What is Chiropractic?
The question I want to answer today is, what is chiropractic? In the past, chiropractic care was viewed mostly unfavorably by the public, and although the perception and understanding of this form of healthcare has come a long way, most people still think that chiropractic is all about neck pain, back pain, and “popping” joints. I’m always annoyed when people who are unfamiliar with chiropractic believe that way, but the only ones to blame for the public not understanding what we do, is ourselves. Chiropractors are notorious for mixing a lot of other forms of healthcare into their practices, doing a terrible job of explaining what we really do, or not educating their patients at all.
So here it is, chiropractic care is a form of healthcare centered around the alignment of the vertebrae in your spine. It is pretty common knowledge that chiropractors work on backs, but what makes chiropractic care special is WHY we work on backs. The bones of our spine, including our skull, serve the purpose of protecting our nervous system. The nervous system consists of the brain which is inside of our skull, the brain stem and spinal cord, which are protected by our vertebrae, and the nerves that connect to all the organs of our body. The nerves exit from the spinal cord between the vertebrae of the spine and carry communication from the brain to the body and from the body back to the brain. When the bones of our spine are in the proper position, there is room for the nerves to exit, but when those bones move out of their normal position, the bones can actually impede on the nerves, which can alter or even block the transmission from the brain to the body part that the nerve travels to. The brain controls every single function of the body, including your hormones, immune system, heart, lungs, digestion, sense of feeling, and even your skin healing. So when the vertebrae of your spine move out of position and start interfering with your nerves, it could mean something as simple as having some numbness in your fingers or toes, but it also could mean something as serious as your heart or lungs not working properly. The goal behind a chiropractic adjustment is to align the vertebrae of the spine, for the sole purpose of removing nerve interference. So when I hear people ask me the question, “Can chiropractic help with…,” the simple answer is always yes. Not because we are treating cancer, ear infections, skin conditions, digestive issues, or even back pain, but because removing interference from the brain to the body allows your body to heal itself, the way that God intended it to.