Chiropractic Hangups
In the many years that I’ve been practicing, I’ve come across some real issues that many folks have about receiving chiropractic care. Here are my thoughts on some common hang-ups.
I went once and I had a bad experience. – Chiropractic is a very personal profession. You just need to find the chiropractor who has a technique and personality that make you comfortable. When we go to a bad lawyer, we usually find another. When we go to a bad MD, accountant, bank, barber, or anyone else, we usually find another. Don’t write off the whole profession from one bad experience. You’re loosing out on some great life giving, and possibly life changing benefits.
If I get adjusted, I’ll need to be adjusted. - In all my years of school(>10 higher education) and practical experience(>30), my understanding of the spine and central nervous system is that everyone on this earth needs to be adjusted. This holds true if you’ve never been adjusted, or if you’ve been adjusted many times. This holds true if you feel the need to be adjusted or you don’t feel the need. Let’s put the over 100 years of philosophical reasoning and scientific research aside. Just the physical law of gravity alone as it relates to the increased weight baring stress on the spine is enough common sense to make me not want to walk around with my nerves compressed and my joints all stuck together. Why would any one want to walk around like this? I can talk for another ten pages on this subject, but I’ll just make this one point.
I just don’t have the time. – Everyone makes time for things that are important to them. It takes about three to five minutes to have your spine objectively checked and adjusted only where needed. I’ll say no more.
I went for a while and I didn’t feel a difference. – I guarantee you that even though you didn’t feel a difference with regards to your primary health concern, your body still benefited in other areas from the adjustments. Everyone functions better on all levels when no nerve interference is present. That’s a fact. Maybe you needed give it more time to feel the changes you were looking for. Maybe you needed to follow your schedule for care a little closer. A hard concept for folks to grasp is that we can’t always feel all the positive changes our bodies are going through. We also can’t feel all the negative changes(high cholesterol, infertility, cancer, etc). Our five senses don’t always tell us everything. That’s why it’s so important to have a good understanding of what your chiropractor is doing and why. The education process is so vitally important when one starts their care.
That cracking noise sounds like my bones breaking. It surely isn’t. That’s just the sound very tiny gas bubbles exploding on a microscopic level. It’s the natural sound that occurs when tension is released from the joints. It actually feels pretty good.
My children are too young to be adjusted. My kids were checked and adjusted within one hour after they were born. The birth process, even under the most favorable conditions, is the most traumatic thing our spines will go through during our entire lives. Developing a good structure at an early age sets the stage for your child’s best possible nerve function and expression of life. Since we already know that brain and nerves signals control everything, optimal nerve system function will yield the best chance for good health in the future. Bring your children in to have their spines checked.
If I go, I’ll have to go the rest of my life. This is a silly one. No one in this world has to do anything except pay taxes and die. At least that’s what my grandmother told me. You can come for one adjustment or a lifetime of adjustments. Your health and life expression will improve either way proportionate to whatever commitment you choose. Getting your spine checked is just a good habit that we chiropractors like to promote. If I owned a gym, I’d tell you to exercise more. If I was a nutritionist, I’d tell you to watch what you eat. Brushing your teeth, drinking bottled water, wearing good shoes, taking a bath, and having a good outlook on life are all good habits to practice. So is getting your spine checked.
I’m too old. The damage is already done. You would be amazed how much the body comes back. Let’s try to better things or at least keep them in check rather than letting your body keep spiraling downward for the rest of your life.
That’s only for old people. I’m in good shape. I don’t need to be adjusted. I don’t have a bad back. – This is the young adult. The I’m indestructible, I’m perfect ego, usually found in athletic males 15-40 years of age. Here’s my answer. Chiropractic has very little to do with bad backs. Here’s a law of nature that never changes under any circumstance: STRUCTURE CONTROLS FUNCTION. If you improve your structure, you improve your nerve function. If you improve your nerve function, you will improve all the things you do, because brain messages and nerve impulses control everything. This includes ability to make money, ability to excel in athletics, health and immune function, personal relationships, nutrient absorption, quality of life, and the list goes on. I know you’re good now, but how about being better! Look at this as fitness…not treatment.
What kind of education do chiropractors have? – Chiropractors complete four years undergraduate college and three and a third full years of chiropractic education. Not to compare apples to oranges, chiropractic students complete more hours of musculo-skletal anatomy, neurology, joint physiology, and radiology than medical students. On the other hand, a medical student’s specialty requires more pharmacology and diagnosis.
I have so many health problems. I see too many doctors already. Will this interfere with what the other doctors are doing? It absolutely will not. Achieving better nerve function will always help the body work better under any circumstance. It will never hurt. Your chiropractor’s professional judgment may cause him to stay away from certain areas of the spine if he thinks that they may need to heal on their own for a while. Be aware that most other health professionals have very little or no understanding of chiropractic. They also have no education on subluxation analysis or correction. They may tell you not to seek chiropractic care according to their own guidelines, prejudices, or competition issues. Be a free thinker and make an educated decision on what’s right for you.
It just costs too much. – It really doesn’t. Most chiropractors are very sensitive to your financial needs. They will work with you the best they are able. Maybe folks need to cut back in other things that are counter productive to better living. Many people spend ~$50 a week on coffee and doughnuts. They’ll spend hundreds every week eating out. Who knows how much is spent on alcohol, cigarettes, gambling and other vices.
