• WHAT DO CHIROPRACTORS DO?
• WHY DO CHILDREN NEED CHIROPRACTIC CARE?
• ARE CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENTS SAFE?
• HOW DO I KNOW IF I NEED TO SEE A CHIROPRACTOR?
• DO SPINAL ADJUSTMENTS HURT?
• HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
• CAN THE ELDERLY BENEFIT FROM CHIROPRACTIC CARE?
• WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU DON¡¦T ¡§BELIEVE¡¨ IN CHIROPRACTIC!
• WHY ARE SCHOOL BACK PACKS DANGEROUS?
• WHAT IS INNATE INTELLEGENCE?

The primary healing modality used by Doctors of Chiropractic is the spinal adjustment. Spinal adjustments correct areas of nerve and joint irritation known as vertebral subluxations. Correction of vertebral subluxations results in:

WHY DO CHILDREN NEED CHIROPRACTIC CARE?

The birthing process can be very traumatic to the infant spine and significant nerve and joint irritation (subluxation) can occur.

A study done in Germany by Dr. Gutmann discovered that over 90% of 1,000 infants had significant subluxations of the upper cervical spine resulting in symptoms of upper respiratory infections, ear infections, colic and general decreased wellness.

Other studies have shown that children who receive regular periodic chiropractic care suffer from fewer colds, ear infections, and enjoy better overall health compared to similar groups who do not receive chiropractic care.

The many “bumps, knocks, and falls” of childhood do adversely impact the young spine and practically all children do have spinal subluxations of some degree by the time they reach the age of 6-10 years old.

ARE CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENTS SAFE?

Chiropractic adjustments are very safe and can be delivered to people of all ages from newborns to the elderly. Numerous studies and over 100 years of clinical experience from tens of thousands of chiropractors worldwide clearly show that the risk of any adverse outcome from a chiropractic adjustment to be extremely small.

In comparison, the risk of an adverse outcome of taking Tylenol (acetaminophen) is 400 times greater than any risk associated with spinal adjustments.

Modern chiropractic techniques are tailored for spines of all ages, sizes and conditions. Many gentle non-force techniques are available to safely deliver the adjustment, even to those who are very young, or those with osteoporosis, advanced arthritis, and traumatic injuries.

DO SPINAL ADJUSTMENTS HURT?

A common fear expressed by new patients is whether receiving a chiropractic adjustment involves any pain or risk of injury. Chiropractic adjustments are gentle precise movements performed either by hand or by instrument on the spine or the extremities.

The large majority of the time, the adjustment is painless and can be delivered to patients of all stages birth through 90.

Occasionally, particularly if a patient is in pain, there may be some brief soreness or discomfort while the adjustment is being delivered, but as the adjustments are repeated and body heals, the soreness disappears.

Even if a patient is in very severe pain, there are gentle techniques that can be administered with no discomfort.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?

One of the most common questions asked of me by new patients is. “How long will it take for me to get better?” This is a difficult question to answer since every patient is different and everyone’s body heals at a different rate.

The most important thing to realize is that when the spine becomes subluxated (misaligned), this causes the muscles, tendons, and ligaments to become tightened and out of proper balance with the spine and each other. Nerves that exit the spine become inflamed and the tissues surrounding the disc and nerve opening also experience swelling and irritation. All of these changes usually take weeks, months, and even years to develop before a person even feels that there is a problem.

So by the time a patient comes to a chiropractor their spines are actually “used to” being subluxated. That is why in many people the healing that occurs in response to spinal adjustments is a gradual rebuilding and rebalancing of the nervous, muscular, and skeletal systems.

A good analogy would be to compare the bodily changes that accompany chiropractic care to the changes that occur when a person exercises. You don’t achieve maximum results in just 2-3 weeks. Your muscles, tendons, and ligaments need more time to build up and become stronger and more flexible. This doesn’t necessarily mean, however, that you can’t feel better from just a few adjustments. In fact, many people experience significant relief and improvement even after 2 or 3 adjustments.

Complete healing, though, does usually take a longer time so that the subluxation doesn’t quickly re-occur and the spine holds its alignment for a much longer period of time.

Those patients who follow the chiropractic treatment plan will find that they get the maximum results and are able to maintain a higher level of health and fitness by getting their spines checked occasionally throughout the year.

CAN THE ELDERLY BENEFIT FROM CHIROPRACTIC CARE?

As we age, the spine loses its mobility, flexibility and strength. This often is due to decreased activity, decreased or improper intake and absorption of nutrients, and development of arthritis, and uncorrected spinal subluxations.

The Vertebral Subluxation Complex when uncorrected has been shown to accelerate and promote the development of osteoarthritis which affects most of the elderly.

Gentle chiropractic care can restore normal motion, increase flexibility, decrease pain, and improve the overall well being of the elderly patient. Even patients with advanced arthritis can benefit from a program of chiropractic care.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU DON’T “BELIEVE” IN CHIROPRACTIC!

One of the most amusing statements that I still occasionally hear is when someone says “I don’t believe in chiropractic”. This is usually stated when someone is reluctant or refuses to undergo chiropractic care.

