Q&A about Chiropractic Care

Q: WHAT EXACTLY IS CHIROPRACTIC CARE?
A: Chiropractic is the health care discipline that fosters proper balance and alignment of the nervous system, primarily through the use of spinal adjustments. Spinal adjustments correct misaligned verteba, often called subluxations. Most people, at some point in their life, will have subluxations due to improper lifting, stress, overexertion, accidents, or other causes. Without proper and routine care, these subluxations can lead to limited mobility, decreased immune function, aches and pains, poor posture, headaches, and an assortment of other ailments. By removing this stress from your spinal column (without drugs or surgery), your body will regain its ability to heal itself naturally. Among the many benefits you may experience with regular chiropractic care:

• Reduced pain and inflammation.
• Relief from muscle spasms, chronic headaches, and ear infections.
• Improved range of motion and posture.
• Restoration of balance and enhanced health.

Q: ARE CHIROPRACTORS “REAL” DOCTORS? WHY CAN’T I JUST GO SEE MY REGULAR FAMILY DOCTOR?
A: A Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) is well-educated and must meet stringent training and licensing requirements. After four years of undergraduate study, DC’s still receive another four years of post-graduate education at an accredited college (like any other doctor). Dr. Bob graduated from Northwestern College of Chiropractic in Minnesota and was a founding member of Life University School of Chiropractic in Georgia, which in Chiropractic is the equivalent of Harvard or Princeton! Before practicing, DC’s must pass rigorous National and State Board examinations, and like all doctors, keep up with the latest research, attend continuing education seminars, and read professional and scientific journals.

One of the fundamental ideals of Chiropractic care is a belief in the body’s natural ability to heal, and promotion of correcting subluxations (misalignments) of the spine to relieve the body of many common ailments and symptoms. Many “traditional” MD’s, especially nowadays, rely far too heavily on prescription drugs and temporary fixes to pain and symptoms WITHOUT bothering to find the underlying root of the problem. Chiropractic care focuses on correction of your body’s central core, the spine, to trigger the body’s natural healing process without the use of chemicals or potentially harmful quick-fixes.

The IDEAL, which many doctors are now starting to realize, is a cooperative combination of natural health methods such as chiropractic along with traditional medical care.

Q: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SPINAL HEALTH?
A: When you consider the fact that the central nervous system originates in the brain center and extends down through the spinal column, reaching every part of the body through the peripheral nervous system, you realize the importance of spinal health. Interference anywhere in the nervous system impairs bodily functions and induces disease.

One site of origination of a health problem is that point where nerves enter or exit the spinal column. Partly displaced or restricted vertebrae can cause or contribute to neurological disorders affecting both structural balance and functional tone.

As structure cannot be separated from the function, neither should health care fail to recognize the total person. Our bones are more than our supports, our muscles are more than pulleys, our nerves are more than wiring, and our vessels are more than fluid conduits. Spinal health, as practiced by doctors of chiropractic, embraces that structure/function viewpoint.

The benefits of spinal health are: A more efficient body, organs that are able to function properly, a human who performs more comfortably, easily, and effectively, a human body in which the inherent healing powers are allowed to operate freely, a whole person who is less subject to structural stress.