I just don’t believe in it. Chiropractic is based on common sense that follows laws of nature that we live by and are proven every day. If you took the time to look into it philosophically and scientifically, I’m sure you would have a better understanding. With better understanding comes belief.
Dr. Michael Caruso – Chiropractor – 919 Main Street – Belmar – 732-749-3098
Chiropractic Care Improves Performance On All Levels.
Dr. Michael Caruso has written numerous articles that have helped many people understand chiropractic on a much higher level. Those who really understand chiropractic, will have a more fulfilling experience while they are here. We have posted a few of these articles on our site for your review.
YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE THROUGH YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM!
Your nerve system controls all coordinated functions that your body relies on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. How efficiently your nerve system works will determine how successful your life will be. Functions controlled by your nervous system include:
Learning Ability / Decision Making / Judgment / Mental Capacity / I.Q. / Memory / Alertness / Coordination / Reflexes / Flexibility / Muscle Strength / How Well You Deal With Stress / How Well You Interact with People / How Well You Enjoy Leisure Time / How Well Rested You Are / How Well You Run Your Business / How Well You Compete In Sports / How Intimate You Can Be / How Well You Enjoy Life / How Well You Fight Off Sickness / Healing Process / Recovery Time From Injury / Immune Function / Cell Growth / Cell Repair / Cell Reproduction / Cell Development / Sensation to Monitor the Outside World / Sensation to Pain / Motor Function: voluntary (arms, legs, etc.) + involuntary (breathing, heartrate, etc.) / Digestion / Fat Metabolism / Vitamin and Mineral Absorption / AND MUCH MORE!
Subluxation: interferes with nerve system function and can affect any or all of the above at any time.
Subluxation: is painless most of the time.
Subluxation: occurs frequently in all human beings of all ages.
Subluxation: has far reaching future negative effects for all.
Subluxation: is caused by physical, emotional, and chemical stress that your body is constantly subject to every day!
Schedule a family appointment today. Only a chiropractor can help your body remove nerve interference(subluxation). Don’t let your lives be anything less than optimal. Proper Maintenance extends life!
BASIC LAW OF LIFE
There is a universal intelligence in all matter constantly giving to it all its properties and actions thus maintaining it in existence. What in the world does that mean? Let me explain. The word universe means everything, all encompassing, the world. The word intelligence refers to organization. Let's ask ourselves. Is the world organized or chaotic? Most of us would think it is organized. There must be a reason why all the planets in the solar system are lined up a certain way. Ocean tides always follow the same patterns. Why? Spring always comes after winter every year. Why? Why does a tomato seed grow into a tomato and not a carrot? Everything in this world must have some kind of organized structure or plan. There must be intelligence. There is a reason for everything. Things don’t just happen by chance.
Humans have something called innate intelligence, which is a part of this universal wisdom. When you cut your finger, how does your body know to make the proper chemicals that clot the blood and heal the cut? When you come in from 10 degree outside and enter a 72 degree room, how does your body temperature stay regulated? After the female egg is fertilized, nine month later through a series of amazing steps a perfect infant is born as long as there is no interference to nature. Why would the body raise its temperature in an attempt to kill off life threatening bacteria when it is sick? How come we don’t have to push an “on” button to get our heart started every morning? It just does it on its own. We all have this inborn organized mechanism or wisdom that helps us survive by adapting us to the constantly changing environments in which we live.
This adaptive mechanism we have inside us is pretty amazing. How does it work? Our innate intelligence produces an innate force (mental nerve impulse) that travels along the nerve system. This is the life force that maintains the innate matter (cells that make up your body) in existence. This is the formula that sustains life. It’s also what animates our personality, coordinates body function, repairs, heals, motivates, inspires, and drives us. As long as this system stays in tact, and there is no interference, it does a wonderful job of running the body and keeping it productive. Chiropractic is based on this natural law that governs life itself. When nerve interference is corrected at the vertebral (spinal bone) level, the integrity of the nervous system is restored. This happens every time a chiropractic adjustment is made. The intelligence is now able flow freely to all the cells of the body. The adaptive process will now have its greatest potential to work at 100%. The more organized the body is, the better it will function, and the more productive it will be.
As we all live and work each day of our life, our bodies are subjected to amazing amounts of physical, emotional, and chemical stress, which will affect vertebral alignment. Our spines are constantly twisting and moving in many directions which make us all prone to “vertebral subluxation” AKA interference to the intelligence transmitted along the nerve system, AKA interference to the amazing adaptive system that keeps us alive, organized, strong, and productive. This is something that is usually not picked up by the senses, just as high cholesterol, heart disease, infertility, or even an early stage cavity is not. However, interference to the nerve system can surely cause any or all parts of the body to not work at their best, which can affect any or all aspects of life.
Chiropractic is something that everyone needs. All human beings, under all circumstances, will function better and be more productive when free from nerve interference. All of us are better off when no subluxations are present.
INTEGRITY
The principle of chiropractic deals with the integrity of the nerve system as it relates to the vertebral column. The relationship is proper or appropriate, without anything improper on either part. The vertebrae (spinal bones) are not interfering with the nerve system and the nerve system is doing its part to coordinate the function of the vertebral column. Any relationship that has integrity has benefit for both parties.
