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WHAT IS CHIROPRACTIC, AND IS CHIROPRACTIC CARE RIGHT FOR ME?

There are two basic aspects of care:

1) Treatment for acute injury or chronic pain (This would include car accidents, work injuries, sports or overuse injuries, sprains and strains… as well as long term pain caused by postural stress, arthritis, or old injuries that have not fully healed)

2) Treatment of subluxations (joint dysfunction) to improve overall health, also referred to as Wellness Care.

Treatment of Injuries:

This is what most people think of when then think of chiropractic care. Chiropractors are musculo-skeletal specialists who are great at treating back pain, neck pain and headaches.

Chiropractic care has been proven in scientific study after study, (and over the last 100+ years) to be the most effective and safest (and least expensive) treatment for most any type of soft-tissue injury. Chiropractic treatments not only help to reduce pain, but they allow tissues to heal faster and stronger by addressing the source of pain and dysfunction in the nerves, joints, ligaments, and muscles surrounding a sprain/strain injury. Not only that, but many of the long-term consequences of whiplash injuries and other trauma, like chronic pain caused by arthritis and even permanent disability, can sometimes be avoided by ensuring that the body heals with the bones of the neck and back in proper alignment. Without such treatments, many people who were believed to have healed after a significant trauma will end up with problems caused by eventual joint degeneration in the years following the injury.

People with chronic subluxations (joint injuries) can be more susceptible to injury because of irritation to the nerves. With slower signals going to the muscles, the lack of coordination means the body cannot quickly stabilize the joints during activities like contact sports, heavy lifting, or other similar circumstances. It is important to follow up with chiropractic care and specific exercises after an injury to avoid the chances of re-injuring the same area of the body.

Chiropractic for Better Health:

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.” -Thomas Edison

This is the reason that most chiropractors chose chiropractic over other fields of health care. Knowledge in the amazing power of the body to heal itself and maintain a state of health (law of homeostasis) inspires alternative care providers to seek the sources of interference with the body’s self-correcting mechanisms. Also, through respect and awe for the power of innate intelligence, we try to avoid interfering with the body (i.e. drugs and surgery) except in life threatening emergencies or as a last resort. (The body’s ability to maintain homeostasis (health) through the guidance of the nervous system was referred to as “innate intelligence” by the founder of chiropractic, D. D. Palmer.)

Headaches are not caused by a lack of aspirin in the blood, but instead are usually the result of an irritation of the nerves and blood vessels of the neck and brain. This irritation is the result of joint subluxations. Likewise, the cause of most infections is not a lack of penicillin in the blood, nor the strength of the bacteria, but instead a temporary weakness of our natural defense, the immune system. This reduction in immune system strength can often be linked to periods of physical, chemical, or emotional stress. All forms of stress have a negative impact on the function of the nervous system either directly on the brain and nerves or secondarily through subluxations of the spine. This alteration in nerve function has a profound impact on the speed and efficiency of the immune system, and thus makes individuals more susceptible to infection. Nerve function to the internal organs can be likewise compromised by stress, and can lead to altered function and an increased chance of disease.

Therefore, if an individual is regularly checked for subluxations in the spine and other joints, they can improve the overall function and efficiency of the nervous system. And improved nerve function means less illness, less injury, and a greater quality of life. Regular chiropractic care can be a part of a healthy life style choice, just like eating healthy foods and getting regular exercise.

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