My first reply is that chiropractic is not a religion - it’s not something that has to be believed in. Allow me to explain, when you throw a ball up into the air, it will definitely come down - whether you believe it will or not. That’s gravity. That’s a physical law that is constant and absolute irregardless of anyone’s opinion.

When the human body is stressed either physically (mechanically), emotionally, or chemically (nutritionally) it is physiological fact (you can even think of it as an absolute law), that stress will impair and imbalance the normal functioning of the body.

This stress induced unbalancing effect results in a variety of responses such as blood pressure increases, immune system compromise, muscle tightening and resultant abnormal spinal function and movement - vertebral subluxation. Vertebral subluxation causes an imbalance in normal nerve function.

Since the three types of stress agents, or stressors, that I just mentioned affect practically everyone, a certain degree of abnormal spinal nerve function, likewise, will also occur. When this nerve irritation, (vertebral subluxation) is removed by the chiropractic adjustment, there is a definite, unmistakable, and irrefutable improvement in a person’s health and well being. How do I know this? Well, from my own personal practice of 18 years, I have witnessed improved health and well being in thousands of patients over and over and over again.

Of course, it is very helpful to have confidence in a healer and the method they use to get maximal benefits utilizing the mind/body connection. But amazingly, I have seen many patients who were skeptical and didn’t “believe” in chiropractic feel and get better anyway after undergoing chiropractic care.

If you break a finger, it will still heal, even if you believe for some reason that it won’t. You may cause yourself unnecessary stress in the process but that finger will heal (Assuming you are putting nutrients such as calcium into your body).

The same principle works with chiropractic care. If you are subluxated, (and almost everyone is to some degree even if nothing hurts), then correcting the subluxation puts the body back in proper balance. Correct the subluxation - you feel better

And a last thought - it always turns out that the vast majority of those folks who state that they “don’t believe” in chiropractic have never been to one. You can’t knock the ride of a Cadillac, if you’ve never been in one. It is very empowering to your life to embrace a healing method that works. Chiropractic works - whether you believe it or not!

WHY ARE SCHOOL BACK PACKS DANGEROUS?

One of the most common complaints that I see amongst school age children and teenagers is neck, mid back, or low back pain resulting from carrying heavy loads of books. Comprised mostly of text books the weight of some of these back packs can be over 30 lbs.

The other problem is that many children carry these packs over one shoulder instead of the two straps and as a result create an imbalance in the body’s weight bearing ability. Because of this back and shoulder muscles become overloaded and as a result pull vertebrae out of alignment which creates spinal subluxations.

Many school children develop headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, low back pain, irritability and fatigue as a result. A chiropractic examination then is warranted to discover where the spine is out of alignment. The best corrective strategy is to then re-align the spine with gentle, painless spinal adjustments.

In my practice many children have been helped by receiving chiropractic care which can fairly quickly restore normal muscle tone and nerve function. As a result the child feels much better and there is no need to resort to pain relieving medication.

As a preventative I recommend that children either get a spare set of books to be kept at home and then put wheels on the back packs so that they can wheel them.

WHAT IS INNATE INTELLEGENCE?

Just imagine if you would for a moment all of the myriad of functions going on in your body. Feel your hear beet, notice your breathing, watch the movement of your arms, legs, and hands; tune into your sense of smell, hearing, sight, touch, and taste. Look at a recent cut or bruise that has practically disappeared; notice the warmth of your skin and the red color of the blood coursing through it. Experience the violent sneeze when a particle of something gets into your nose.

It is truly amazing how all these and millions of more functions go on every second in your body. How miraculous and wondrous is this amazing microcosm of the universe known as the human body. Just what it is that allows the body to exist and cope with the environment and the stress it throws at us every second of very day? What is it that runs the intricate machinery of the body and keeps us alive? This is what chiropractic has called Innate Intelligence.

The brain and the nervous system are the tissues through which this Innate Intelligence flows and works. Every nerve that courses out from the spinal cord eventually branches out to every cell of the human body. If the health, functions, and vitality of the spinal nerves is blocked, irritated or somehow compromised then Innate Intelligence cannot flow through the body in the most effective way.

Misaligned vertebrae or vertebral subluxations are the blocks to normal nerve flow, which then becomes a block to normal flow of Innate Intelligence. This results in a situation where a person’s health and well being deteriorates and sickness and abnormal function will eventually result.

Chiropractic spinal adjustments remove the nerve interference and thus restore the normal functions of the body. Therefore the basic idea is that everyone should see a chiropractor

Only an examination by a Doctor of Chiropractic can reliably detect the presence of a vertebral subluxation - a region of the spine where nerve and joint irritation is causing nerve interference and dysfunction. As far as symptoms are concerned, chiropractic patients can range the gamut from those with severe, crippling pain to those who have no symptoms at all. If you have pain or a recent or chronic health condition, then correction of vertebral subluxations is imperative to decrease and eliminate pain and to restore normal health and function. For those who feel well without any symptoms, a spinal examination is equally important for the early detection and correction of subtle nerve stress and irritation that can later compound and increase to cause health problems in the future.

Unfortunately, many MDs do not have the clinical training to detect vertebral subluxations, and very often it is overlooked or dismissed as a contributive or causative agent in sickness.