Chiropractic deals with the positive, restoring the integrity of the nerve system, as an important aspect of health. The bigger idea is why we are doing it – to restore integrity, complete wholeness or well-being of the person. This makes a chiropractic office a whole lot different from other sickness / treatment type offices. People are in chiropractic offices because they want to be. They’re here when they feel good and they’re here when they feel terrible. People are here for the purpose of having health, harmony and proper function restored. At least we hope that’s why they are here. It’s a positive experience. Little children are anxious to jump on the table. It doesn’t hurt. People feel better, work better, and look better after it is done. What we do as chiropractors is positive for one reason. We succeed every time. We restore integrity to the spine and nerve system. People do not necessarily get well or live longer, but then that’s not our objective. Often times the above does happen which is an added bonus. Everyone walking out of the office is better off than when they first walked in. That is positive, fulfilling and rewarding.
Pure chiropractic has no ulterior motive. It is not a treatment for any ailment. It’s not a promise or attempt to make people feel better or get well. It’s not a substitute for medicine or a pretense to be something it’s not. Pure chiropractic principle simply maintains that every person in this world is better off with integrity in their nervous system.
Thank you to Dr. Joe Strauss for his ideas from his text Higher Ground.
PRINCIPLES OF LIFE
1. Through the presence of Innate (inborn) Intelligence (organization), the human body possesses the ability to re-organize itself toward optimal function, on a moment to moment basis.
2. This entity that originally organizes the human body is the same source for re-organization of the human experience throughout life.
3. The human body is in a constant state of breakdown and repair. The breakdown is a result of universal forces (outside in the world; day to day physical, emotional, and chemical stress) where as the repair is a result of innate forces (inside the body). The repair cycle must meet or exceed the demand from the breakdown cycle to sustain optimal healing and maximum expression of life.
4. A vertebral subluxation (misalignment of a spinal bone causing nerve pressure and usually no immediate symptoms) is a "breakdown" phenomenon brought about by universal forces which in and of itself can obstruct the transmission of innate forces that operate through and over the nervous system. This obstruction leads to breakdown exceeding repair, which results in loss of body performance. This results in the body not working or regenerating as efficiently as it can.
5. The Chiropractic adjustment is a gentle, specific, intentional force designed to correct (repair) a vertebral subluxation, remove (repair) interference, and allow the body to resume proper breakdown to repair healing ratios.
6. All healing (repair) takes time. Universal forces are constantly present during all repair cycles, making regular adjustment cycles vital for total and complete expression, regardless of age or state of health. True health has nothing to do with how you presently feel. It has everything to do with how well you function over all internally (coordination of cells, tissues, glands, and organs).
THE MOST COMMON MISCONCEPTION
I usually perceive this big misconception in many folks. "If I have pain, I must be out of alignment. " "If I don't have pain, everything must be good." This is a MAJOR MISCONCEPTION. Here's the truth: ******Pain does not always = subluxation (mis-alinged spinal bone that is squeezing a spinal nerve causing nerve interference). Many things can cause a pain in the back. It could be anything from a strained muscle, to a bladder infection, to a uterine fibroid, to an aortic aneurysm. Any one of over a hundred other things may cause pain in the back. Diagnosis or treatment of any condition is not within the scope of straight chiropractic.. This falls under the practice of medicine. We can only address the structure of the spine as it relates to nerve system function. When nerve interference is corrected, the integrity of the nervous system is restored and innate potential is better expressed. This is our objective. Sometimes pain can be related to a subluxation, but many times can be related to something else.
*****No pain does not always = no subluxation. Everything is not always fine when there is no pain. Usually most subluxations detected are not pain causing. How reliable is using how you feel to determine if you are subluxated? If I was a driver who only reached my destination 10-15% of the time because I always ended up in an accident, would you take a chance and get in the car with me? Would you take a chance on using something that has a 10-15% reliability to know if your nervous system has interference? The nervous system only has about 10-15% of its nerves that have the job of sensation. All the other nerves do things like make food taste better, make muscles stronger, balance chemistry in organs, digest and absorb nutrients, supply life to immune cells, and perform every other coordinated function that your body has to deal with on a moment to moment basis every day of your life. Those nerves will surely be affected by the subluxation, and no pain will be experienced. Why would you take a 85% chance of not knowing if any of those other nerves are possibly being interfered with? Why take a chance on having things on the inside not work as good as they should all the time? This is the reason why the spine should be checked regularly even if there is no pain.
The bottom line here is that the spine should be adjusted only where the chiropractor objectively locates a subluxation, not where it hurts. This will give the body its best potential for the best possible structure and balance, thus making the body healthier in the long run. If we treated an area just because there was pain, we would be practicing medicine, not chiropractic.
HOW FAR CAN YOU GO?
We all know that adjustments (correction of nerve interference) have a positive influence on the pain receptors located within the central nervous system. We also know that a better functioning nerve system will promote a better potential for healing and overall general health. That's great. But let's look at the far reaching affects of your nerve system when it is working at its highest efficiency. Let me point out one thing first. You can't feel nerve interference most of the time, just like you can't feel high cholesterol, infertility, gall stones, and many other things that may be going on in the body. The only way you'll ever know is if you get checked by a chiropractor.
Some of the latest cutting edge research has suggested that chiropractic adjustments may improve brain function. When the nerve pressure is relieved (through an adjustment), some studies have concluded that there is an increase in oxygen and cerebral blood flow. Other authors have reported an association between chiropractic adjustments and improved mental function. It has been also proposed in other studies that adjustments lead to increased brain activity.
