As I eluded to in Part 1, there are several factors that contribute to the following common misconception: "Once You Start Going You Always Have to Go". Let's get started on Part 2 of this discussion.
Chiropractors a hundred years ago had many miraculous healing responses happen to their patients after they delivered the chiropractic adjustment. To review, the adjustment realigns the spinal joints, removes nerve interference and results in that patient's innate intelligence taking over to do the healing work. That is the way it is suppose to work and miraculous things do happen when the body is allowed to heal itself. Remember we all have that intelligence within us that knows how to heal and regulate our bodies.
Chiropractors today still get great results, but they have much more working against them than the chiropractors did a hundred years ago. Namely, our lifestyle choices that are vastly different than they were then, and vastly different than what our genetics require to be healthy. Our genetic makeup has changed very, very little since the time of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. If you study the cultures still in existence today that still adopt the lifestyle of our ancestors you will find that they have none of the chronic diseases our society has today.
The reason I am writing about this is that we live in stress overload a good portion of our days and our bodies just can't keep up. What we eat and its nutritional value (even in our healthy foods) is not what it was then. Our level of mental and emotional stress is elevated and our sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical exercise all stimulate the stress centers of our brains. If that wasn't enough, the level of toxins we endure in our food, water and air supply and the level of electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) that bombard our bodies are a constant threats we can't even see. Simply put, our bodies are not designed to deal with the level of stress we put ourselves under on a daily basis.
The result of all this from a chiropractic point of view is that a practice member will become subluxated (have spinal misalignments) much more often than they would have had several years ago. This translates into the need to see our practice members more often if they want to keep their spines and nervous system healthy. Whenever I have a patient who is not responding to care as quickly as they should, I will ask them what stressful things are going on in their life at that moment. That is almost always the answer. Getting adjusted helps reset the body and dissipate these stresses.
Is seeing my practice members more often what I want? No, my goal is always to make them more self-sufficient. Even though I enjoy interacting with them, I would rather teach my practice members about lifestyle changes they can implement to reduce the stress in their lives in order to maintain their health and well-being. But, until people start making those choices and changes one of two things happen, they either need to come see me more often or they choose not to and start on a downward spiral away from optimal health. As you can see, this is not the chiropractic profession's fault, but rather the direction that our "advanced society" has led us over a long period of time (don't get me started on that subject).
Well, that is enough information to chew on for right now. As I said before, it is an involved answer to a common misconception, and there is more to come. I should be able to complete this discussion in Part 3. As usual, I welcome any comments or questions you might have. Thanks for reading.
Dr. Dan
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Chiropractic Misconceptions: Once You Start Going You Always Have to Go (Part 1)
Besides the basic misunderstanding about what chiropractic is (and isn't), I feel that the title of this post is the next biggest and most common misconception about chiropractic care. There are so many contributing factors that feed into this perception that I won't be able to fit it all in one post. My explanation will be addressing each of these factors.
The first factor is one that I touched on very briefly before. People equate feeling good to being healthy. It is normal to think that unless you have had exposure to information that doesn't support that belief. Think of this example. How many of you know someone who made an appointment with their doctor mainly because they were feeling a little run down. The doctor decided to do some tests, the tests caused them concern, they then decided to perform exploratory surgery and on the operating table found the person so full of cancer that they closed the person back up because the cancer was so advanced that there was nothing they could do. This poor person had been feeling good just three weeks prior. Unfortunately we hear this scenario too often, but it is a prime example of what I am talking about.
Let me describe the scenario that plays out everyday in chiropractic offices. A person calls up on the phone because they injured themselves over the weekend (playing basketball, hours of gardening, lifting something heavy, and my favorite "I just bent over to tie my shoes and all of a sudden I had this excruciating pain in my low back and couldn't straighten up"). They come into the office, experience one or maybe a few adjustments, get the pain relief they are looking for and don't return even though the chiropractor advised them differently.
Hopefully it is obvious to you that the person that just bent over to tie their shoes might have a little more going on under the surface that contributed to this painful flare up with their back. You don't "throw out" your back by just tying your shoes. It happens often. They were asymptomatic (without pain) the day before, even the hour before.
