According to Webster's Dictionary health is "the general condition of the body or mind with reference to soundness and vigor"; "soundness of body or mind; freedom from disease or aliment". Chiropractors see health as a dynamic state where the body has the ability to adapt to it's environment quickly and fluidly. In reality health is our ability to adapt to changes in our environment (both externally and internally). For example if you were to eat some tainted food and develop food poisoning, your ability to adapt to the stress of acute infection and to restore yourself to health is a measure of your bodies overall health. In a weak individual (low adaptability) such an infection may be life threatening and require hospitalization and antibiotics leaving the person more run down and weak. In a healthy individual (high adaptability) the same food poisoning may cause cramps and some bowel urgency and then resolve with only a minor case of malaise for a day or so.

In the late 1800's infectious disease was rampant in the United States. The public health measures, to which we owe our current freedom from infectious disease had yet to be conceived let alone implemented. Generally speaking, Medicine was without efficacy or credibility and wound remain so until the 1920's. Medicine would only gain public acceptance credibility with the reform of medical education and the discovery of penicillin in the 1920s. Historically, this was a time of great confusion and diversification among the health disciplines. The 1800's saw the birth of Chiropractic, Osteopathy, Chiropody (Podiatry), Naturopathy and Homeopathy. It was in this hotbed of confusion that Chiropractic's founder, D.D. Palmer first hypothesized Chiropractic concepts of adaptability and health.

What is Chiropractic?

D.D. Palmer is said to have discovered Chiropractic on September 18, 1895, when he gave the first Chiropractic Adjustment to a man named Harvey Lillard. Mr. Lillard had been deaf for the eighteen years preceding the adjustment. After his adjustment his hearing was restored and subsequently Chiropractic was born. The word Chiropractic comes from the Greek, meaning: Chiro=hand; Practice=to do; therefore, chiropractic: to do by hand.

Chiropractic is a unique health care discipline separate and distinct from all other schools of health. It's practitioners compose the largest of the Alternative healing arts. Chiropractic is the second largest healing profession in the world. Currently, there are over fifty thousand chiropractors in the United States giving care to over one million patients per day. Over its' one hundred year history, Chiropractic has demonstrated high patient satisfaction and remarkable cost effectiveness. Due to its outstanding results, lack of side affects and cost effectiveness Chiropractic is currently being utilized by more people than ever before.

To understand how Chiropractic works we must look to sciences of anatomy, neurology and physiology. The human body has within it a control system. This system is composed of the brain, spinal cord and the nerves. Affecting every cell in your body, the nervous system controls and regulates all of the bodies functions. The spine, with its 24 movable bones and its associations with the skull and pelvis compose the body's central supporting structure. Chiropractic practice focuses on the relationship between the structure (skeletal system)of the body and the function of the body( as coordinated by the nervous system). Through the use of gentle and specific adjustment to the spine Chiropractors seek to align the structure and function of the body into a coordinated, healthily balanced whole.

To do this Chiropractors look to the spine as a primary sight of interference to the expression of the nervous system. When the bones of the spine are Misaligned, interference, irritation or pinching of the nerves results. This interference to the nervous system has a negative effect on heath because the body can no longer control its function or maintain its health. Chiropractors call this misalignment a Subluxation. Chiropractic is founded on the scientific principal that a body free from nerve interference has the highest potential for health. Chiropractors correct the spinal subluxations / misalignments by hand, gently and without pain. In fact, receiving a chiropractic adjustment is a pleasurable experience for most people.

Examination and X-rays are used to determine if your health problems are caused by a subluxation causing interference or pinching of the nerves. If so, Chiropractic is the only healing art that can correct the cause of the problem. Chiropractic care works quickly and effectively. How long it will take for you to feel better depends on how severe the nerve irritation is and how long you have been ill. When the examination and X-rays are completed, we can give you a reasonable time frame for your healing process.

Sprains Strains and Subluxations

The most common problem to the human frame is a is a simple strain, or pulled muscle. This can happen if you lift too much, or do too much too fast. It can also happen if you do the same motion over and over again Strains, if not continually irritated, will heal on their own in a couple weeks. Sprains are injuries to ligaments and discs, and are more severe, both in the amount of trauma it usually takes to cause them, and healing time. Sprains should be evaluated by a knowledgeable health professional.