What does all this mean in real life practicality? How does clear thinking and the ability to make quick accurate decisions affect the performance of a police officer, fireman, pilot, or ER doctor every day on the job? How would having more oxygen to the brain affect your children's learning and test taking capability in school? How would this help you every day when confronted with making decisions and judgements, which will eventually affect your income somewhere down the line? How often do you use your brain on a daily basis?
Did you know that a person’s incomes depend solely on the function of their nerve system? A waitress makes all her money on how many tables she can turn over. How much more money could she make on a busy Saturday night if her body performed better both mentally and physically. Million dollar deals are made every day on Wall Street that require sharp, meticulous thinking. How much more money could be made if brokers were just a bit sharper. How much further could you go???? Have your spine checked and adjusted for a better, more productive life!
Then and Now
Anxiety is something that is always on the minds of most folks. Everyone usually has some type of stress attached to them at all times. Back in the Stone Age, we either stayed and fought, or we ran away from the tiger that was chasing us causing our stress. Either way, the increased stress hormones only lasted a very short time. We then became back in a relaxed state once again. In modern times, we don’t have any large animals chasing us, but we do have a great deal of other stress always following us around. Because of the lifestyle we are all forced into, hormones such as cortisol are chronically raised and never get a chance to decrease. Because we are always dealing with work, family, finances, crowds, physical setbacks, etc., we never get a chance to truly rest. These chronically increased stress hormones will eventually lead to a depressed immune system, which can pave the way for any number of serious illnesses.
Through regular chiropractic care, we can’t change your lifestyle, but we can sure help your body deal with it better. When the integrity of the spine is restored, one has a nerve system working at peak potential with no interference. All body parts and coordinated functions will be at their best. This means that body chemistry is best balanced. Keeping your spine fully functional and free of vertebral subluxation(nerve interference) means keeping your nerve pathways open. This means things will work a whole lot better on the inside.
I can’t tell you how many times I hear chiropractic philosophy in everyday life. Remember that ad on TV that went something like this-- HOW WELL YOU RUN YOUR BUSINESS ON THE OUTSIDE DEPENDS ON HOW WELL IT IS RUN ON THE INSIDE. – What a concept!
WINDOW OF TIME
The state that your body is in during the few minutes that you are checked and adjusted at your chiropractor’s office is only a very small window of time in which your body presents itself. Things can be very different in the near future. Your body is constantly in motion, and constantly changing chemically. It is always adapting to its ever- changing environment. This is all working under the control of your nerve system. This is happening every second of every minute of every day in your life.
Your body's inner wisdom (innate intelligence) is a self regulating mechanism that is always working to correct itself so that you can always present at your best. What this means is that your body is always working to correct vertebral subluxations(interference to the nerve system) just as it always works to heal the cut on your hand, regulate your body temperature, and maintain your heart pumping every day.
Even though this amazing intelligence always has the potential to correct things completely, sometimes it just can't always meet the demands (stress) that the universe inflicts. If we were always able to adapt at 100%, there would be no aging and we would all be immortal.
Here's what I'm trying to say. If you get adjusted on Monday and have your nerve system cleared of interference, and four days later some physical, emotional, or chemical stress causes a subluxation that you can't feel and your body can't correct on its own, you'll be walking around with blocked nerve impulses until the next time you come in to be checked. For some people that's only a few days, or maybe a week. For other folks who don't read my articles, it maybe months or even years until they hurt themselves bad enough and decide it's time to come in. For others, it will be never. Who knows how much their lives are affected by the interference of brain messages.
My immediate and only goal in this office is to keep your body as free from nerve interference as possible. Only then will your body have its best and strongest nerve supply going out to all the cells (heart, lungs, kidneys, muscles, reproductive organs, blood vessels, etc.). My goal is not to make you feel good, get you well, or prevent you from getting stiff necks and other ailments. It's true however that there's a really good chance that all those things may happen anyway by staying frequent with your visits. One must understand that those are amazing secondary benefits to chiropractic care. You must, however, understand that my sole objective is to keep you free of nerve interference. It’s to help your innate wisdom keep the structure of your spine as close to perfect as possible. This means keeping the nerve signal(intelligence that is flowing) is at its strongest the majority of your life so that your body has its best potential to adapt to the constant stress inflicted on it. Only then will you be the best expression of life.
The more time you and your family spend with an uncompromised nerve signal, the better your lives will be. Does this make sense? Remember that your nerve system coordinates every aspect of your functioning body. This means that nerves also have the job of ultimately determining the level of success of every aspect of your life(job performance, ability to make money, ability to fight off disease, social interaction, life enjoyment, relaxation, sports performance, etc, etc.). Every cell in your body has its own nerve supply and needs a steady flow of uninterrupted intelligence to and from your brain.
Keep the pathways of life open!
Keep frequent visits!
It's about your life, not your back!
DEEP STUFF
Survival value is a term given to a unit of adaptational success. The success is due to a unit of mental force(mental impulse over the nerve system) being expressed through a unit of matter(tissue cell). Obviously, successful adaptation is dependent upon a mental impulse reaching the tissue cell with the right quality at the right moment of time without interference. Without that occurring, the cell has no chance of adaptational success. Given a poor nerve supply, the tissue cell has less potential for successful adaptation. The chiropractor is concerned with enabling that experience within the tissue cell(heart, lung, muscle, etc.) to be a successful adaptation. This occurs when interference due to a subluxation is removed via a gentle specific chiropractic adjustment. At this point, the tissue cell on the receiving end will have its greatest chance for successful adaptation.
