What is Chiropractic?
Taking a Natural Systemic Approach to Healing
Chiropractic is a way of looking at the human body as a whole. It's based on the idea that the body is self-sustaining and self-healing.
You know that your body is controlled by your Central Nervous System (CNS). The CNS is composed of the brain and the spinal cord. The brain and the spinal cord communicate through a vast network of nerves known as the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS). These nerves carry neurological impulses known as action potentials to the brain (sensory afferent) and way from the brain (motor efferent). These messages are extremely important to help our body's maintain physiological homeostasis. When this system is not functioning at its peak, your body’s overall performance suffers.
In the chiropractic world, we choose not to recommend the use of surgery, drugs or medication to treat our patients. This is a philosophic difference between the chiropractic profession and traditional medicine. A common misconception is that the chiropractic profession is an adversary of While supplementation and nutrition are almost always a part of the bigger picture, drugs and prescriptions can be viewed as bandaids to treat symptoms rather than treating the source of the problem. Chiropractic treats the problem naturally and in turn prompts the body to heal itself.
While it's often perceived that the chiropractor solely treats back and neck pain, this is a small piece of what the profession is capable of handling. Chiropractors not only treat soft and hard tissue problems such as sciatica and joint pain, but are largely called on to deal with many different health issues. Some of these issues include fibromyalgia, allergies, insomnia, and headaches among many more.
Harvard Medical School
Chiropractic Care for Pain Relief
Chiropractic is a system of therapy focused on the structure of the body, particularly the spine. Chiropractors manipulate the body's alignment to relieve pain and improve function and to help the body heal itself.
While the mainstay of chiropractic is spinal manipulation, chiropractic care may also include other treatments, including manual or manipulative therapies, postural and exercise education, and ergonomic training (how to walk, sit, and stand to limit back strain). Chiropractors today often work in conjunction with primary care doctors, pain experts, and surgeons to treat patients with pain.
The most positive research on chiropractic therapy has focused on spinal manipulation for low back pain. As one of the alternatives to pain-relieving drugs, the American College of Physicians low back pain guideline recommends spinal manipulation along with heat, massage, and acupuncture.