The body does a very good job of adapting to all the bad things we do to it over the years, ... to a point. At some point the body doesn't or can't adapt anymore and that is when it sends us pain signals to do something about it. The only issue is that problems are often brewing for years before they become symptomatic. Unfortunately, contrary to the opinion of many, chiropractors are not miracle workers. A problem that has taken a long time to manifest does take time to resolve. The chiropractor realizes this fact and that is why we take detailed histories of our patients and ask a lot of questions to determine how many injurious things have happened in your past and how long your body has had to try and adapt to those events and traumas. It is possible however, to help a patient over the pain/non-pain threshold in a very short period of time. This is what many experience when they come to the chiropractor and that is why we have become known as pain relief doctors.
How does this play out if the doctor doesn't have enough of a chance to educate the patient on how all the events of their past are contributing to their problems today and what is necessary to correct the problem for long term spinal and nervous system health. Well, repeated episodes of pain complaints (usually in the same area), just enough visits to get out of pain and repeated times that the patient dismisses themselves from care because they don't have enough information to make an educated decision about their health and well-being. Combine this with the belief that being pain free equals health. Does any of this mean that chiropractic isn't working? No, It just means that there was not enough time and effort spent on correcting the deeper problem in the first place.
Another thing to consider is there are other factors that inhibit forward progress when we work to unwind the problems found in the spine. But, that is for part two in this discussion. That is it for now, thanks for reading.
Dr. Dan
The first factor is one that I touched on very briefly before. People equate feeling good to being healthy. It is normal to think that unless you have had exposure to information that doesn't support that belief. Think of this example. How many of you know someone who made an appointment with their doctor mainly because they were feeling a little run down. The doctor decided to do some tests, the tests caused them concern, they then decided to perform exploratory surgery and on the operating table found the person so full of cancer that they closed the person back up because the cancer was so advanced that there was nothing they could do. This poor person had been feeling good just three weeks prior. Unfortunately we hear this scenario too often, but it is a prime example of what I am talking about.
Let me describe the scenario that plays out everyday in chiropractic offices. A person calls up on the phone because they injured themselves over the weekend (playing basketball, hours of gardening, lifting something heavy, and my favorite "I just bent over to tie my shoes and all of a sudden I had this excruciating pain in my low back and couldn't straighten up"). They come into the office, experience one or maybe a few adjustments, get the pain relief they are looking for and don't return even though the chiropractor advised them differently.
Hopefully it is obvious to you that the person that just bent over to tie their shoes might have a little more going on under the surface that contributed to this painful flare up with their back. You don't "throw out" your back by just tying your shoes. It happens often. They were asymptomatic (without pain) the day before, even the hour before.
The body does a very good job of adapting to all the bad things we do to it over the years, ... to a point. At some point the body doesn't or can't adapt anymore and that is when it sends us pain signals to do something about it. The only issue is that problems are often brewing for years before they become symptomatic. Unfortunately, contrary to the opinion of many, chiropractors are not miracle workers. A problem that has taken a long time to manifest does take time to resolve. The chiropractor realizes this fact and that is why we take detailed histories of our patients and ask a lot of questions to determine how many injurious things have happened in your past and how long your body has had to try and adapt to those events and traumas. It is possible however, to help a patient over the pain/non-pain threshold in a very short period of time. This is what many experience when they come to the chiropractor and that is why we have become known as pain relief doctors.
How does this play out if the doctor doesn't have enough of a chance to educate the patient on how all the events of their past are contributing to their problems today and what is necessary to correct the problem for long term spinal and nervous system health. Well, repeated episodes of pain complaints (usually in the same area), just enough visits to get out of pain and repeated times that the patient dismisses themselves from care because they don't have enough information to make an educated decision about their health and well-being. Combine this with the belief that being pain free equals health. Does any of this mean that chiropractic isn't working? No, It just means that there was not enough time and effort spent on correcting the deeper problem in the first place.
