Friday, December 11, 2009

What Is Chiropractic?

While most people associate chiropractors with back pain and/or headaches, few people understand the science, philosophy and art behind this natural type of health care. First lets talk about the scientific basis of chiropractic. Chiropractic is based on the fact that all systems of the body are controlled by the nervous system which is not only the controlling system but also the communicating system of everything that happens in the body. If this system is not functioning properly, the body is given misinformation. This misinformation then causes the other systems to react in an abnormal way causing an imbalance in those systems' responsibilities of maintaining good health. The philosophy of chiropractic is based on this improper communication. Chiropractors believe that if the nervous system is functioning properly, then all systems within the body will operate at optimum efficiency and the patient will have good health. It is the chiropractors job to detect why, where, when, and how the nervous system is not correctly functioning. We refer to this interference as a subluxation. Once the subluxation is corrected, the body can restore itself to good health. Correcting the subluxation, is the art of chiropractic. While most chiropractors base their treatment on some type of technique, just about all of us have developed a technique that is unique. The type of technique is not as important as the ability to detect and remove the subluxation. This is where the art comes into play. A good adjustment given to correct a subluxation is a combination of physical skill and understanding of the functioning of the human body. Once the proper functioning of the nervous system is restored, the body will then begin to heal itself and good health will be achieved. And, to maintain good health, it is highly recommended that all patients have a regular spinal examination for early detection of any subluxations.