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Explanation of Chiropractic |
| Chiropractic is a branch of the healing arts which is based upon
the understanding that good health depends, in part, upon a normally functioning nervous
system (especially the spine, and the nerves extending from the spine to all parts of the
body). "Chiropractic" comes from the Greek work
Chiropraktikos, meaning
"effective treatment by hand." Chiropractic stresses the idea that the
cause of many disease processes begins with the body's inability to adapt to its
environment. It looks to address these diseases not by the use of drugs and
chemicals, but by locating and adjusting a musculoskeletal area of the body which is
functioning improperly.
The conditions which doctors of chiropractic address are as
varied and as vast as the nervous system itself. All chiropractors use a standard
procedure of examination to diagnose a patient's condition and arrive at a course of
treatment. Doctors of chiropractic use the same time-honored methods of
consultation, case history, physical examination, laboratory analysis and x-ray
examination as any other doctor. In addition, they provide a careful chiropractic
structural examination, paying particular attention to the spine. |
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The examination of the spine to evaluate structure and function
is what makes chiropractic different from other health care procedures. Your spinal
column is a series of movable bones which begin at the base of your skull and end in the
center of your hips. Thirty-one pairs of spinal nerves extend down the spine from
the brain and exit through a series of openings. The nerves leave the spine and form
a complicated network which influences every living tissue in your body. |
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Accidents, falls, stress, tension, overexertion, and countless
other factors can result in displacements or derangements of the spinal column,
causing irritation to spinal nerve roots. These irritations are often what cause
malfunctions in the human body. Chiropractic teaches that reducing or eliminating
this irritation to spinal nerves can cause your body to operate more efficiently and more
comfortably.
Chiropractic also places an emphasis on nutritional and exercise
programs, wellness and lifestyle modifications for promoting physical and mental
health. While chiropractors make no use of drugs or surgery. Doctors of
chiropractic do refer patients for medical care when those interventions are
indicated. In fact, chiropractors, medical doctors, physical therapists and other
health care professionals now work as partners in occupational health, sports medicine,
and a wide variety of other rehabilitation practices. |
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