Another neuro-musculo-skeletal problem that can effect you is what chiropractors call a subluxation. This is the technical definition of subluxation: a complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological articular (joint) changes that compromise neural integrity and may influence organ system function and general health (1) . In non-technical terms, one of the vertebra in your back becomes stuck, and while stuck, can irritate muscles and nerves. Subluxations are removed from the spine in a variety of ways, called techniques, and different chiropractors use different techniques depending on the case. Chiropractors are the only health care professionals trained to recognize these varying problems (and others) that cause musculo-skeletal pain, to be able to tell which of the problems the patient may have and what to do about it. They are the back specialists.

As a young profession that has been thwarted by groups with honorable and dishonorable intent, we are working on doing more studies on efficacy. However, lest you get the impression that medical procedures are any better tested, that is not the case. A study in the British Medical Journal found that only five percent of medical procedures had been documented in any way in peer-reviewed literature. These procedures include coronary bypass surgery, glaucoma surgery and most procedures used in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain. IF you have a chronic neuro-musculo-skeletal problem, one for which no real cause can be found, you SHOULD check with a good chiropractor. The same advice may, and I emphasize MAY, go for unexplained or chronic organic problems, such as asthma, epilepsy, etc.. As the New Zealand Report (check out the summary of findings) concluded, chiropractic treatment can be effective in relieving musculo-skeletal symptoms, and may provide relief in limited cases of organic and/or visceral symptoms.

Some common questions people have about chiropractic care...

What is Chiropractic ?

Chiropractic is the healing philosophy science and art concerning it's self with the care of the human frame and nervous system. Specifically Chiropractors treat their patients by correcting vertebral subluxations. The profession of Chiropractic is the second largest of the healing arts. Chiropractic differs from medicine in that it does not use drugs or surgery in its treatment of illness. Chiropractic focuses its methods on restoring and maintaining homeostasis. Homeostasis is the state where all body systems are working properly and the body can readily adapt to changes in its environment. Homeostasis = Health

How much training do Chiropractors have ?

Chiropractors spend an average of four years in pre-med undergraduate study. Upon acceptance to Chiropractic college students spend and additional four years in the Chiropractic Collage. Upon graduation they have earned the degree of Doctor of Chiropractic. In addition, they serve an eighteen month internship while in college and are tested rigorously by the state and federal government in order to receive a license to practice.

What is a Vertebral Subluxation ?

A Vertebral Subluxation is a misalignment of one or more of the bones of the spine causing nerve interference. The spine is composed of twenty four moveable bones called vertebrae. The spine has two functions. First, to provide support for the upright posture of mankind. Second, the spine provides protection for the brain, spinal cord and nerves. Due to the close relationship of the vertebrae to the nerves and the spinal cord, it is nearly impossible to misalign or subluxate a vertebrae without interfering with the adjacent nerves function.

How do Chiropractors correct Subluxations ?

Chiropractors use their hands to gently reposition the vertebrae. This is called an Adjustment. It is usually painless and actually quite relieving. The word Chiropractic comes from the Greek, meaning: Chiro=hand; Practice=to do; therefore, chiropractic: to do by hand.

What do the Brain and Spinal Cord do ?

The Central nervous system (CNS)is composed of the brain and the spinal cord. The CNS controls and regulates all of the bodies functions. Many of these functions are automatic, for example you do not have to think about how to chew or digest food. Chiropractors believe that health is the bodies normal state and that this state is maintained by the CNS. The CNS contains information or what is referred to as Innate Intelligence within it. Innate means born with, so Innate Intelligence is the information your brain was born with. This intelligence is responsible for controlling and regulating all the body's functions both the conscious and the body's automatic functions. The spinal cord is made of fibers which carry the information from the brain cell to the tissue cell. A clear communication of this innate intelligence from the brain cells to the tissue cells is vital to health and well-being. Spinal Misalignments and Subluxations cause an interference to this communication and there by a loss of health.

For what conditions do people seek Chiropractic care ?

Frequently the subluxation causes back pain, neck pain, pain between the shoulders, headaches, leg and arm pain. These are some of the more common reasons to seek Chiropractic care. In addition to these, many people find relief for the following:

• Asthma
• Recurrent Infections
• Flues/colds
• Joint Stiffness
• Arthritis
• Fatigue
• Bursitis
• Sore feet
• Ear Problems
• Shingles
• Skin Problems
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Because of the far reaching effects of nerve interference, almost any condition as the potential to show improvement with Chiropractic care.

Why do Chiropractors say that they work with the cause of illness ?

