This is a commonly asked question when someone is not sure what chiropractic is and what the benefits are in using it. It has a rich, rich history of living in the world of vitalism. Chiropractic originally was developed through deep philosophical understanding of the universe.
BJ Palmer, the developer of chiropractic, used chiropractic as a way of honoring the body, honoring healing and health, and most importantly respecting and honoring each individual‘s inborn capacity to heal themselves. Dr. Palmer’s main objective in spreading the word of chiropractic was to let people know that chiropractic worked along the fundamental physiology of a dynamic miraculous human body. He felt that to optimize the human body was the best way to bring greater levels of health and wellness to people.
Today, there are two reasons somebody would use chiropractic. One reason is for pain relief and the other is for optimizing function to maximize the healing properties of the body.
Pain
Chiropractic has shown to be very effective in many musculoskeletal conditions. Because chiropractic aims to identify the cause of pain rather than as a band-aid approach, it can be very effective for relieving an assortment of physical pain.
Here is a list of common conditions that benefit from chiropractic care:
- Headaches
- Neck pain
- Frozen shoulder
- Shoulder and elbow pain
- Pain that runs from your neck down into your arms
- Mid back pain and low back pain
- Pain that travels down the legs (sciatica)
- Tingling in the bottoms of the feet
- Hip knee and ankle pain
- Wrist pain
There are other conditions that have been reported to benefit indirectly using chiropractic:
- Asthma
- Colic in babies
- Digestive trouble
- Seizures
- Insomnia
- Acid reflux
- Non-related cardiovascular disease-breathing trouble
- Rib mis-alignments
- Immune system improvement
- Circulatory system
- Reduction of high-blood pressure
- Scoliosis
Wellness
One of my favorite analogies explaining the use of chiropractic is this:
To use chiropractic for pain relief is like using a TV as a plant stand. The TV will work to hold the plant but if that is all use the TV for, then you’re missing out on a whole bunch of cool benefits.
In order to understand how chiropractic works we need to review the connection of the nervous system throughout the body. The nervous system itself is made up of the brain, spinal cord and the nerves that branch off of them.
Every cell of the body is innervated by the nervous system. The neurological flow from the brain to the body can fluctuate from excellent to poor and in some extreme cases to zero (found in paralysis). Because of the spectrum of neurological function we can have a varying degree of the vital connection between the brain and the body. The nerves exit from the spinal cord must pass through spinal column. It is at this point of exit where the nerves are the most sensitive. The nerve root can be irritated by multiple dysfunctions.
The main dysfunction that is looked at within chiropractic is the Vertebral Subluxation Complex (VSC). The vertebral subluxation in its most basic explanation is composed of four parts:
1. Misalignment
2. Pressure on the nerve
3. Reduction of nerve flow
4. Interference of the neurological input flowing to the body.
When we have all these components present we have the VSC. In essence we have a choking of the information or messages that are being sent from the brain to the body. When there is interference going to all cells, organs, and tissues that receive this information they no longer getting optimal input. In this way it is a choking off life itself, it is a reduction of the life force that is passing through the body.
When there is a reduction of life force then there will be disharmony or dis-ease. To facilitate the expression of the inborn intelligence of the body as it is seen in the flow of the nerve impulse from the brain in the body is the greatest objective of a chiropractor.
– Article written by Dr. Paul “KiAtswn” Paez, DC