Deep within, there is a wellspring of health.

It flows from within you, out to all the aspects of your life, just as easily as awareness flows through your nervous system.

The flow is diminished by interference caused by stress, injury, or chemical imbalance.

Such interference causes a loss of positive relationship between parts of your own being, which shows in your body as Vertebral Subluxation.

Chiropractic adjustments gently restore the spine to flexibility and ease,

Reestablishing the flow of information throughout the nervous system,

Restoring integrity and wholeness,

Returning you to the wellspring of health at the center of your life.

THE UNIQUE CHIROPRACTIC OBJECTIVE:

The true reason for correcting vertebral subluxation is to enable the innate intelligence of the body to be more fully expressed.

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Chiropractic

Chiropractic is a unique approach to health care, having its own distinct view of health and disease.  Chiropractic is founded on a vitalistic philosophy, which asserts that our nature is not simply biological or mechanistic.  Rather, chiropractic philosophy affirms that all creation is made up of physical matter, energy, and intelligence.  True health is a dynamic state of being in which matter, energy, and intelligence work together harmoniously and adapt successfully to changing circumstances.

 Since we are innately beings of physical matter, energy, and intelligence, any approach to health that only considers one of these aspects must be incomplete.  Consequently, chiropractic addresses each of these aspects.

 It is generally well known that chiropractic care focuses on the health of the spine.  Many people utilize chiropractic techniques to improve the joint motion in the spine, or to optimize healing from sprain or strain injuries.  In fact, the scope of chiropractic includes joint injuries that do not render the joint unstable.  So, damage to ligaments or tendons less than a full rupture are injuries that are amenable to chiropractic techniques.  Fractures that are not unstable (for example, a compression fracture of a vertebra) are also included in the scope of chiropractic care.

 However, the main reason that chiropractic focuses on the health of the spine is that the spine encases part of the central nervous system.  The skull and spine serve many functions, but their primary protection of the central nervous system is certainly the most important of these. 

 The central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) is the interface between the material, the energetic, and the intelligent aspects of our being.  It is the conduit of consciousness, and the “prime mover” in terms of orchestrating, organizing, and harmonizing the function of our bodies, both internally and in response to the external world. 

 The spinal cord is the central pathway of information to and from the brain, and is composed of neural tissue carrying most of the messages from the body to the brain, and from the brain back to the body.  If there is interference with the transmission of this information (in either direction), that interference results in a loss of effectiveness in the central nervous system’s exchange of information with the tissues of the body.  That loss of communication may or may not result in specific symptoms, but it will result in a lessening of adaptation, harmony, and functionality of specific body systems, and eventually of the whole person. 

 This is essentially the reason that chiropractic focuses on the health of the spine.  Interference to the central nervous system as a result of loss of appropriate relationships between segments of the spine is termed “subluxation.”  The subluxation may involve altered motion of a spinal segment, slight displacement of the joint surfaces, abnormal  muscular tension, decrease in nutrition of soft tissues and build-up of cellular waste products in the area.  Pain may or may not be experienced in the area of subluxation.

But the primary factor in a subluxation is that the joint dysfunction in the spine is sufficient to cause interference to the flow of information in the nervous system.  Just as blocking a stream will cause the stream to alter the direction of its flow, so the nervous system responds to subluxation by changing its patterns of synapse

(neural plasticity) to accommodate the demands.  These alterations in the function of the nervous system are implicated in the development of chronic pain syndromes.

 Often, people initially present for chiropractic care with primary complaints of stiff or sore backs or necks.  As can be seen from the preceding discussion, while these clients will benefit from their care, there are many more people whose spinal health is in need of attention and improvement but who are not so encumbered by pain that they seek help. 

 Essentially, chiropractic approaches the healing needs of a person prior to the development of physical pathology.  That is, chiropractic practice is based on changes in function that precede development of tissue pathology.  It is not a substitute for medical care, nor is medical care a substitute for chiropractic care.  Where medicine strives to diagnose and treat the end result (pathology), chiropractic seeks to remove the cause of altered function, which has led (or can lead) to the end-state pathology.

 Chiropractic respects the intelligence of the natural system.  Consequently, chiropractic methods rely on improving and enhancing the body’s natural ability to heal itself.  The spinal adjustment delivered by a chiropractor is not an attempt to force the spine toward an ideal, but to release the interference to the body’s own communication of its harmonizing intelligence.

 Chiropractors are educated in a 4-academic-year curriculum, which includes biochemistry, anatomy, histology, physiology, microbiology, pathology, embryology, neurology, orthopedics, and extensive study of the spine.  In addition, chiropractic science, philosophy, and technique are learned during these 4 years of study.  Prior to attending Chiropractic College, 2 to 4 years of undergraduate education are required.

 In the U.S., the licensing of chiropractors varies from state to state.  However, each state requires passing scores on a series of three national board exams.  Some states then grant licensure based on the performance of the candidate on a fourth national exam, others (like Wisconsin) give their own licensing exam to applicants who have passed the first three national boards.

 Studies have shown that those who receive chiropractic care have a high rate of satisfaction with their results and with their provider.  Chiropractic has retained its mission of being a low-tech, high-touch approach to health care.  The chiropractor is trained to listen attentively to his/her clients, to effectively communicate a plan of care and to continue to keep the client updated on progress toward a mutually satisfactory goal of care. Many chiropractors include physiotherapy, rehabilitation, and nutritional consultation as part of the services they offer to their clients.  Others refer to specialists in these areas.