Ideas taken from Joseph Strauss “Chiropractic Philosophy”
MAKING THE MESSAGE SIMPLE
Everyone on this earth will benefit from chiropractic services. They just don't know it because they've either never been told, or they've been confused at some point. This is all based on laws of nature that work all the time every time. The best way to remember is to always keep things as simple as possible. Just think of the letter “N”
1. Chiropractic deals with HUMAN PERFORMANCE.
2. Every level of performance is controlled by body chemistry.
3. Chemistry is controlled by organs whose job it is to make chemicals.
4. All the organs are controlled by the nerve system.
5. The nerve system is protected by the bones of the spine.
A VERTEBRAL SUBLUXATION OCCURS DUE TO DAILY PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND CHEMICAL STRESS CONSTANTLY ATTACKING THE SPINE.
1. A subluxation is a bone over which the body has lost control.
2. The position of the bone irritates the nerve.
3. Irritated nerves disrupt organ function often without pain.
4. Improper organ function disrupts body chemistry.
5. Disrupted body chemistry decreases performance levels.
A CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENT IS GIVEN.
1. A chiropractic adjustment restores proper bone position.
2. Proper position of the bone removes nerve interference.
3. Restored nerve control allows for normal organ function.
4. Proper organ function balances body chemistry.
5. Proper / balanced body chemistry increases Human Performance.
Your body will work better internally. (Thanks Reggie Gold)
IS PAIN ALWAYS A BAD THING?
Although it may not be a comfortable feeling, pain is a very important indicator that something is going wrong with the body. Even though it's not something that the chiropractor uses for analysis of the spine, it still should be put into perspective so that the person receiving care understands more clearly what it is the chiropractor is trying to accomplish.
When a sensory nerve is irritated, something usually hurts. When it has been irritated for a long period of time, maybe it just doesn't work as well as it should. It may lose sensation and you won't be able to feel things the way you should. That may be one of a couple reasons why you can't feel a sub- luxation that has been there a long time. The subluxation(nerve interference) may be cutting off the sensory nerve signals to and from the brain. Some- times when people are adjusted for the first time, they may feel some low grade pain or stiffness. This is due to those sensory nerve pathways finally opening up and nerves working as they should. Things are changing. The body is adapting. Is this a bad thing?
If a person has a bladder infection, what do you think would happen if the sensory nerves to that area were blocked off? If one has a malignant tumor growing in an area where sensory nerves were being blocked off, what would happen? That's right, that person probably wouldn't know these bad things were going on inside his or her body. As the nervous system starts to work better, he or she may be more aware of what's going on. The signals may be stronger. I’ve personally experienced a few people over the years that have had their symptoms gradually or extremely worsen as a result of getting their spines adjusted. They were soon diagnosed with some type cancer in a part of their body distal to the spine. Some were lucky enough to survive and are living today because the bad situation was caught early enough. I truly believe chiropractic saved their life because their pain got worse and caused both of us to investigate further. Is this pain a bad thing? Wouldn't you want to know if something wasn't right on the inside so that you can take care of it as soon as possible? Wouldn’t it make sense to make sure all the nerves are working properly and all the signals getting through? In chiropractic, we're not trying to get rid of your pain. Our goal is to promote proper nervous system function so you get the sensation you are supposed to, and you don't get the sensation that you are not supposed to. This is just one more reason to live without nerve interference. This is just one more reason to send your family members and loved ones in to have their spines checked.
THE BIG IDEA – THE FARMER
Why are chiropractic practices so big in rural America? You would think that city practices would be much larger because there are so many more people condensed into smaller areas.
A big part of rural America is the farm and agriculture industry. The farmer works all day long with the infinite wisdom of the universe. He trusts that it will bring the warming sun of spring, following a harsh winter. He trusts that it will bring the rain showers that will cause his crops to grow. Further he trusts the life principle of innate intelligence within that tiny seed he plants in the ground. A lifeless seed looks nothing like an ear of corn or a tomato plant. Yet, within that seed is the intelligence to cause the seed to grow in response to certain soil and water conditions. Innate intelligence causes the seed to grow in the right direction, which is always toward the sun. It can take the sun, water, and nutrients from the soil and make fruit. The farmer works with this principle every day of his life. He does not believe in the law of chance. He does not believe that a corn stalk will maybe grow where he planted corn. He believes in the principle of innate intelligence or the law of life that says, plant a corn seed and you’ll get corn. The farmer’s life depends on this principle. He lives by it and stands by it. When you tell him that this same principle is within his own body and needs to be expressed more fully in order to ensure optimal health, well being, and productive growth, he understands it. It’s not a new revelation. He understands that under the proper conditions (a nerve system free of interference that will coordinate the amazing innate intelligence), his body will have its best chance to thrive.
The farmer truly gets the Big Idea behind chiropractic.
Ideas taken from Strauss’s Higher Ground
SURVIVAL VALUES
Every human being is better off with a good nerve supply. This means either no nerve interference from subluxations or as little as possible.
