodily dysfunction. This allows the body to return to a state of health.
The main cause of nervous system interference is what is known as the 'vertebral subluxation complex.' The spine is made up of twenty-six 'vertebra,' (bones of the spine) which work together to allow motion and to protect elements of the central nervous system--namely the spinal cord. Thirty-one paired spinal nerves exit between or through the bones of the spinal column. These spinal nerves are an essential part of the nervous system--the system which controls, coordinates and regulates every function of the body. The nervous system does this by sending messages from the brain and spinal cord out to each bodily organ (such as the motor nerves involved in moving your arm), and by receiving messages back from these organs (for example, the sensory nerves which allow you to feel heat or cold). Impingement or irritation of these spinal nerves may lead to problems with this intricate messaging system. The vertebral subluxation complex, which is a misalignment of the bones and surrounding tissues of the spine, may cause the impingement or irritation. A subluxation may be caused by one of several means, such as physical or emotional stress, trauma, or toxins within the body.
By reducing and stabilizing the vertebral subluxation complex, doctors of chiropractic work to remove that interference from the nervous system. This is done through what is known as a 'spinal adjustment,' which is usually a manual maneuver designed to realign the bones and soft tissues of the area. Special adjusting tables and instruments are sometimes used in the detection and reduction of the vertebral subluxation complex. Spinal radiographs (X-rays) are also a common method used to detect subluxations and other pathologies. Many chiropractors give nutritional advice, recommend stretching and exercise, give emotional and physical stress-reduction techniques, and all chiropractors promote healthy lifestyles in general.
As stated earlier, chiropractic is a system of health care derived from science, art and philosophy. The science involves the anatomy (structure) and physiology (function) of the body, as well as problems which the body encounters (pathology). Detection of subluxations and rendering of spinal adjustments require artful work by the chiropractor. He or she has spent years in chiropractic college and clinical practice developing the fine psychomotor skills needed to do so. Additionally, formulating a plan of action from the subjective (what the patient tells the doctor) and objective (what the doctor finds) evidence found is an art in itself. Philosophy is what ties the art and science together. It is the *reason* why chiropractors work to remove nervous system interference.
Chiropractic does not focus on the SYMPTOMS of a problem, as medicine often does. Rather, chiropractic works to remove the CAUSE of the problem, which in turn will reduce or eliminate the associated symptoms. For example, say you have a headache (symptom). You decide to take an aspirin to relieve the pain (symptom). Even if the pain is relieved, have you truly treated the CAUSE? Was the CAUSE a lack of aspirin in your body? Of course not! What you have done is akin to taking the batteries out of a blaring smoke detector in your home! The symptom is gone (that annoying sound), but the CAUSE of the symptom (the fire!!!!) still exists. By treating the true CAUSE of the symptom, which is the vertebral subluxation complex, many times headaches and other such symptoms remiss.
Another problem with using medications is that ALL of them have side effects, and over 200,000 people in the U.S. alone die each year from the "proper" use of prescription or over-the-counter medication (Journal of the American Medical Association). There are times when medication may be needed as a last resort, but it is all-to-often used as a primary treatment for symptoms. Additionally, surgery is a costly and often ineffective means of treating disease. For example, did you know that over 50% of low back surgeries in the U.S. fail within one year, leaving the patient the same or worse than before the surgery?
By working to restore the normal function of the body, chiropractic can often help to prevent the need for drugs or surgery. This is done safely and effectively on patients from newborns to the elderly. Also, chiropractic is concerned in maintaining the optimal health of the body, so it is a true system of HEALTH CARE. Medicine is more often a system of SICK CARE--you only go when you are sick with symptoms. By keeping the body free from nervous system interference, the body is much less likely to exhibit symptoms or sickness. Think of it this way--you don't wait for the engine in your car to blow up before you change the oil! Why wait until you are sick to do something about it? Wouldn't it be easier to avoid the unhealthy state and associated symptoms in the first place?
Follow this link to view the requirements for becoming a licensed doctor of chiropractic.
Chiropractic care is THE safest health care modality available. This is because chiropractic is a non-invasive, conservative approach to helping the body heal itself. Doctors of chiropractic are well-trained in safety precautions. On new patients, chiropractors take a case history, review of systems, family/social/medical history; perform range-of-motion tests, orthopedic and neurologic exams, a complete chiropractic exam, X-rays or other studies as indicated, and much more. These pieces of information allow the doctor to safely assess your condition, and suggest an appropriate treatment plan.
Numerous studies have been performed asking this very same question. The Rand Study, the Manga Report, and others have shown the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of chiropractic care. Visit the MCS Chiropractic Link Page where you will find links to these reports, and other chiropractic resources on the web.
Feel free to e-mail me, or to call me at either office. I will do my best to answer your questions about chiropractic. If you need help finding a doctor of chiropractic in your area, I would be happy to help out!
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