What
is 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 word 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.
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.
Accidents,
falls, stress, tension, overexertion, and countless other factors
can result in a misalignments 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.