Let’s say, for example, that an individual is free of nerve interference for only ten minutes after an adjustment. Suddenly his or her body has come under some major stress shortly after leaving the office. What has happened to the body during that ten minute period when no nerve interference existed? Chemicals in perfect quality and quantity were being produced by the brain and sent to the proper target organs at the proper times. Days, perhaps months of damage may have been repaired. We already know through research and first hand experience that the human body has an amazing ability to adapt very efficiently. We simply have no idea what future benefits may occur; especially since 85% of what’s going on in our body is not felt by our senses. What positive survival values may be obtained as a result of the minutes, hours, days, or weeks that a person spends nerve interference free?
The one thing that greatly motivates me to be a chiropractor is grasping the concept that every person who walks out of my office will be better off than when they came in. They will all be better off with a better nerve supply, even if it’s only for 10 minutes and even if they don’t feel any different when leaving the office.
Subluxations occur frequently and universally due to constant physical, mental, and emotional stress that the body is constantly under. Gravity alone will make the weight of the body a major stress on the spine, affecting alignment and nerve system function. Nerve interference due to subluxation has devastating short term and long term effects that can be extremely far reaching later on in life. This is the one and only reason why I choose to only adjust subluxations in my practice. Use of any other therapeutic treatment modalities for any other reasons would just seem so trivial compared to what’s really at stake.
Thank you to Dr. Joe Strauss for this idea which has been taken from one of his text books.
ADJUSTMENT OR MANIPULATION?
Often we hear these two words used in the same context. Many people use them synonymously and are convinced that they mean the same thing. They also think that they are both intended to accomplish the same goal when performed. Let's look at the definitions and clearly understand the difference.
ADJUSTMENT--THE SPECIFIC APPLICATION OF FORCES TO FACILITATE THE BODY'S CORRECTION OF NERVE INTERFERENCE.------PERFORMED BY PRINCIPLED CHIROPRACTORS ONLY. It is always an absolute, positive, beneficial act for every human being. It works 100% of the time for what it's supposed to do. You can't get rid of a subluxation (nerve interference) without your life potential improving in some way. Nerves communicate with every cell in your body. When there is a better flow of intelligence (mental impulse that travels along nerve fibers), receiving cells will adapt better, work better, and regenerate healthier. This will increase survival value, internal resources, and increase ability to stay healthier by increasing resiliency, ability to bounce back, ability to cope, recovery, and sustainability.
MANIPULATION--THE FORCEFUL PASSIVE MOVEMENT OF A JOINT BEYOND ITS ACTIVE LIMIT OF MOTION USED AS A TREATMENT FOR SOME MEDICAL CONDITION; USUALLY SOME MUSCULOSKELETAL TYPE AILMENT. IT DOES NOT IMPLY THE USE OF PRECISION, SPECIFICITY, OR THE CORRECTION OF NERVE INTERFERENCE, AND THEREFORE IS NOT SYNONYMOUS WITH THE CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENT.------PERFORMED BY OSTEOPATHS, PHYSICAL THERAPISTS, MEDICAL DOCTORS, AND ANYONE ELSE. Like any other medical procedure, manipulation may help folks with their symptoms sometimes, and other times may not help them at all. Like any other medical procedure, manipulation can be a positive thing for the body, or there may be risks involved.
There is clearly a difference.
CAN WE ADJUST OURSELVES?
Why should I go to a chiropractor when I could do it myself? I can crack my own back.
This is a real common misconception that I really need to address. You're right. You don't have to pay me to crack your back when you can do it at home yourself.
Let me explain the difference between what you may do at home should you choose to do it and what I do here in my office.
When one feels the need to crack his or her own neck, it means that the joints in the spine have fixated or lost mobility. Maybe the local nerves within the joints are irritated and discomfort may be experienced. When you stretch and hear that popping sound, the gas build up in the joint has released and tension has been taken off the joint. This is known as a manipulation. Maybe the local nerves are freed up. This usually feels pretty good. The problem here is that as you stretch, the same joint will release every time. This can cause the area to become overly mobile. Other areas of the spine will compensate by becoming less mobile. This can lead to the spine becoming very unstable. I really don't advise this.
When one comes into the office to have his or her spine checked, I'm really not concerned with a lack of mobility unless it also has the component of a misaligned bone with nerve interference. Then we call it a subluxation. When the spine is subluxated, the muscles anchoring the bones will have a certain character or tone that untrained hands could never analyze. Also, the major concern with a subluxation is not the little branches of sensory nerves inside the joints that may be causing some discomfort. It is the big nerve root connected to the spinal cord that is being squeezed as a result of the foramina (the opening where the nerve exits the cord) being closed down as a result of the misplaced spinal bone. When the nerve root is compressed, there is about a 15% chance you will feel it because the other 85% non sensory nerves in that bundle have the job of bringing life to muscles, organs, and other body functions. Those are the nerves that will be affected the most by the subluxation. Therefore, pain is not a reliable indicator of a compressed nerve root. Being checked by an experienced chiropractor is. When it is time for the adjustment, the amount of force and line of direction are specifically coordinated with the tone of the working fibers of the special deep muscles that are responsible for moving the spinal bones. Only someone specially trained in the art of advanced muscle palpation with years of experience in the motor skill of adjusting technique can complete this task with accuracy. This is the difference between a specific adjustment and a manipulation. The latter does not imply the use of precision, specificity, or the correction of nerve interference.
Yes you can crack or manipulate yourself at home. You may also have somebody do it for you should you choose. Are you doing damage????? Are you helping the body get rid of nerve interference or just loosening joints????? Are you creating more subluxations and more nerve interference that you can't necessarily feel?????
