Mention the word Chiropractor or Chiropractic to 100 people and 99 will respond with a reference to back-pain or some other malady of the back. Why is this so? Is this the real truth about chiropractic? I had been a health-care professional for over 12 years before I discovered, quite by accident, what it was that chiropractors did. In fact, most healthcare practitioners are unable to explain chiropractic to the patients that they serve. This is indeed a sad situation since patients often look to their healthcare providers for advice on subjects related to their health and wellness. If all available information and choices are not presented, then patients are left to either search for information themselves, or worse, make life and death decisions based on the partial information that they receive.
It is true that chiropractic is effective for back pain and other types of musculoskeletal problems. Indeed, many patients see their chiropractors for just these reasons. There is, however, a bigger picture.
So what is it these doctors really do? Chiropractors will tell you that they detect and correct vertebral subluxations. A vertebral subluxation is a misalignment of vertebrae that causes nerve interference. Well just how common is this subluxation? Who gets them and why are they so important? Consider this. The entire body is regulated by the nervous system. We eat, sleep, sweat, and a whole host of other functions that we never think about. What regulates your breathing while you sleep? What regulates your heartbeat? How is your food digested after a meal? Do you realize how many chemicals your body produces to carry out its functions and to keep you alive? These functions are all regulated by the nervous system.
Now, what do these doctors that focus mainly on the back, have to do with this nervous system? Well as you know, the nervous system is comprised of the brain and the spinal cord. The brain is encased in the skull and the spinal cord is encased in the spinal column or the backbones. Messages are transmitted from the brain to all organs of the body via nerves. Nerves also take messages from the body’s organs to the brain. An example would be – You are out in the sun doing yard work. You become hot. Your skin transmits this information to the brain. The brain makes the decision that you need to cool down to prevent overheating, so it sends a message back for your sweat glands to produce sweat to cool you down. Now this is a very simplified explanation but what if one of these nerves that the body is relying on to take messages back and forth is impeded in some way? Can you see where a problem may arise?
Since most organs are internal, it may be difficult, if not impossible to tell if there is some interference in the nerve that supply them. The result may be that an organ whose nerve supply is impeded may function at decreased capacity for years and eventually disease is manifested.
Chiropractors prefer not to wait for the manifestation of disease. They are the only doctors who are trained to find and remove vertebral subluxations, thereby allowing nerve impulses to flow freely. A healthy nervous system allows the body to function at it’s full potential. Remember that health is not merely the absence of disease.
Who gets a subluxation? Anyone; in fact, vertebral subluxations are very common. They may be caused by trauma such as a fall or a motor vehicle accident, micro trauma, stress or toxic chemicals that may include substances in foods and drugs. Sometimes a subluxation may result in pain such as headache, neck and shoulder pain, backpain, leg pain and numbness and tingling in some extremities. Sometimes, there is no pain as pain fibers may not be involved. It is no wonder then that chiropractors have developed a reputation as back doctors because most chiropractic visits are made by patients whose subluxations have resulted in back-pain. Once a nerve is freed, the pain is relieved, and the word gets out that chiropractors are back doctors.
Those who get back-pain are indeed lucky because in the search for pain relief they reach out for help and end up having their subluxation corrected. Just think about the people you know who live with headaches, tight sore muscles, leg and hip pain, menstrual pain, or who have had some trauma such as a motor vehicle accident and do not have the information they need to get proper care.
Visit your Chiropractor today and start a healthy habit!
Dr. Roslyn Thompson is an honor graduate of Life University; Marietta, Georgia where she obtained her Doctor of Chiropractic degree. She is also an RN with a BSN degree from Florida Southern College. Her Chiropractic practice is located at 4100 Edgewater Dr, Orlando, FL.32804. She may be contacted at (407) 293-8890