The Chiropractic Choice
This article was provided by Dr. William Jackson, a chiropractor at Community Chiropractic in Garner, NC. If you'd like to learn more about Dr. Jackson, please visit https://www.mygarnerchiropractor.com/.
The human spine consists of 33 vertebrae, all of which are held in place by muscles and ligaments. When one or more of those vertebrae falls out of alignment, a subluxation results. It’s a chiropractor’s job to correct this misalignment and remove pressure from the nerve, returning the spine to harmony with the brain’s ability to detect and correct damage.
Think of your brain and spinal cord – or the body’s central nervous system – as the motherboard and circuitry that power your computer. When there’s a break in the connection, your computer runs more slowly, can’t detect problems as quickly, and usually crashes. The human body crashes all the time – think illness, allergies, headaches, backaches, neck spasms, and so on. But through regular chiropractic adjustments, these crashes can be prevented.
Proper spinal alignment is critical because of its central role in nervous system function. Because the nervous system controls and coordinates all functions of your body, interference means your body won’t be able to function at 100 percent of its innate abilities. This is essentially dis-ease. It’s the duration we spend in a dis-eased state that creates symptoms.
To be truly healthy, it’s vital that your nervous system function free of this interference. Chiropractic treatments reduce and correct these vertebral subluxations through adjustments that are specifically designed to correct them. It’s all about moving the body from dis-ease to ease.
Why Choose Chiropractic?
The spinal column is designed to serve many functions. Primarily, it protects the spinal cord, which provides communication to the brain, mobility, and sensation in the body through the complex interaction of bones, ligaments, and muscle structures of the back and nerves surrounding it. The back is also the powerhouse for the entire body, supporting and allowing movement of the head, arms, and legs.
So how does chiropractic help right the wrongs that make the central nervous system function improperly? Primarily, chiropractors work with patients on an individual basis to determine corrective treatments and therapies that convince the spine to return to – and remain in – a healthy state. They are not in the business of taking away pain but rather fixing the reason the pain is there in the first place.
The Chiropractic Way
Most subluxations are caused by either repetitive stress or injury. Repetitive stress can include sitting at a desk all day or lifting heavy items, but it’s about more than the physical demands of a job. It can also be a chemical or emotional repetitive stress causing the subluxation. Fortunately, by getting regular adjustments and making small changes to your daily routine – like stretching for 20 seconds every 20 minutes throughout the day – these stresses can be alleviated.
When an injury occurs, the body goes through innate processes to protect it. This can include swelling or inflammation at the site of injury, as well as scar tissue over time. Once an injury occurs, proper followup care through chiropractic adjustments is essential. Without this care to restore the body to its original state, the joint begins the process of long-term immobilization, which can lead to arthritis and bone spurs over time. But with regular adjustments to correct the issue, pressure can be removed from the nerve, and the joint can heal properly.
The Natural Choice
The pharmaceutical industry spends at least $100 million per year on advertising alone. Half of every ad you see on television focuses heavily on the warnings and potential side effects of the prescriptions and medications being advertised. Plus, the drugs themselves aren’t intended to resolve the problem. Instead, their main function for the most part is to temporarily reduce symptoms or pain.
The pharmaceutical industry began with good intentions and natural ingredients for pain relief, but at some point manmade chemicals began making their way into these medications. The intent was originally there for creating natural potions for health. But over time, the financial incentive to create effective artificially made potions with potentially harmful side effects became the focus. It's one thing to have these synthetic potions for emergency cases, but they should never be the first course of action.
Somewhere along the way, the medical profession as a whole stopped educating patients first and prescribing second. This has led to prescription abuse in many cases, which can lead to a host of additional health issues. Chiropractors by contrast are in the business of removing the reason for the pain, not masking it with temporary pain relief.
The bottom line? The choice is chiropractic because you want a healthy spine. The choice is chiropractic because you want mobility and flexibility in your joints. The choice is chiropractic because you want a natural way to stay healthy. The choice is chiropractic because you want to maintain your body in the most positive environment possible, for as long as possible. It’s a choice, and one you can live with for the rest of your life!