04/07/08

Chiropractic is the art and science of finding disruptions in the nervous system caused by misalignment (Subluxation) of the spinal vertebra, and the re-alignment of these vertebra, allowing the body to heal itself, and be in a state of optimal health.

What is the difference between chiropractors and medical doctors?

Both types of doctors are concerned with the restoration of the patient's health, chiropractors however, are most concerned with the prevention of disease, and injury, by making sure the body is in a state of optimal health.  It is much easier to stay healthy, than to get healthy following disease.  Education of both types of doctors are very similar.  The major differences being that chiropractors do not dispense drugs or perform surgery.
 

How can I tell if I have a condition that can be helped by a chiropractor?

There are many conditions that chiropractic can help, some of which are located on our "Conditions We Help" page.  Only a trained chiropractor, after a complete examination is preformed, and diagnostic x-rays taken to visualize the spine, can tell for sure.  There have been many cases where a medical doctor has said, "You will just have to live with it" and the patient responds quickly to chiropractic care.  So be sure, and get a second opinion.

Do chiropractic adjustments hurt?

A question I hear many times....  Chiropractic adjustments are usually pain free, sometimes however if there is inflammation around the nerves, there will be some slight discomfort, but that usually clears up quickly.  It takes some time for the body to adjust to the new position of the vertebra, so we can have some soreness.

I don't have any symptoms, why should I visit a chiropractor?

The absence of symptoms does not mean you are healthy.  People can be ill with conditions like cancer, and never know until its too late.  People go to the dentist twice a year to have their teeth checked, even though they can have teeth replaced....  You only have one spine, and you can't get a new one.  Changes in the spine caused by misalignment (subluxation) cause the spine to degenerate and restrict its movement.  These things can happen so insidiously that you never know until its too late, and the damage is done.  We recommend a spinal check-up every six months.  This is especially important for children, as they go into their growth spurt, because a misalignment (subluxation) can grow with them, and cause problems later as adults.

 
Can chiropractic help children too?

Of course, children have accidents too, but the most serious problem we see with children is scoliosis.  Scoliosis is a curving of the spine, that if not detected, and corrected immediately will become a permanent problem for them throughout their lifetime.  It is crucial that it be corrected around the time of their growth spurt, because the curve of the spine will grow as they do.  Scoliosis can eventually be life threatening, as the curve can restrict vital nerves going to organs, as well as constricting the space of the lungs.

Why do so many people turn to a chiropractor for help?

Sometimes, though we would like to be a patient's first choice, we are sometimes their last.  I hear stories of patients that have been through the "mill", seen 7-8 doctors and have never gotten any relief except by pills and medication that just masks the pain, instead of correcting the problem causing the pain.  Now its not that the doctors are not good, its just sometimes the problem is a chiropractic case, not a medical case.  Since only a trained chiropractor can determine whether or not a patient has a problem that can be corrected by chiropractic, you should always consider being examined by a chiropractor.  When these people get their health back, these "miracle" cases get told to friends and family, and pretty soon we are seeing Grandma, and Uncle Bob, and the neighbor down the street and so on.

How can a misalignment in my spine cause so much havoc with my body?

Nerve energy, that is, the commands that the brain sends down the nerves to tell other parts of the body what to do, can be disrupted by a misalignment in the vertebral column.  When that happens, the nerve that is disrupted can have its message changed.  Usually the case is that the nerve is over or under stimulated.  This causes the organ, muscle, or other part of the body receiving the message to miss-interpret the message.  Take for example the cells in the stomach that produce acid to digest food.  The nerve carrying instructions to these cells gets over stimulated....  The cells begin producing more acid than necessary.  Pretty soon we can get ulcers, as the excess acid burns holes in the lining of the stomach.  We get muscle spasms, and muscle weakness in the same manner, from over or under stimulating the nerves carrying the message to the muscle.
 

Why is chiropractic becoming the nations #1 health choice?

Two reasons mostly:  One, we remove the cause of the problem.  Not just give you something to cover the problem up.  Take a headache for example.  Why do you have it?  Answer: The body has something wrong with it, and its sending its alert message to you in the form of pain.  If you take an aspirin, it doesn't fix the problem, it just deadens the nerves that send pain signals.  Like turning off the alarm. So the problems is still there, getting older by the day, meanwhile your liver is stressed by all the aspirin, and degeneration starts to set in your neck vertebra until the headaches come more often, and/or stronger.  Second, people have been looking for a cost effective alternative to allopathic medicine.  Expensive back surgery, loss of wages while off work, not to mention the cost of medication can be crippling to a family, and according to some new research, chiropractic is more cost effective, and shows a faster recovery rate.  When each day off the job costs your family money, its no wonder people turn to the more cost effective, and better result alternative.
 

So what kind of evidence is there that chiropractic is an effective means of health care?

Lots.  More and more research is coming out every month and it shows that in some cases, chiropractic has a better track record than any other type of physician.  Some of the research reports are: