Chiropractic |
What Is Chiropratic?
Chiropractic is a branch of the healing arts based on the understanding
that good health depends, in part, upon a normally functioning
nervous system. Of special importance is the spine and the 31
pairs of nerves extending from the spine to all parts of the body. "Chiropractic" comes
from the Greek word Chiropraktikos, meaning “treatment by
hand." Chiropractic stresses the idea that the cause of many
dis-ease processes is the body's inability to adapt to its environment.
It looks to address these dis-eases not through the use of drugs
and surgery, but by locating and manipulating (adjusting) areas
of the body which are functioning improperly.
The conditions which doctors of chiropractic address are as varied and complex as the nervous system is itself. All chiropractors follow 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 doctor would. In addition, they provide a careful examination of your structural (musculoskeletal) system, 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 area between your hips. Thirty-one pairs of spinal nerves leave the spinal cord, an extension of your brain. The spinal nerves exit through a series of openings between the vertebra and form a complicated network which flows to and influences every living tissue in your body. 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 rehabilitative practices.