HOW DO WE KNOW THE NERVE SIGNALS ARE BEING BLOCKED JUST BECAUSE THERE IS A SUBLAXATION?
This is a very good question that someone asked. I'd like to share this answer with anyone who will read this.
Aside from all the scientific research that has been done on this subject, I'd really like to answer this in more of a common sense approach. Let's take the example the aorta. The aorta is the major blood vessel exiting the heart that will eventually supply blood to just about every part of the body. If someone were to tie a string as tight as possible around my aorta, I would die because I eventually wouldn't have any blood reaching my tissues. If the string was to be loosened to 1/4 of the original tightness, would it kill me? It most likely would not because most of the blood would get through to the tissues. Would it hurt? It probably wouldn’t. Is it a good thing to have???................. What do you think? If you put an elastic band tightly around your finger, would it make sense to walk around with it like that for 30 years? What would happen to your finger?
You see, the hole where the nerve exits the spine is only big enough for the nerve root and other smaller soft tissue structures to pass. If the spinal bone moves ever so slightly, the whole area will be impinged. Will it kill you? I don’t think so. Will it hurt? I don’t think so. Is it a good thing to have?........ .....What do you think?....... Will all the messages get through like they should???????? .............
If all the messages did get through, would you be closer to your best? Would all your human abilities have a better potential for improvement?
One law of nature says that when you change the structure of something (the spine), it will always affect how that something will function or perform. Another law of nature says that when there is a higher state of order (organization in the body), things will work more efficiently. These are natural laws that are provable just by observing the existence of life itself.
It shouldn't really take 1,000 different research studies to prove what common sense and nature tell us if we just think about it a little and listen to it. Live subluxation free!!
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN TO BE CHECKED FOR NERVE INTERFERENCE?
You should never use how you feel as a guage to know whether or not to come in and be checked for nerve interference. I've studied the nervous system for 3 1/2 years in chiropractic school and have read countless books and articles on the subject in the 30 plus years I've been in practice. The only way you'll ever know if your subluxated (interference to the nerve system) is if you come in to your chiropractor and get checked.
Let me explain briefly. About 85% of the nerve system supplies both your muscles and your organs. If any of those fibers are impinged upon or irritated at the level of the nerve root, you'll never feel it. However, the cells on the other end may never get the correct signal from the brain. That leaves about 15% nerves that deal with pain and other sensations. If any of these fibers are compressed, two things can happen. Pain sensation can be stimulated in which case you may surely feel it. Or, pain sensation can be actually turned off if the nerve has been compressed for any long length of time. In this case you won't feel it. So, that leaves the possibility of you feeling a subluxation about 7 1/2% of the time.
Pain is not a reliable indicator of subluxation or nerve interference, so please don't judge things by how you feel. It doesn't tell the real story of what's going on inside. Your chiropractor may find a subluxation in your lower spine that may be giving you some pain, and he also may find a subluxation in your upper dorsal spine that isn't causing you any discomfort, but is possibly interfering with the nerve signals going to your heart or lungs. I'm sure he will address both. Which do you think he should address first? Which is more important? You see, how and where you are feeling pain at the moment really has nothing to do with what's being done in this office. It doesn’t help me with my analysis of your spine. My objective is to find nerve interference and help the body correct it, whether it hurts or not.
You should always consider having your family checked regularly. Their nerve system is their life force. It's responsible for all levels of success in every aspect of everyone’s life. Every cell in the body has its own nerve supply. Keep the full force of intelligence flowing at all times under all circumstances.
HOW FULL IS "YOUR" SAVINGS ACCOUNT?
We are born with a fixed life span. It's fixed by our genetic make-up. There is nothing we can ever do that will add one day to that figure. That's the way it is. However, there are a number of things we can do to our bodies that can significantly reduce that figure. It's like having a savings account that you draw from anytime you wish. But when the account is emptied, there is no more. That's it. It's all gone. Most young people draw money out of their account for every silly little thing they want. But as they get older and gain more wisdom. They become more selective. They approach each potential purchase with the question "Do I really need this?"
As human beings, we draw from our life span account rather presumptuously in our younger years and get away with it (not enough exercise, booze, tobacco, missed meals, not enough sleep, physically beating up our bodies, unbalanced haphazard lifestyle running all over the place, no peace). As we get older we begin to panic. "The account is getting lower." "How can I get more in the account?" "What can I do to take better care of my account and keep it active so it doesn't get terminated?" "Help!"
What does all this mean? Every day I hear from people (usually outside my practice) "I just don't have the time to take care of myself. I have two jobs, three kids with many activities, a house to keep up, etc. etc. I don't have time to get to a gym, eat right, or get my spine checked. I just have too much going on. "Maybe next month I'll start."
The truth is if you don't make the time and money now to invest in yourself, you probably never will. You'll reach the panic stage sooner than you think and by then it may be too late. I hope the kids are on their own by then.
