Chiropractic comes from the Greek word meaning healing by hands. Doctors of chiropractic use their hands to treat their patients. If you have never been to a chiropractic office before, this is one of first things that you will notice that is different about a chiropractic office.
Chiropractic started in the late 1800’s by Daniel David Palmer who was a self educated healer and teacher. He made the first chiropractic adjustment to a man named Harvey Lilard. He had a hard time hearing the tick tack of his pocket watch and the horses’ hooves on the stone roads. D.D. Palmer noticed his spine was out of alignment and adjusted the area.
The chiropractic philosophy is based on innate intelligence, musculoskeletal system function and structure and how it relates to a proper functioning nervous system. Doctors of chiropractic exam the spine for misalignments or subluxations; which is less than a dislocation in a joint. In the spine these subluxations can cause nervous system inferences which can cause pain, muscles spasms and soreness as well as the nerve to the body part not functioning well.
Nerves influence every living tissue in our body which extends in to the spinal cord and into the brain. The nervous system is very important to keeping healthy since it has such a close connection to all our tissues. See our nerve chart on which nerves relate to the body region. You may find that maybe your condition is related to a nerve interference problem. Subluxations can come from many reasons a few are: accidents, falls, poor nutrition, stress, labor and delivery and growing child and pregnancy.
Innate intelligence is also part of the chiropractic philosophy. This is intelligence that our body has to heal itself. For example when we get a cut our body knows how to repair it. When we go thru labor and delivery, our body knows what to do, but if there was an interference with your innate intelligence would that cut heal properly? Would the labor and delivery of your child be without complications and less pain? Chiropractic care may help to resolve your pain right away, but it is also a good idea to keep a wellness plan to keep your innate intelligence working for you and to sustain your optimal health.
Doctors of Chiropractic also prescribe exercises to help your condition and increase your function as well as diet and lifestyle changes to achieve optimal health and wellbeing. What makes Chiropractic distinctively different is that they evaluate structure and function and how it relates to your health. Many other health professionals refer patients to chiropractors and chiropractors also refer patients out when needed. It is important to your health to use the many facets of care and treatments to help you get better and stay well.