THE CHIROPRACTIC DIFFERENCE

Chiropractic is different than anything else.

Chiropractic is not an alternative or a substitute for medical care.

Chiropractic is not about sickness and disease.

Chiropractic is not focused on relieving symptoms.

Chiropractic is not another approach to the same objective.

Chiropractic must be viewed in a different light.

It is different.

It is about your life, about experiencing greater potential in life by having interference to the proper function of the nerve system removed.

Many of us spend a great deal of time sitting, whether on the job, working at the computer, at school, driving, studying, or relaxing. Prolonged sitting can create stresses on the body which may be felt as stiffness, discomfort or lack of ease upon arising. Let's take a look at the dynamics of sitting and find a way to sit with ease.

Have you ever noticed how a dog sits? Pay particular attention to where the dog's tail is when she is sitting. A healthy dog will generally sit with her tail directly out behind her. She does not sit with her tail tucked under herself. Why not?

The spine is a single system made up of multiple segments. The tail-end of the spine is called the coccyx. In people, the coccyx is a short segment of 3 to 5 small bones known as the "tail bone".  Less visible than the dog's tail, it is nevertheless an important feature of our physiology. (lf you've ever fallen on your buttocks and bruised your tailbone, you know how uncomfortable it can be to sit down!)

The coccyx joins to a large bone called the sacrum, that allows the spine to connect with the pelvis. This joint (between the sacrum and the pelvis) is called the "sacro-iliac joint." The stability of this joint allows us to have our upright posture, and motion at this joint allows us to walk on two legs.

When we sit, it is important that we remember the dog, who does not sit upon her tail. If we tuck our tail-bone (coccyx) under when we sit down, we are actually sitting on our spine, effectively rooting our spine into the chair. In that position, every time we reach or bend, the spine remains rooted into the chair, and our muscles and joints all along the spine experience stress in carrying out each movement.

Instead of sitting on our coccyx, we need to be sitting on the large bones of our pelvis, called the "ischial tuberosities". These paired bones are located just above the point where the upper thighs join the buttocks. When we sit on our pelvic bones in this fashion, we allow our coccyx and sacrum freedom to move. Then, each time we move or reach for something, our sacroiliac joints experience some motion, and the sacrum and coccyx can rock in a coordinated fashion with the rest of the spine. This motion reduces the stress on the muscles of the back and neck, and on spinal joints generally.

So next time you sit, lift your "tail" out behind you and sit on your ischial tuberosities. (It will feel like you're sitting on the very tops of your thighs or the 1 very bottom of your buttocks). Be sure to move about and leave the chair every hour or so to promote circulation in your legs and feet. And, like the dog, take a good stretch every now and then to keep yourself more aware of how your body is feeling. You will be amazed at how much fatigue, neck soreness and back stiffness will simply melt away if you remember the dog every time you sit, and lift your tail!

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People often decide what kind of health care to get based on whether their insurance will pay for it or not. Of course, every purchase has to be weighed against other possible purchases for relative merit or relative value to us. One of the things we purchase in this way is our “health insurance”. We have other insurance policies as well: life, homeowners, automobile, and perhaps others. We realize our homeowner’s insurance is intended to protect us from losses, like fire or flood damage — not to protect us from the actual loss, but to protect us from the financial loss that results from such events. But we as homeowners would not expect to bill our insurance company for routine upkeep or preventative maintenance jobs. The lawn may need cutting, reseeding, or fertilizing, and the house may need to be repainted from time to time. No reasonable person would expect their insurance policy to pay for such things. Nor would a car owner expect the oil changes, brake relining, tune-ups, and tire replacements to be paid for by their insurance policy. Imagine what would happen to our cars if we decided not to do anything for our car that the insurance didn’t pay for!

related decisions based on what it will or will not cover? There is surely a bigger cost of ill health that can’t be measured financially!

How did we come to this point of determining our health care expenditures based on what our insurance policy allows? Would you decide whether to cut the grass based on whether your homeowner’s insurance would pay for it? Or would you decide whether to replace your automobile tires based on whether your car insurance would pay for the tires? Do we value our bodies less than our homes and our cars?

It concerns me that so many people today have given their decision-making power to their insurance carrier. But to make our own choices, we must ask, “What would really insure my health?” What would really improve your chances of living a joyous, healthy life, vibrant with energy vitality and good will? And would your health insurance pay for that? Would you give it to yourself even if your insurance didn’t provide payment?

Repair after an accident or management of a disease, although necessary services, are not the same as real health care. Health is characterized by wholeness, by integration of all systems and parts into an effective, functional being. Our nervous system coordinates all our functioning, physically, emotionally, mentally, socially, and spiritually.

Make certain that your nervous system, the body’s “master coordinator,” is functioning at its highest level. Reconnect to your power to make healthy choices. Get your spine checked for nerve interference, known as subluxation. Get your spine adjusted, and recapture the power of health that lies within you. Next time you think about deciding health care issues based on what your insurance policy will cover, remember what REAL insurance is: a healthy nervous system, capable of adapting to change without the accumulation of stress and rigidity. Think about it. Who should take responsibility for your health?

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