Chiropractic Basics

Chiropractic Answers

Chiropractic has been around in one way or another for thousands of years. Pictures illustrate it was performed as early as the building of the pyramids. Chiropractic became mainstream in 1895, when D.D. Palmer documented the first modern day chiropractic adjustment in Davenport, IA. It became an over-night success as an alternative to drugs and surgeries in the natural treatment of aling patients. Rather then the medical profession embrasing chiropractic, they viewed it as a threat to their profession. As much as to established a commity with the sole purpose to eliminate chiropractic by spreading untrue rumors about the chiropractic profession being un-safe. Years of investigations found that the medical community illegally formed a group to slander and eliminate chiropractic in the United States. A lawsuit by the chiropractic community was filled and millions of dollars were awarded to the chiropractic association for illegal practices by the medical field to illegally slander and target chiropractic. Some medical providers are still bias about chiropractic even though they have never been treated by a chiropractor.

Even though chiropractic has been a valid modern day treatment for over a 100 years, some people, including a lot of medical doctors, still don’t consider it a viable treatment. I still hear people stating they don’t believe in chiropractic. I laugh when I hear them say things like that. It’s because they have typically never been to a chiropractor, and they have not researched chiropractic. Most chiropractors don’t get upset because it has helped millions of people and chiropractic doesn’t need any help defending itself.

Understanding what chiropractic is and what it isn’t is vital for anyone considering going to a chiropractor. There are a lot of theories about chiropractic, but it can be summed up in one statement. Chiropractic is the art and science of a practitioner introducing a light force to get a fixated (stuck) joint moving again. It can be performed in many ways, even using tools and machines to accomplish this goal. After a fixated joint regains proper motion it typically begins to heal. The fluid between the joints can flow again and provide nourishment. Muscles around the joint are tight and typically spastic when there is joint restriction. Once proper joint motion is restored the muscles are able to relax and even nerve structures above and below the affected joint are able to function at a better level and overall motion is improved. All the nerves of the body from the head down pass through the spine. Even the nerves going to the heart, liver, spleen, etc. go though small tunnels in the spinal column. It’s the way the brain communicates with the entire body. Keeping the tunnels aligned and healthy is important to good health, not to mention being without pain and stiffness.

When joints are adjusted and moving properly again the body is able to function at a much higher level. Some chiropractic fanatics believe it may even cure cancer and other serious diseases. This is where the medical community takes offense. It’s one thing to state chiropractic can help musclo-skeletal conditions, but to think chiropractic ctreatments can cure serious conditions such as cancer and other systemic conditions is a bit too far for most.

In my 20 plus years as a chiropractor I have seen chiropractic do wonderful things. I have treated thousands of patients with sometimes serious conditions. For me to say that chiropractic is a miracle cure for everything would be a bold and untrue statement, but I believe that everyone can benefit from chiropractic care. And just like taking vitamins it may prevent the body from developing serious conditions due to the stress on the joints and nerves.

Chiropractic is typically painless and much less expensive than injections or surgery. It is advised to always see a recommended chiropractor because the treatments vary greatly for one to another. X-rays are typically used to identify the fixated joints, and therapies are also used to reduce muscle spasms protecting the joints. Therapies such as moist heat, massage, ultrasound, electric stimulation and others can make the adjustment more effective and much less force is used once the muscle spasms are reduced.

Chiropractic has come a long way in the last 25 years. The medical community is starting to slowely accept it as a valid treatment, and chiropractors are even treating patients in some hospitals in the United States. Chiropractic and medicine can go hand in hand when both are used to accomplish the ultimate goal of getting patients better as efficiently as possible. My practice, Chiropractic Athletic Center in York, PA added an M.D. and a nurse practitioner a few years ago. It has been an added benefit in the treatment of severe causes where a chiropractic adjustment just isn’t enough to get the patient better quick enough in our fast paced world.