What is Chiropractic

What is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic is based on the scientific fact that your body is a self-regulating, self-healing organism. These important functions are controlled by the brain, spinal cord, and all the nerves of the body.

The skull protects the delicate tissues of the brain. The moving bones of the spine protect the vulnerable communication pathways of the spinal cord and nerve roots. If the nervous system is impaired, it can cause malfunction of the cells, tissues, and organs throughout the body. Impairment of your nervous system is caused when your spine is misaligned, thus impingement of the nerves and/or spinal cord occurs.

Chiropractic doctors call this the Vertebral Subluxation Complex. Vertebral means the bones of the spine. Subluxation, means the less than a total dislocation, and Complex, means consisting of more than one part. Chiropractic is the science of locating offending spinal structures.

The art of removing nerve interference by realigning the spine and/or extremities back the normal position. And the philosophy of natural health care based on the body's innate intelligence wanting to be healthy.

Five Components That Contribute To Vertebral Subluxation Complex (VSC)

1. Bone Component
   -where the vertebra is either out of position, not moving properly, or are undergoing degeneration. This frequently leads to a narrowing of the spaces between the bones through which the nerves pass; often resulting in irritation or impingement of the nerve itself.
2. Nervous Component
   - is the disruption of the normal flow of energy along the nerve fibers, causing the messages traveling along the nerves to become distorted. The result is that all of the tissues that are fed by those nerves receive distorted signals from the brain and, consequently, are not able to function normally. Over time, this can lead to a whole host of conditions, such as peptic ulcers, constipation and other organ system dysfunction.
3. Muscular Component
   - since nerves control the muscles that help hold the vertebrae in place, muscles have to be considered to be an integral part of the vertebral subluxation complex. In fact, muscles both affect, and are affected by the VSC. A subluxation can irritate a nerve, the irritated nerve can cause a muscle to spasm, the spasmed muscle pulls the attached vertebrae further out of place, which then further irritates the nerve and you have a vicious cycle. It is no wonder that very few subluxations just go away by themselves.
4. Soft Tissue Component
   - the VSC will also affect the surrounding tendons, ligaments, blood supply, and other tissues as the misaligned vertebrae tug and squeeze the connective tissue with tremendous force. Over time, the soft tissues can become stretched out or scarred, leaving the spine with either a permanent instability or restriction.
5. Chemical Component
   - is the change in the chemistry of the body due to the VSC. Most often, the chemical changes are pro-inflammatory; meaning that they increase inflammation in the affected area.

These changes get progressively worse over time if they are not treated correctly, leading to chronic pain, inflammation, arthritis, muscle trigger points, the formation of bone spurs, loss of movement, as well as muscle weakness and spasm. Chiropractors have known the dangers of the vertebral subluxation complex ever since the birth of the profession. More and more scientific research is demonstrating the tremendous detrimental impact that subluxation have on the tissue of the body. In order to be truly healthy, it is vital that your nervous system be functioning free of interference from subluxations. Chiropractors are the only health professionals trained in the detection, location, and correction of the vertebral subluxation complex through chiropractic care.

How Does Chiropractic Work?

Chiropractic works by restoring your own innate intelligence (inborn) ability to be healthy. Innate intelligence is the intelligence in all of us. It is this inborn energy wisdom that heals us when it is not being blocked or interfered. When under the proper control of your innate intelligence (inborn), all the cells, tissues, and organs of the body are designed to resist disease and illness. The chiropractic approach to better health is to locate and help remove nerve or innate interference by adjusting the spine and joints of the body to the proper position. A common interference to the nervous system is the 24 moving bones of the spinal column. A loss of normal motion or position of these bones can irritate or impair the function of the nervous system. This can disrupt the transmission of controlling nerve impulses. This is how nerve or innate interference occurs. With improved spinal function, there is often improved nervous system function. No nerve interference means improve health, not just pain relief. Although pain relief is one of the great benefits of what chiropractic can offer, chiropractic can help you regain your health. The focus of chiropractic health care is to restore and optimize your health so that your body is able self-heal itself at a maximum level. Chiropractic can have a positive effect on many health conditions not normally thought of as back and neck problems.

What Are Adjustments?

What truly differentiates doctors of chiropractic from any other healthcare professionals is the fact that chiropractors are the only professionals who are trained to diagnose and treat what are called spinal subluxations. The word subluxation comes from the Latin words meaning somewhat or slight" (sub) and dislocate (luxare). So the term vertebral subluxation literally means a slight dislocation or misalignment of the bones in the spine.

When a subluxation occurs, a chiropractor can correct the misaligned bone and allow it to return to its proper position. This procedure is appropriately called an adjustment, and the adjustment enables the body to heal. The chiropractic adjustment is a quick thrust applied to a vertebra for the purpose of correcting its position, movement or both. Adjustments are often accompanied by an audible release of gas that sounds like a crack. The sound sometimes shocks people a little bit the first couple times they get adjusted, but the sensation is usually relieving. Occasionally, minor discomfort is experienced, especially if the surrounding muscles are in spasm or the patient tenses up during the chiropractic procedure. There are times when the audible cracking does not occur. This is often due to either significant muscle tightness or that the patient may be having a hard time relaxing during their adjustments. However, the chiropractic adjustment is still important. The leak is fixed. The wiring is fixed. Information is flowing again. To keep the wiring fixed and the information flowing, several adjustments over a course of time may be necessary, in addition to massage, stretching exercises, or strengthening exercises. In the chiropractic world, keeping the problem fixed and preventing its reoccurrence is just as important as the initial remedy.