Another thing to consider is there are other factors that inhibit forward progress when we work to unwind the problems found in the spine. But, that is for part two in this discussion. That is it for now, thanks for reading.
Dr. Dan
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
What is Subluxation?
I guess the next logical topic for discussion is the term 'subluxation'. This is a term that is widely used within the chiropractic profession. The prefix 'sub' means less than, the term 'luxation' means dislocation. So subluxation refers to a joint that has lost its normal alignment, short of dislocating. Chiropractors will also use the term Vertebral Subluxation Complex (VSC) which describes the negative cascade of effects that happen as the result of the misalignment of a joint.
Why is a subluxation important and why is the removal of a subluxation by a chiropractor so important? Well, there are a number of reasons. The most important reason is that when the vertebra of the spine misalign they put pressure on the delicate nerves that branch out from the spinal cord, resulting in a block of communication. This communication is a two way street, the body needs to be able to perceive the environment it is in. It does this through the sensory part of the nervous system. Once the body has that information, the nervous system sends out communications to the body on how to respond to its environment. If the nerves are blocked due to misalignments of the vertebra both of those communications are disturbed and the result is dysfunction in the body and in the long term disease will result if left uncorrected.
What are the other negative effects subluxations? When a vertebra misaligns the normal motion of the joints are compromised. This lack of motion of the spinal joints causes many things to happen. The motion of one vertebra in relationship to the ones above and below create a pumping motion that pumps fluids and nutrients into the discs of the spine in order to keep them healthy. A healthy disc acts as a shock absorber for the spine and also a spacer. When the proper motion stops, as a result of joint restrictions, the discs start to dehydrate and thin down resulting in what we call degenerative disc disease. That makes the discs more susceptible to injury, namely disc bulges or herniations. The body now considers this area a weak spot and does what it can to stabilize it, the result is osteophyte production otherwise know as bone spurs or even more commonly known as arthritis of the spine.
Also, when the discs of the spine dehydrate and thin down they no longer maintain the space between the vertebra that they once did. This will cause pressure on the delicate nerve roots of the spine that branch out from the spinal cord and exit the spinal column in the openings that those discs once created. If the disc degenerates enough, the lack of space can choke off the function of the nerve entirely.
The lack of motion of the fixated joint in question will cause changes in the soft tissues around the joint. Some ligaments become stretched, elongated and weakened, while others will become shorter, fatter and stronger creating imbalance. Scar tissue starts to develop within two weeks of an injury or loss of motion. The loss of motion will of course create restricted movement that inhibits flexibility and range of motion.
One of the other major concerns when joints lose their normal motion is reduced proprioceptive input to the brain. What does that mean?!! Two kinds of receptor cells that are present in our joints are proprioceptors and nociceptors. Proprioceptors are stimulated when the joint moves, nociceptors are stimulated when the joints don't move. When nociceptors are stimulated they send signals to the stress centers of our brain which in turn trigger the stress response in the body, the release of stress hormones like cortisol. The release of the stress hormones over a period of time will cause every chronic disease know to man. The good news is that if our joints are moving properly and we actually get out and move instead of sitting at a desk all day, the proprioceptors will be stimulated and send signals to the healing and growth centers of the brain, which in turn override the entire stress response.
How do you know if you have subluxations in your spine? Unfortunately for us, many subluxations are silent and go undetected. It can sometimes take years for those areas to become symptomatic. The solution is to go to someone who is trained to detect and correct them, a chiropractor. This is where my years of training are. If you are not currently a practice member of mine, come in for an initial evaluation to find out if you have subluxations in your spine.
Hopefully, you have a more in depth knowledge of the complexity and importance of keeping the joints of your spine freely moving and your nerves free of interference. Remember it is the nervous system that controls and coordinates the function of every cell, organ and system of your body. Keep that system as healthy as you can for optimal health. Thanks for reading.
