Born in 1845 in Port Perry, Ontario, chiropractic founder DD Palmer discovered the pivotal role that the nerve system plays in achieving and maintaining health, pioneering what has become the world's largest natural health profession.
Born in 1845 in Port Perry, Ontario, chiropractic founder DD Palmer discovered the pivotal role that the nerve system plays in achieving and maintaining health, pioneering what has become the world's largest natural health profession.
The number of people who regularly use chiropractic continues to grow worldwide. Research, including the 1993 Ontario Ministry of Health study, has proven that as the use of chiropractic increases, the financial savings to health care and to industry could potentially extend into the billions not a bad impact for a small-town boy from Canada!
Our Master Nerve System
At the foundation of chiropractic is the understanding that the nerve system is the master system controlling everything in the body. Our nerve system is our own electrical system consisting of the brain, spinal cord, and the nerves that travel from the spine to all other areas of the body.
The messages that beat our heart, fight the flu, move our muscles, and heal our body are all run by the nerve system. The vertebrae (bones of the spine) can be thought of as the circuit breakers of our electrical system.
As in our homes, where each circuit breaker affects many different circuits, the nerves that exist between each vertebra go on to control the health of many different body systems. When a vertebra becomes misaligned (called a subluxation), many systems are affected.
For example, if vertebrae become misaligned in the neck, the nerves that power our arms and hands are affected, and carpel tunnel may result. These same subluxations (misaligned vertebrae) may also cause headaches or breathing difficulties.
How Chiropractic Helps
Chiropractors understand that simply relieving a symptom does not guarantee health. Medication can be taken to relieve the leg pain of sciatica for example, but that will not correct the underlying problem. The body can only heal itself from the inside out.
A chiropractor will determine the cause of the problem, and with a variety of methods to choose from he will gently adjust the spine back into alignment to restore the body's ability to heal itself.
Take Care of Your Spine
Because the majority of subluxations are painless, it is important to have spinal checkups to ensure there is no interference in the nerve system. As with nutrition and exercise, the sooner you begin taking care of your spine, the better your quality of life will be.
While celebrities such as Lance Armstrong, Mel Gibson, Tony Robbins, Wayne Dyer, and Dan O'Brian, Olympic decathlete champion, choose chiropractic for peak performance and energy, others use chiropractic to recover from sports or motor vehicle injuries and to work trouble free.
To choose a chiropractor, ask your friends and co-workers. Chances are they can make a recommendation. If not, call a few chiropractors in your area and interview the doctors to ensure their manner and philosophy of health is in line with yours.
You and your family don't need to be Olympic medalists to see a chiropractor, but you can treat yourselves like gold it may just be the best thing you ever do!