Chiropractic is a form of health care that concerns itself with the relationship between the nervous system and the function (health) of the body. The nervous system, composed of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves, is what controls the body by sending messages from the brain, down the spinal cord and out to every organ, tissue, and cell in the body.
The nervous system is the master system that controls everything from breathing and digestion to movement, circulation, and touch. It is also how the body communicates or warns you when something is not right, usually by producing symptoms of pain.
Trauma, injury, falls, poor posture, muscle weakness or spasm, and even stress can cause the spine to lose its normal alignment, which can cause pressure or irritation to the delicate nerves that exit between the bones. This condition is called a subluxation; a minor misalignment of the spine, causing pressure on the nerves.
Although pain can sometimes occur immediately with a subluxation, more often than not, health problems, including pain, can occur slowly over time.
Our goal is to relieve our patients of the symptoms with which they suffer, but even more importantly, to help correct the cause of the problem. Once health has been obtained, it is vital to maintain your health. Prevention and maintenance care support the goal of prolonging and improving the quality of life.
Chiropractic is the science, philosophy, and art based on the understanding that health depends upon a normally functioning nervous system, especially the spine and nerves extending from the spine to the body. It focuses on correcting the causes of physical problems, rather than just treating the symptoms of those problems.
Dozens of research studies have documented the safety and effectiveness of chiropractic adjustments. When compared with traditional medical/drug approaches, chiropractic care is remarkably safe. In fact, millions of chiropractic adjustments are safely delivered to satisfied patients every day.
Quite the contrary. Under normal circumstances, adjustments DO NOT hurt. In fact, most patients look forward to their chiropractic treatments. For those patients suffering from severe neck or back pain, some discomfort may be experienced initially, however, for most people this is not the case.
Most chiropractors promote a preventative type of lifestyle which has been misconstrued to mean that chiropractic care requires a lifetime of commitment. Actually, recommending that patients return for periodic spinal care is no different than what dentists recommend to their patients in order to maintain their dental health. Chiropractic is a holistic form of health care which focuses on the entire body functioning as a whole. Educating patients about their health is our priority, however the choice is always yours.
Although numerous studies support that chiropractic care helps back pain, chiropractic can help a variety of conditions because the key to health is function. Only 10% of the nerves in your body sense pain, the remaining 90% are responsible for function. If the nerves become pinched then there is a loss of function which could produce symptoms such as pain, or other forms of dysfunction. Chiropractic does not “cure” conditions, it physically removes the interference and restores the body’s natural state of function and health.
Chiropractic has consistently shown and proven to be cost effective in a number of government and worker’s compensation board studies. According to an economic analysis conducted in Richmond, Virginia, “…chiropractic care has been consistently identified as one of the most effective and cost effective treatments for the management of many low back conditions, in addition to a number of other neuromusculoskeletal disorders. Moreover, the volume of scientific evidence now being compiled makes a compelling case for the use of chiropractic as a means of controlling the escalating costs of our overburdened health care system.”
Doctors of Chiropractic today are well educated. In addition to completing the same undergraduate study that other types of doctors receive, chiropractic doctors complete another four to five years of postgraduate college education. They are also required to pass an extensive National Board Examinations and meet strict licensing requirements before practicing. Chiropractic doctors also attend several educational seminars each year in order to keep up with the latest research.
The following chart compares the course hours of Chiropractic Doctors and Medical Doctors. The class hours were compiled following a review of curriculum catalogues of 22 Medical schools and 11 Chiropractic colleges, and updates from the National Health Federation Bulletin and other publications’ statistics.
| Medical Class Min. Hours | Subject | Chiropractic Class Min. Hrs. |
|---|---|---|
| 508 | Anatomy | 520 |
| 326 | Physiology | 420 |
| 335 | Pathology | 271 |
| 325 | Chemistry | 300 |
| 130 | Bacteriology | 114 |
| 374 | Diagnosis | 370 |
| 112 | Neurology | 320 |
| 148 | X-ray | 217 |
| 144 | Psychiatry | 65 |
| 198 | Obstetrics & Gynecology | 65 |
| 156 | Orthopedics | 225 |
| 2,756 | Total Hours | 2,887 |
| 4,248 | Grand total class hours including other subjects | 4,485 |
Source: “Chiropractic Education / Comparison of Chiropractic vs. Medical Education” by Dr. Gary Farr