Why is a subluxation important and why is the removal of a subluxation by a chiropractor so important? Well, there are a number of reasons. The most important reason is that when the vertebra of the spine misalign they put pressure on the delicate nerves that branch out from the spinal cord, resulting in a block of communication. This communication is a two way street, the body needs to be able to perceive the environment it is in. It does this through the sensory part of the nervous system. Once the body has that information, the nervous system sends out communications to the body on how to respond to its environment. If the nerves are blocked due to misalignments of the vertebra both of those communications are disturbed and the result is dysfunction in the body and in the long term disease will result if left uncorrected.
What are the other negative effects subluxations? When a vertebra misaligns the normal motion of the joints are compromised. This lack of motion of the spinal joints causes many things to happen. The motion of one vertebra in relationship to the ones above and below create a pumping motion that pumps fluids and nutrients into the discs of the spine in order to keep them healthy. A healthy disc acts as a shock absorber for the spine and also a spacer. When the proper motion stops, as a result of joint restrictions, the discs start to dehydrate and thin down resulting in what we call degenerative disc disease. That makes the discs more susceptible to injury, namely disc bulges or herniations. The body now considers this area a weak spot and does what it can to stabilize it, the result is osteophyte production otherwise know as bone spurs or even more commonly known as arthritis of the spine.
Also, when the discs of the spine dehydrate and thin down they no longer maintain the space between the vertebra that they once did. This will cause pressure on the delicate nerve roots of the spine that branch out from the spinal cord and exit the spinal column in the openings that those discs once created. If the disc degenerates enough, the lack of space can choke off the function of the nerve entirely.
The lack of motion of the fixated joint in question will cause changes in the soft tissues around the joint. Some ligaments become stretched, elongated and weakened, while others will become shorter, fatter and stronger creating imbalance. Scar tissue starts to develop within two weeks of an injury or loss of motion. The loss of motion will of course create restricted movement that inhibits flexibility and range of motion.
One of the other major concerns when joints lose their normal motion is reduced proprioceptive input to the brain. What does that mean?!! Two kinds of receptor cells that are present in our joints are proprioceptors and nociceptors. Proprioceptors are stimulated when the joint moves, nociceptors are stimulated when the joints don't move. When nociceptors are stimulated they send signals to the stress centers of our brain which in turn trigger the stress response in the body, the release of stress hormones like cortisol. The release of the stress hormones over a period of time will cause every chronic disease know to man. The good news is that if our joints are moving properly and we actually get out and move instead of sitting at a desk all day, the proprioceptors will be stimulated and send signals to the healing and growth centers of the brain, which in turn override the entire stress response.
How do you know if you have subluxations in your spine? Unfortunately for us, many subluxations are silent and go undetected. It can sometimes take years for those areas to become symptomatic. The solution is to go to someone who is trained to detect and correct them, a chiropractor. This is where my years of training are. If you are not currently a practice member of mine, come in for an initial evaluation to find out if you have subluxations in your spine.
Hopefully, you have a more in depth knowledge of the complexity and importance of keeping the joints of your spine freely moving and your nerves free of interference. Remember it is the nervous system that controls and coordinates the function of every cell, organ and system of your body. Keep that system as healthy as you can for optimal health. Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
What is Chiropractic Really?
Chiropractors for over a hundred years have been fighting an uphill battle to be understood. Even today, we are primarily known as musculoskeletal pain relief doctors. When you have a muscle or joint pain (we usually wait until it is acute and painful), you go to your local chiropractor. Most people hope that we can make the pain go away in one visit. We tend to equate being pain free to being healthy (that's another topic for another day).
I can't tell you how many times in a social setting people will ask me what I do, and when I tell them they will immediately point to a body part and tell me where it hurts, when it hurts and how many years they have been afflicted with it and whether or not a change in the weather makes it worse. I just think to myself if only I could infuse my knowledge about Chiropractic to them instantly and have them really understand what it is all about.
Well, I guess this may be my venue to get the word out. I will do my best to keep this short, because it is easy for me to go in depth and if I go there nobody will take the time to read my blog. What gets interesting is that there are those even within my profession who disagree about what chiropractic is or what it should be.
