What is chiropractic care? How does chiropractic care play a role in health and wellness? Isn't chiropractic care a luxury? I address these very common questions in this month's column, below. 

Q: What is chiropractic care?  

A: Chiropractic care is a non-invasive and prescription-free approach to healthcare. In the medical model, the whole is seen as a sum of its part. This is the reason why medical doctors specialize in specific areas, i.e. cardiologist, ENT, endocrinologist, etc.  In chiropractic care, the human body is treated as being greater than the sum of its parts. Chiropractic physicians may have additional specific training in neurology, pediatrics or  nutrition. Generally, chiropractors work on a specific area of the spine which creates a global effect on the patients overall health. When a chiropractor performs a specific adjustment, it clears interference in the nervous system. This adjustment removes what we call, "subluxation." The word subluxation, when broken down, means below (sub) and the light (luxation). So, when someone has a subluxation, one will have less light (life) within them.  Subluxations have direct effects on the entire health of a human being. 

Q: How does chiropractic play a role in health and wellness? 

A: Wellness, the degree to which an individual experiences heath and vitality in any dimension of life, does not exist without chiropractic care. Lets digress into how this is a proven science: What controls everything in the body? The heart? The liver? Hormones? Every function within our body is controlled and regulated by our nervous system. For you to read this article, for you to hear, for your heart to beat, for your lungs to breath, this information has to come from the brain, down the spine, through the nerves and to the targeted region.

There are two mechanisms in the body that create either health or disease. They are the self-healing and self-regulating mechanisms of the body. The self-healing mechanism is something we have all experienced. When you have a cut on your arm, the wound is going to heal regardless of what you say or what you do. No matter how many times you say, "Don't heal! Don't heal! Don't heal!" the body will eventually heal the wound. Then there is the self-regulating mechanism. You have 4 trillion red blood cells circulating throughout your body as you read this article. The lifespan of a red blood cell is 120 days. When a red blood cell dies, the body will recycle the red blood cell and create a new one. You don't have to worry about red blood cell number 548,320,551,998 to be recycled and create a new one to replace it on your own.  And once again, what controls the two self healing and self regulating functions of the body?  The nervous system. 

Chiropractors are able to utilize various techniques and technologies to assess the entire nervous system. The technology I utilize in the office is the same technology used by NASA—it gauges how well your nervous system is functioning.

Q: Isn't chiropractic care a luxury?

A: I always hear people say how chiropractic care is more of a luxury than a necessity; if you get anything out of this article, I hope I have provided the information so that you realize it is a necessity and not a luxury. Do you know that many needless surgeries and prescribed drugs could be avoided if the majority of the population relied on chiropractors as their primary care physician? If a majority of the population did this, would you think that healthcare costs would decrease? What is the average cost of a back surgery?

Relying on chiropractic care also means you would have increased your health, natural healing ability, energy levels, increased mental clarity, increased immune system function, lower blood pressure,and so much more. I always tell people, "Have health by CHOICE and not by CHANCE!"  Without health, what do you have?

The concept that stress to your spine is like plaque to your teeth depicts the manner in which a chiropractic lifestyle can be of great value. No matter what you do, plaque will always continue to build up on your teeth, just as stress will continue to do the same to your spine. If we are not brushing our teeth, what happens? If you are not getting regular adjustments, the same deterioration occurring to your teeth is happening to your spine.