Chiropractic
23/08/09
Chiropractic is a widely acclaimed mainstream alternative discipline, dating back to ancient Egypt and other early civilizations, which is based on hands-on manipulations, or “adjustments,” of the spinal cord. Modern chiropractic took root in the theory expressed in 1895 by Daniel David Palmer, of Davenport, Iowa, who advocated the teachings of Hippocrates and believed that all illnesses had their sources in the spine and the nervous system. According to chiropractic, a term derived from the Greek words cheir and praktikos, meaning “done by hand,” when vertebrae are subluxated, or dislocated or misaligned, the person experiences any number of ailments, including allergy, headaches, skin conditions, back pain, sciatica, vision and hearing problems, muscle spasms, asthma and other respiratory disorders, peripheral joint injuries, osteoarthritis, herniated disk, and various other musculoskeletal disorders, bursitis, morning sickness related to pregnancy, menstrual problems, sinusitis, whiplash, otitis media, insomnia, colic, bladder infections, carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive stress disorders, scoliosis, depression, addiction, and other dysfunctions.
Chiropractors also work with the concept of the body’s innate intelligence and ability to heal. Palmer suggested that innate intelligence flowed throughout the nervous system—which corresponds and communicates with every other part of the body—and could be blocked by a subluxation. When the subluxation is relieved, the body has the opportunity to heal itself. This form of chiropractic, now referred to as “straight,” adheres to Palmer’s original idea of performing only spinal manipulation. “Mixed” chiropractic refers to spinal manipulation and other forms of treatment, including nutritional and exercise counseling, traction, orthotics, ultrasound, diathermy, cryotherapy, massage, and physiotherapy.
The Canadian-born Dr. Palmer, who eventually founded the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Iowa, first reported that after he had performed spinal manipulation on a patient who had been deaf for 17 years, the man’s hearing was restored. Apparently the man had a subluxated vertebra that corresponded to an injury he had suffered to his upper spine just before he lost his hearing. Palmer adjusted that specific area, thereby correcting the blockage in the nerves that caused the deafness. The college’s first graduates were medical doctors who were convinced of Palmer’s philosophy, and case after case seemed to support chiropractic’s success despite the fact that there has long been a dearth of scientific study to prove its fundamental principles to the conventional medical community. The New Zealand Royal Commission of Inquiry into chiropractic in 1979 noted, among many, the case of “Duncan C.” Duncan, an active, easygoing boy of 11, from February 1977 complained of stiff knees. The stiffness progressed rapidly to his hips and all joints. His doctor saw no active disease in
Duncan’s system or joints and recommended 300 milligrams of aspirin four times daily for symptomatic relief. But the pain progressed until the child cried, was unable to dress himself, and was stooped over as if he was an elderly man.
Further hospital test findings proved negative. Emotional trauma was suggested as the cause of Duncan’s pain, but no explanation was found there, either. The boy’s desperate parents finally took him to a chiropractor. After the first adjustment, Duncan felt sick. Three hours later, however, Duncan was walking “without my knees flapping together,” he said. By the next day, his hands were pain-free. After each adjustment, Duncan made considerable progress until he was totally back to normal. He described as a “numb” feeling the absence of the pain to which he had grown accustomed.
Since chiropractors are trained to advise patients when to seek conventional medical care and because there is overwhelming anecdotal evidence of success of chiropractic as an alternative or complementary modality, the spring 1982 issue of the International Review of Chiropractic stated: “The Supreme Court has upheld the right of medical doctors to form partnerships or engage in group practice with alternative health care providers, such as chiropractors.” An estimated 30 million people in the United States seek and receive chiropractic treatment, and many leading insurance providers include visits to a chiropractor in their coverage plans. A commonsense and holistic approach with an emphasis on prevention and wellness, chiropractic is considered the second-largest primary-health-care field in the world.
Chiropractic adjustments are given during office visits and are considered safe, painless, and noninvasive. Patients may be lying supine or prone or sitting up, depending upon which type of adjustment is appropriate. One’s first visit to a chiropractor often requires acute care (the first level of chiropractic), that is, relief of aggravating symptoms or pain. The second level is the restorative phase, which involves maintenance of the realigned spinal column through individualized, repeated adjustments. The wellness phase, or third level of chiropractic care, entails periodic visits to prevent occurrence of new subluxations. More information is available by contacting the American Chiropractic Association
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ar accident victims often seek the care of a chiropractor immediately after an accident. Many prefer chiropractic care for whiplash type injuries effecting the neck and spine to other types of treatment.
Comment by chiropractors chesterfield — October 3, 2009 @ 4:18 am
its a therapy that most of the people are looking for in terms of their problem in health.
Comment by oakland chiropractor — December 9, 2009 @ 4:27 am
..it provide natural, drugless, nonsurgical health treatments, relying on the body’s inherent recuperative abilities.
Comment by central alberta chiropractor — December 10, 2009 @ 12:34 am
This is clearly Christopher Norberg’s version of conversations with the doctor relating to a billing dispute and his opinion of how the doctor was behaving,” Blacksburg said on Tuesday. “This is clear opinion that falls squarely within constitutionally protected speech.”
Comment by elmer — December 12, 2009 @ 2:39 am