Special Interest Articles
What is Chiropractic?
Alternative health care is moving into the mainstream. Many of you are using one or more of these approaches on a regular basis for better health and wellness and to address a variety of health care issues.
Of the various natural health care approaches, one system has a long and distinguished history in the United States. It’s an exciting system, which addresses the whole body, focuses on the nervous system and the body’s ability to heal itself, and whose practitioners use spinal adjustments as their primary treatment form. This amazing system is called “chiropractic,” and it is the second largest and fastest growing, natural-based primary health care system in the country.
Chiropractic usage, like many forms of alternative health care, has soared over the past decade. But did you know that chiropractic has been available for more than 100 years in the United States?
So what is chiropractic? According to the International
Chiropractic Association, chiropractic is a
“conservative and natural healing art and science that
concentrates on keeping people well. Doctors of
chiropractic attempt to get to the root cause of a
health problem rather than just treat the symptoms.
They seek to maximize the natural strengths of the body
and its capacity to heal itself without the use of drugs
or surgery. The primary focus of chiropractic is
detection, reduction and correction of spinal
misalignments and nervous system dysfunction.”
Since its beginning, chiropractic has been based on
scientific fact that the nervous system controls the
function of every cell, tissue, organ, and system of
your body. While the brain is protected by the skull,
the spinal cord is more vulnerable, covered by 24 moving
vertebrae. When these bones lose their normal motion or
position, they can irritate the nervous system. This
disrupts the function of the tissues or organs these
nerves control.
Chiropractic’s primary treatment approach is the use of
manual manipulation. Chiropractors use these precise,
controlled manipulations (or “adjustments”) to resolve
spinal “misalignments” and to treat other joint
structures of the body.
The word adjustment describes hundreds of ways of using
carefully directed and controlled pressure to restore
spinal bones to a more normal position and motion. When
spinal function is improved, nervous system function
(health) can improve too. After years of training,
chiropractic doctors become experts at using just the
right amount of force in the right direction. This may
require a quick movement, or in other instances a slow
and constant pressure.
The critical concept here is that chiropractic treatment
has both local and whole body effects via its input to
the nervous system. This input, through chiropractic
adjustments, has profound health benefits for the spine,
the nervous system and to the body’s overall health and
well being.
Chiropractic has proven itself to be the treatment of
choice for spinal and soft tissue conditions.
Chiropractic is a very important natural based, primary
health care system which, to date, has been
underutilized by the American public.
Health information obtained from
Impac Health is for informational purposes only and is not a
substitute for seeking clinical advice or treatment
relating to any medical condition. If you have a concern
about your health, promptly consult a licensed
healthcare provider. |