So here goes, Chiropractic in a nutshell. The Chiropractic profession is based in the very basic truth that the nervous system is the master control system of our bodies. It is made up of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. This system controls every single one of the 75 trillion cells in each one of us. Chiropractors understand that it is through the nervous system that the function of every cell, organ, tissue and system of the body is controlled and coordinated.
The reason we focus on aligning the spine is because misalignments of the spine interfere with proper nervous system communication, which translates to pain, dysfunction and over time, if uncorrected, disease. A chiropractors' main purpose is to restore normal nervous system communication. This is done by realigning the spine through various methods. Once nerve flow is restored, the intelligence of the body knows how to heal itself. Just about any condition you can think of can resolve once the nervous system is functioning optimally as long as you are also providing purity and sufficiency for your body and avoiding toxicity and deficiency (another big topic of discussion in future posts)
That is my tidbit for today. I am just scratching the surface. Each of the thoughts expressed here today have much more depth to them as well as related topics. Please stayed tuned as I speak to more of the misconceptions and misunderstandings about the chiropractic profession. In future blogs I will also be addressing some of the most common negative things said about the profession, there is a good explanation to every one of them. After 14 years I think I have heard them all. I will also be taking the time to go in depth on today's topics to give you a more complete understanding of how vitally important the health of your spine and nervous system is. Thanks for reading.
Dr. Dan
I can't tell you how many times in a social setting people will ask me what I do, and when I tell them they will immediately point to a body part and tell me where it hurts, when it hurts and how many years they have been afflicted with it and whether or not a change in the weather makes it worse. I just think to myself if only I could infuse my knowledge about Chiropractic to them instantly and have them really understand what it is all about.
Well, I guess this may be my venue to get the word out. I will do my best to keep this short, because it is easy for me to go in depth and if I go there nobody will take the time to read my blog. What gets interesting is that there are those even within my profession who disagree about what chiropractic is or what it should be.
So here goes, Chiropractic in a nutshell. The Chiropractic profession is based in the very basic truth that the nervous system is the master control system of our bodies. It is made up of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. This system controls every single one of the 75 trillion cells in each one of us. Chiropractors understand that it is through the nervous system that the function of every cell, organ, tissue and system of the body is controlled and coordinated.
The reason we focus on aligning the spine is because misalignments of the spine interfere with proper nervous system communication, which translates to pain, dysfunction and over time, if uncorrected, disease. A chiropractors' main purpose is to restore normal nervous system communication. This is done by realigning the spine through various methods. Once nerve flow is restored, the intelligence of the body knows how to heal itself. Just about any condition you can think of can resolve once the nervous system is functioning optimally as long as you are also providing purity and sufficiency for your body and avoiding toxicity and deficiency (another big topic of discussion in future posts)
That is my tidbit for today. I am just scratching the surface. Each of the thoughts expressed here today have much more depth to them as well as related topics. Please stayed tuned as I speak to more of the misconceptions and misunderstandings about the chiropractic profession. In future blogs I will also be addressing some of the most common negative things said about the profession, there is a good explanation to every one of them. After 14 years I think I have heard them all. I will also be taking the time to go in depth on today's topics to give you a more complete understanding of how vitally important the health of your spine and nervous system is. Thanks for reading.
Dr. Dan
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Welcome to the New Blog
Hello Everyone! Welcome to the new blog for my website I will be posting informative articles not only here but you can also follow me on my Twitter as well as my Facebook From time to time I will be posting interesting and informative articles.
My goal for writing this blog, in addition to sharing informative articles, is to clear up any misconceptions about the chiropractic profession, educate the public on what chiropractic really is, have discussions on wellness and what prevents us from having it and in the future guide you through an easy to follow step by step process for your own wellness in which I will share my own experiences. I hope you will join me for the ride. I promise you will learn some really good information.
My goal for writing this blog, in addition to sharing informative articles, is to clear up any misconceptions about the chiropractic profession, educate the public on what chiropractic really is, have discussions on wellness and what prevents us from having it and in the future guide you through an easy to follow step by step process for your own wellness in which I will share my own experiences. I hope you will join me for the ride. I promise you will learn some really good information.
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