A Subluxation causes nerve interference and a loss of communication between the brain and the tissue cells. A loss of communication causes a loss of heath. Your body communicates this loss to you by giving you symptoms in order to draw your attention to the damaged area. Commonly, chiropractors think of health with the following equation:

SUBLUXATION = LOSS OF HEALTH AND THEREFORE SYMPTOMS

Correction of the Subluxation removes nerve interference which ultimately is a contributing factor in the cause of disease and illness. Drugs cover symptoms up but do not correct the cause of the symptoms. Surgery removes the damaged or diseased tissue from the body but does not correct the cause of the disease which damaged the tissue originally.

Do all drugs JUST cover up symptoms ?

The answer to this question is yes and no. For example, if you have strep throat the medical treatment would be the prescription of antibiotics. Antibiotics are powerful drugs that kill bacteria such as streptococcus, so the antibiotics kill the infecting bacteria, in effect curing the condition. However, Strep, Staph, and many other bacteria normally live peacefully in your throat until your immune system becomes weakened, allowing them to reproduce rapidly and create an infection. In reality, the cause of the infection is a weakened immune system, which the antibiotics only weaken more. How many times have you seen someone with recurrent infections? Many drugs fall into the category of curing the cause of the symptom but not the cause of the weakened system which allowed the symptom to develop in the first place.

What causes Vertebral Subluxations ?

The primary cause of Subluxation is stress in one of three forms: Physical Stress: such as lifting, poor posture, repetitive movements, poor quality sleeping surfaces, etc. Chemical Stress: such as poor diet, car fumes, smog, etc. Emotional Stress: our fast paced lifestyle, job pressures. How many people do you know that are a pain in the neck? Eighty per cent of all subluxations are self correcting through the nervous system.

HOT or COLD???

One of the most common questions patients ask me regarding home care for injuries is whether to apply heat or cold. Hot and cold affect body tissues in different ways. They both affect circulation , muscle and nerves. Let's look at what each does to your body to help you understand which may be better.

The application of heat causes: Circulation to increase in the area Muscles to soften in the area Sedates the nerves associated with the area

The application of cold causes: Circulation to decrease in the area Muscles to fatigue then relax in the area Numbs the nerves associated with the area

To understand which is better for a particular injury, you need to keep in mind the age of the injury and the degree of inflammation of the tissues. Injuries are viewed as NEW or Acute and OLD or chronic.

Acute or New Injuries When you have a sprain or a strain, the first week to ten days are considered the Acute Stage. In this time, the body will suffer from inflammation, which causes a swelling in the damaged tissues. In fact, much of the pain a person feels is from the stretching of the tissues due to the swelling. Swelling means that too much fluid (blood) is going to the injured tissues. If you apply heat, the injury will get worse because you are increasing the circulation to the injured area and therefore, the amount of fluid in the area. If you apply cold to the new injury, you will reduce the amount of blood flow thereby reducing the pain and swelling.

Chronic or Old Injuries

Nagging shoulders, aching backs and stiff necks that have been problems for weeks or months do better with the application of heat. In chronic problems, the pain is usually caused by spasms in the muscles and over-sensitivity of the nerves. Applying heat increases the circulation allowing a healing blood flow , softens the muscle spasm and sedates the over sensitive nerves.

Rules to using HOT and COLD

1. When in doubt use cold. Cold rarely makes problems worse . Heat can make big problems out of small ones.

2. Always wrap the cold pack ( bag of ice, frozen peas, flexible cold pack ) or the hot pack ( heating pad, hot water bottle, flexible hot pack) in a cloth to protect your skin.

3. Always apply hot or cold for 20-30 minutes no more than three to four times per day. Never sleep on a heating pad.

4. If chronic injuries are not improving or a new injury is not improving in three or four days make an appointment to get the injury evaluated. Call 528-0378 to reach our office.

If a sprain or strain is not significantly better within one week, then there is probably a misalignment of the joints preventing proper healing. The sooner an injury is treated the faster it heals. I've heard that once you go to a Chiropractor you have to go forever.

Chiropractic care does take time because the tissues that are healing are bone, ligament, and nerves. While nerve tissue heals very quickly, bone and ligament are the densest and slowest healing tissues in the body. In order for the subluxation to heal properly, first the bone must be in its correct position then the ligaments which support the vertebrae must heal. This process will vary depending on:
The history and age of the problem
Compliance to the treatment plan
The degree of spinal degeneration
The attitude and responsibility of the patient

Common Criticism of Chiropractic

"Chiropractic treatment does not work" This is laughable. There have been a series of studies to show that manipulation is a safe, effective treatment. The WEB site www.Chiro.org has a large database on the efficacy studies on chiropractic and manipulation.