What Do Chiropractic Doctors Do?

First, we begin with a case history. This gives the chiropractor a background about your health, such as surgeries, accidents, the onset of your condition, and other details affecting your current health. After reviewing your history and discussing your specific problem, a thorough orthopedic, neurological, and chiropractic examination is performed. X-rays may be taken to uncover structural and functioning problems associated with the spinal column and extremities. These examinations will help identify areas of malfunctions. The findings of these examinations are explained and a plan of chiropractic adjustments may be recommended. Progress is monitored with periodical examinations and follow-up reports

At bones+beyond

An awesome highly trained adjustment is given to fix misalignment of the spine and extremities. If spinal and extremities misalignments are left untreated, it may cause nerve interference. The power of the adjustment can reduce nerve interference and greatly improve your health. At bones ＋ beyond, we will help you achieve your “Optimal Health”. By giving your body the right care and love, you can make a positive change for you and the people around you.

Case Studies

The Economic Case for the Integration of Chiropractic Services into the Health Care System

Below is an excerpt printed from an article entitled, 'The Economic Case for the Integration of Chiropractic Services into the Health Care System', by Pran Manga, Ph. D. , University of Ottawa. Here is what Dr. Magna says, 'Chiropractic care is a cost-effective alternative to other professions management of neuromusculoskeletal conditions. It is also safer. The integration of chiropractic into the health care system should serve to reduce health care costs, improve accessibility to needed care, and improve health outcomes. Additionally, there is a strong and compelling consensus that chiropractic is safer, and patient satisfaction is higher than for other professions. '

A study about BACK PAIN released by the British 'Medical Research Council’ (MRC)

A study released by the British, “Medical Research Council” (MRC) showed that Chiropractic and exercise was effective for patients suffering from lower back pain. The British study used the term “spinal manipulation”, (more correctly termed “adjustments”), which they noted is the primary form of care performed by Doctors of Chiropractic. The study, published in the November 19, 2004 edition of the British Medical Journal, stated that when combined with an exercise program, these two offer an effective treatment for those suffering from back pain. The trial study recruited more than 1,300 patients from across the UK, whose back pain had not improved after receiving what they termed the “best care” in general medical practice.

American Medical Association Latest Research Article

American Medical Association Latest Research Article of 2005 Also Indicates that Chiropractic Care is the most cost effective compared with other medical conventional treatment of low back pain. The study of over 1 million people with low back pain confirms this. That means their first option that America could save billions of dollars if people with low back pain choose chiropractic care.

Manual Therapy Works Best for Neck Pain

The above title comes from a May 6, 2002 Reuter's Health article reporting on a study published in the issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. In this study Dr. Jan Lucas Having of Monash University reports that what they called 'Manual Therapy' included procedures performed by chiropractors. In this study, 183 patients with neck problems were given either 'manual therapy' (as the study calls it), exercise therapy or they were told to continue routine care from their medical doctor, which included advice on home exercises and prescriptions for pain medication for a 6 week period. All patients were allowed to continue on any pain medication they had been taking. The results showed that at the end of the study, about 68 of the 'Manual Therapy' patients said they were 'completely recovered' or 'much improved,' according to the report. This was vastly better when compared with 51 of those on exercise therapy and 36 of patients who continued their medical care. The conclusion from the researcher was obvious when they said, 'Manual Therapy' seems to be a favorable treatment option for patients with neck pain. 'It should be noted that the results obtained in this study would probably be less than would be expected under chiropractic care. 'Manual Therapy' as delivered by untrained individuals can not be as precise or specific as chiropractic adjustments delivered by trained practitioners who perform adjustments on a daily basis.

Chiropractic Care Helps Body Physiology and DNA Repair - Study Shows

The March 7, 2005 Medical News Today reported on a study that shows that chiropractic helps body physiology and DNA repair. The study, published in the February 18, 2005 scientific periodical, the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, (JVSR), was a collaboration between chiropractors and researchers at the University of Lund in Sweden. In this study researchers found that chiropractic care could influence basic physiological processes affecting oxidative stress and DNA repair. The article noted that serum thiols are primary antioxidants. Higher antioxidant levels can serve as a way of measuring human health status and DNA repair enzyme activity, which has been shown to correlate with lifespan and aging. In this study researchers measured serum thiol levels in 21 patients, some of these with a variety of health issues or pain, who had undergone short-term chiropractic care. Researchers also evaluated a group of 25 asymptomatic patients who had undergone long-term chiropractic care. These results were then compared to a control group of 30 people who had not received any chiropractic care. The study results showed that, as the researchers expected, patients who were in pain had the lowest antioxidant levels. However, those patients who were under longer term chiropractic care had statistically significant higher antioxidant levels than both the short term patients with pain, as well as those without pain who did not receive chiropractic care. One of the authors, Dr. Christopher Kent, explained, “Going through life, we experience physical, chemical, and emotional stress. These stresses affect the function of the nervous system. We hypothesized that these disturbances in nerve function could affect oxidative stress and DNA repair on a cellular level. ” Kent continued, 'Oxidative stress, metabolically generating free radicals, is now a broadly accepted theory of how we age and develop disease. ”