"Chiropractic is not a natural cure for any condition or disease. That's not what this is about at all. We, as chiropractors, are not treating; we are enhancing normal body function by removing spinal nerve interference. It's not just a play on words, (where we come from) is a completely different base... That's what makes the difference."

~ Jeanne Ohm, D.C. Editor and Chief, Pathways magazine

 

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Previous Chiropractic Thoughts:

"You needn't be sick to benefit from chiropractic care. All you must have is a desire to express your life to its fullest potential, and if you have that desire, the chiropractor can assist you by identifying and correcting areas of interference."

~ Christopher Kent, D.C., FCCI, J.D.

What came first, the chicken or the egg? In relation to the spine: What happens first, the spinal bone misaligning or the muscle straining? A very common question to the chiropractor is whether the bone is out of place or whether it is just a muscle pull. The answer is, one can't happen without the other. First, the back or neck muscles undergo an unusual amount of stress (such as a strain). Since the spinal muscles are attached to moveable spinal bones, the muscle exerts a force on spinal joint and "pulls" the bone out of its proper alignment. Once the spinal joint is misaligned, the muscle stays stretched and irritated. The only way to get the muscle to correct itself is to realign the spinal joint. Treating the symptom with ice, heat, electric muscle stimulation and massage will only temporarily relax the muscle tissue. As long as the spinal bone is out of alignment, the muscle will stay in a state of imbalance. Thus the purpose of chiropractic, to adjust the spine, balance the musculature and correct the condition.

The brain sends mental impulses down the spinal cord and out through the spinal nerves to all of the body's systems, organs, tissues and cells. This is how the body (including the heart!!) works, functions and lives. If there is a disturbance, disruption or interference in the brain's mental impulse and nerve flow, the body cannot be as healthy as it was meant to be. Chiropractic removes nerve flow disruption along the spine. It improves the brain's communication network, thereby improving bodily function, performance and health!

Since I have already mentioned the term "Silent Killer," did you know that the chiropractic profession has used that term as well? Misaligned vertebrae (called subluxations) have often been referred to as a "silent killers." The majority of subluxations that exist in our bodies' spinal columns, exist without causing symptoms (pain). A misaligned vertebra places pressure on vital nerves that come from the spine, and the subluxation interferes with nerve flow. Nerve interference causes a decrease in function to all of the systems, cells and tissues in the body. Overtime, the interference leads to a decrease in bodily function, performance and health. As with blood pressure, the only way to know if you have subluxations is to be checked, in this case, by a chiropractor. A chiropractor will re-adjust out-of-place vertebra by a using a simple, pain-free technique. When the vertebrae are properly in place, your nerve flow will be at its fullest capacity.

"I'm always astonished by how little is needed for an adjustment on babies and children, and how incredibly they respond physiologically. My greatest miracles in practice - some of them have been truly life-saving, a matter of life or death - were with babies. The parents knew very clearly that if those babies had not been adjusted, they would have died. Their medical situation was very complex and documented (by) some of the best children's hospitals in Pennsylvania. Then came the chiropractic adjustment and their entire physiology shifted, and that child lived. So, that to me has always been the bewildering factor about chiropractic."

~ Arno Burnier, D.C.

"Many think that health is merely the absence of pain or symptoms. A wellness approach to health means adopting a variety of healthy habits for optimum function on all levels - physical, mental, social, and spiritual. Because of its focus on the nervous system, chiropractic care can be an important part of a wellness lifestyle. The nervous system controls the function of virtually every aspect of our lives. So, maintaining a properly functioning nerve system is essential if you want to be your very best."

~ Dr. T.J. McKay and Dr. K.B. Jenkins

"Doctors of chiropractic play an important role in helping Olympic athletes prepare for competition and recover from injuries. Their visibility on the U.S. Olympic Committee's (USOC) medical staff has increased steadily over the years. We're taking five chiropractors [to the Olympic Games this year] and that just shows how far chiropractic has come since the first chiropractor joined the Olympic medical staff in 1980," says Dr. Michael Reed, a doctor of chiropractic who serves as a USOC medical director. "It has a lot to do with the requests of the athletes - they recognize the benefits of chiropractic in helping their bodies perform at peak condition."

~ Sentinel-Tribune, Osceola, IA

People have counted on chiropractic adjustments for years. A few cracks of the spine can make a world of difference, but according to Dr. Patricia Cline of the Cline Chiropractic Center, those adjustments can have some long-term benefits many folks may not realize. "You're going to have better resistance to colds and flu," she says. "You're going to feel more rested and may even sleep better."

~ Rob Poindexter, TV 5 News, Bangor, Maine

See Number 10 and apply to your family.

" I am a chiropractor working with the sciences of the universe by turning on the life in man throiugh the art of the adjustment. I do not prescribe, treat or diagnose conditions. I use only my hands. I work with that "mysterious something" which created my body from two cells."

~ BJ Palmer, D.C, Ph.C

"This is the time of year that headache complaints are on the rise. Colder weather, busier end-of-year schedules, holiday stress (and) over-indulgence in caloric foods and alcohol are just a few of the reasons that headaches are increasingly more common. If you have chronic headaches that won’t go away, call your chiropractor. More than ever, patients are finding relief in chiropractors’ offices for chronic headache pain. Tension, sinus and even migraine headaches usually respond to a series of chiropractic treatments."

~ Dr. Mark Kestner, The Murfreesboro Post, TN

“Chiropractic allows the body to heal itself naturally. Chiropractic adjustments free the nervous system to work effectively, which in turn aids the immune system’s functioning, as well the musculoskeletal system."

~ Dr. Todd Shelton, Valley News, Yelm, Washington

"Chiropractors will never be as busy as they could and should be until people lose faith in the unscientific religion of modern medicine."

~ Robert Mendelsohn, MD

Forget back pain and neck pain for a moment. Move symptomatic relief from aches and pains out of your mind. The most important aspect of chiropractic care is that spinal adjustments open up the nerve channels between the spinal bones, allowing the brain to effectively send its messages down the spinal cord and out through the spinal nerves. When the nervous system is flowing properly, the body works better, the body performs better, the body is healthier!

"Spinal misalignments (subluxations) can often flow into pain sensitive structures in the head and neck. Chiropractic spinal adjustments are important to restore normal spinal alignment and eliminate and/or reduce the irritations that can cause headaches. Misaligned vertebrae can affect the spinal nerves, muscles, and blood supply to your head."

~ Daily Observer, Pembroke, Canada

"The body's ability to function properly is based on the integrity of the nervous system. Chiropractic care can maintain a spinal column relatively free of nerve interference and thus enhance the body's innate ability to restore and maintain health."

~ Fred Barge, DC, PhC

"One of our biggest challenges is not the small percentage of people who don't go to a chiropractor, or those who do, it's the vast majority of people that have no idea who we are or what we are about," says Dr. Sigmund Miller, a chiropractor of 35 years who serves as executive director of the Association of New Jersey Chiropractors.

That's because people don't view chiropractic as a continual vessel for health and well being. They only see it as something that's necessary when the back is out of wack.

"We're primarily focused on caring for patients, adjusting the spine and improving quality of life," Miller says.

~ Courier News, Central Jersey.com

Chiropractic and bedwetting: “Chiropractic adjustments correct the misalignment which allows the nerve to carry information freely and completely between the bladder and the brain,” says Dr. Packard-Spicer. “If enuresis or bedwetting is an effect of the misalignment, the chiropractic adjustment can restore normal night-time dryness.”

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