Some note worthy examples:

The Manga Report

- The U.S. Office of Public Health commissioned the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) was set up to study back pain. A panel of 200 leading back experts researched tens of thousands of studies in the low back pain literature, and selected only the finest scientifically-based "hard" studies available. They concluded that spinal manipulation - 94% of which is done by chiropractors - is clearly superior to any other treatment for low back pain. The AHCPR published guidelines saying that conservative spinal manipulation should be tried first before using many of the more drastic (drugs, surgery) treatments. The report also criticized surgeons for doing excessive disc surgery.

- A 1993 study sponsored by the Ontario (Canadian) government Ministry of Health, known as "The Manga Report" for its primary author, health economist Pran Manga, Ph.D., examined four aspects of chiropractic care for low back pain - efficacy, patient satisfaction, safety and cost effectiveness. This is what the Manga study found:

Efficacy - Chiropractic management of low back pain was determined to be not only effective, but more effective than medical management of low back pain. "On the evidence, particularly the most scientifically valid clinical studies, spinal manipulation applied by chiropractors is shown to be more effective than alternate treatments for low back pain. The clinical evidence is corroborated by meta-analysis, case-controlled studies, and properly constituted clinical guidelines panels."

Patient Satisfaction - Patients suffering from low back pain were far more likely to be satisfied with chiropractic treatments than were those who sought medical treatment. "Chiropractic meets the market tests of consumer choice and preference. Simply put, despite economic disincentives for use of chiropractic services, chiropractic has met the market test of consumer choice and preference." The only aspect of chiropractic care with which consumers were less than satisfied with was the inadequacy of insurance coverage.

Safety - Spinal manipulation was found to be safe when performed by a chiropractor. This study also found that these same procedures, when rendered by non-chiropractor practitioners, were less safe than when rendered by chiropractors. Of particular interest was the fact that no clinical or case-controlled studies could be found that even implied that chiropractic spinal manipulation was unsafe. Alternatively, some medical treatments for low back pain, such as drugs and surgical intervention, were found to be unsafe. "Chiropractic care for low back pain is safe. Indeed, the literature suggests that it is not only safe but much safer than medical or other professional management of low back pain."

Cost Effectiveness - Chiropractic treatment of low back pain was found to be more cost effective than traditional medical management. "We have offered evidence from Australia, Canada, the U.K., and the U.S.A. and much expert testimony of potential savings of many millions of dollars annually of more of the management of low-back pain was in fact transferred from physicians to chiropractors."

The Manga report clearly establishes the superiority of chiropractic spinal manipulation over the use of drugs, surgery, bed rest, and various physical therapy procedures and modalities in treating low back pain. The report also observed, "...the review may leave the impression that chiropractic is valuable for the management of low back pain but of no proven worth for other disorders. This, most emphatically is not the message we intend. Chiropractors treat patients with many conditions, often in an apparently competent and cost-effective manner. In our review, we came across many studies that support the effectiveness of chiropractic care for headache and migraine, neck pain, referred and radiating pain, and a variety of other ailments."

The Manga Report has recommended a shift in government policy that encourages and even prefers chiropractic care for most patients with low back pain. The report also recommends full insurance coverage for chiropractic care for low back pain, adding that significant cost savings would be achieved if management of low back pain was shifted from physicians to chiropractors.

Asked by USA TODAY if he had any personal interest in giving chiropractic a boost, Dr. Manga responded, "My interest is serving the public interest", adding "The evidence is overpowering."

New Zealand Report

Summary of Principle Findings (p3,4)

Modern chiropractic is far from being an "unscientific cult".

Chiropractic is a branch of the healing arts specializing in the correction by spinal manual therapy of what chiropractors identify as biomechanical disorders of the spinal column. They carry out spinal diagnosis and therapy at a sophisticated and refined level.

Chiropractors are the only health practitioners who are necessarily equipped by their education and training to carry out spinal manual therapy.

General medical practitioners and physiotherapists have no adequate training in spinal manual therapy, though a few have acquired skill in it subsequent to graduation

Spinal manual therapy in the hands of a registered chiropractor is safe.

The education and training of a registered chiropractor are sufficient to enable him to determine whether there are contra-indications to spinal manual therapy in a particular case, and whether the patient should have medical care instead of or as well as chiropractic care

Spinal manual therapy can be effective in relieving musculo-skeletal symptoms such as back pain, and other symptoms known to respond to such therapy, such as migraine