Chiropractors adjust. It is what we do. I have delivered somewhere around 25,000 adjustments a year, for over 10 years (been in practice for 14). I would guess it is somewhere around 310,000 adjustments. And each one is focused on one goal, improving function of the nervous system.
Over the years, this kind of focus has resulted in some amazing stories. I would say the most common story is the reduction of medication use, due to the restoration of function. And when we talk about reducing medications, we want our patients to be in community with their MD’s over this effort. It is not simply a “walk away from the drug, regardless of what the outcome is”, but rather a “lets look for the solution that makes the drug unnecessary”. This is the way we can work to true healing of a condition.
You might not fully grasp why chiropractic can work this way. The philosophy is simple, and when applied 310,000 times the likelihood is that great things can be found. A quick review for you – there are a number of positions of the spine that create misalignment that interrupts normal nerve impulses. These nerve impulses, according to Wikipedia, coordinate (controls) it all.
Wiki - The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord. The central nervous system is so named because it integrates information it receives from, and coordinates and influences the activity of, all parts of the body.
This is a pretty important function. It is why you cannot live a moment without your nervous system. It is the most advanced super computer ever, and it relies on hard wiring to your body… the spinal cord and the spinal nerves. It should be obvious if there is any dysfunction there, that there would be a lack of healing. Literally blocking the function of the nervous system, and destroying the health of all of the tissues controlled beyond that point of dysfunction.
Which brings me back to the great story I was told just this past Monday. One of our patients, who had been fighting with blood pressure issues, has found balance. After several years of medicating, with varied results, she has now been at a normal, and steady pressure for over two months, off of medication. The great part of this story (or not so great depending on how you look at it), is that she hadn’t altered her diet, nor added any exercise. The 0nly change is that she has been getting adjusted, and that we found evidence of change in her atlas.
The atlas is responsible for so many possible levels of dysfunction, one of which is an inability of the body to properly read baroreceptors in the vessels that allow you to regulate blood pressure. It is this reason why the Chicago Medical School (yes medical), has held one of the largest chiropractic/blood pressure studies ever (yes chiropractic). Read about it on WebMD and you will be amazed.
Sometimes we wonder why we cannot fix everything with what we do, and the reality is that when a spine is improved, the patient always functions better. It just doesn’t always yield the results you hope to have. But I rest confidently knowing that better function opens up the door for more potential healing from all sources of health pursuit. Which is why it continues to be at the center of what we do for health.
Be well and be blessed. - Dr. E