If you don't work at all the different pieces that maintain life, you'll never really add to the account that has been loosing funds over the years. Running five miles a day won't do much good if your smoking five packs of cigarettes a day. Buying at the health food store won't help if you’re getting three hours of sleep every night. Ordering a diet soda with three cheeseburgers.....????...... Of course, if you don't get your spine checked frequently, and you are walking around with nerve pressure, you'll never ever get the most out of your diet, exercise, or any other good health habit you have. The interference on the nervous system, whether subtle or very prominent, seriously impairs the body's ability to carry on all its normal and natural functions. When the body's chemistry is upset, organ function is affected, resistance is lowered, and all coordinated activity is decreased. The food you eat, the vitamins you take, and the good rest and exercise you get will never be best utilized by the body if there is nerve interference. Your body will just not work at its peak potential. If you keep the life channels open (keep the nerves from being squeezed off), your body's nerve system will work at its maximum. The body will perform all its tasks more efficiently, giving you your best chance to be all you could be.
This story has a great ending........MAKE THE TIME TO INCREASE THE BODY'S POTENTIAL before there is no time left....... ADD TO THE ACCOUNT.
Enhance your life!
Thank you Dr. Joe Strauss for this great analogy.
THINK ABOUT THIS...
As I get older, I hear of more and more people coming down with these terrible degenerative conditions. These stories seem to be fairly commonplace today. It seems like almost everyone I know is on some type of prescription for something. I can count on maybe two or three fingers the times that I have needed a prescription in the last 30 years. I am truly grateful and blessed to have kept a strong body and mind throughout my life. I believe that some of these challenges are due to environmental and genetic circumstances that most of us have little or no direct control over. I think most of them, however, can be reversed or at least put in check by better awareness and the right action steps taken .
Here’s what I’d like to say. There are some things that we do have control over. I think it’s a no-brainer that we must make sure we have the proper support system in place. This will give the body its best fighting chance. Having a good exercise program, good diet, good spiritual outlook, etc. are all great for achieving and maintaining well being. The less chemical poisons we put in our bodies will also help slow the aging / degenerative process as well. Part of the reason why there is so much chemical dependency these days is because the TV and radios are jammed with drug commercials trying to get naive people dependent with the belief that their quality of life will be better. That’s no secret.
Where does chiropractic fit into this model? A lot of folks might say, well, if I go to a chiropractor and get adjusted for 20 or 30 years I will be assured of never having back and neck problems when I get older. Not only is this a false statement and not the best reason for getting your spine checked, it’s just not at all where chiropractic fits into the optimal life model. It is true that many people are helped a great deal with back and neck problems through adjustments. You will also have your best chances to keep a strong back and neck with proper alignment and good nerve supply maintained, but this is really not our objective or vision. Let’s get to a much higher level.
When brain signals reach all cells of the body and all cells are able to complete all their specialized tasks, we have homeostasis, balance, or perfection. When there is nerve interference due to subluxation(tiny usually painless misalignment of the vertebrae of the spine), the body’s intelligence or inner wisdom is not able to express itself the way it should. Thus, cells are deprived of the proper signal or any signal at all from the brain. Proper messages don’t make it to where they have to go or back to the brain. Let’s take for example a person at age 50 who develops kidney disease. Do you think that his or her kidney cells would have been better off many years ago with a strong supply of brain signals or a bad, interrupted supply of brain signals???? Their future, reality, or destiny may have been much different.
We need to see the common sense. A body with a good nerve supply is always better off than a body with a bad nerve supply. It doesn’t matter how sick, healthy, old or young you are.
If you keep a good strong nerve supply throughout your life starting from birth, you will surly increase your potential for the best life.
Think about this.
CHIROPRACTIC - WHAT A UNIQUE SERVICE!
In this short article, I’d like to get a little deeper into what makes chiropractic so special.
The beauty of chiropractic philosophy is that it teaches us that chiropractic is not meant to have all the answers. The adjustment is not designed to treat, cure, or alleviate any of the symptoms of disease. The purpose of the adjustment is to enable the inner wisdom of the body which is coordinated by the central nervous system to be better expressed. Once the recipient of the adjustment understands and is comfortable with this explanation, only then can they really grow and truly understand the deeper benefits of receiving regular adjustments.
Chiropractic is intellectual and practical. While our objective is metaphysical, enabling the innate intelligence to be better expressed, it is also practical. What part of improving the function of the nervous system is not applicable to life? Or perhaps better said, what aspect of life is not improved if the nervous system functions better, since nerves control everything inside us? Chiropractic is pertinent and relevant to every human being in every activity of life. So chiropractic really is about your life and how well you live it.
Human beings cannot reach their full potential in health or any other area when vertebral subluxations (nerve interference) are present. This controlling conviction comes from the deduction aspect of our philosophy. If subluxations interfere with the function of the nervous system and if proper function of the nervous system is essential to every function and activity, then it logically follows that a person can’t reach their potential in any one or maybe all aspects of life without having their subluxations corrected. This deductive reasoning makes it so simple for folks to grasp the true meaning of living a subluxation free life. Improper spinal alignment and improper nervous system function (subluxations / nerve interference) are not always accompanied with pain or disability.
The thing that really excites me is the idea that adjusting spines in every man, woman, and child can make every one of them a little healthier and a little better in dozens of ways. What could be more rewarding than this? Every time someone walks out of my office after an adjustment, they will be better off in some way than they were before they came in. This is truly a unique service.
Thanks to Dr. Joe Strauss for sharing some of these great philosophical facts from a recent text book of his.
WHAT IS "LIFE FORCE"?
Webster's Dictionary defines "life" as "the vital force, whether regarded as physical or spiritual, the presence of which distinguishes organic (live) from inorganic matter (dead)." That which is living remains so by organized function. Innate Intelligence is responsible for this organized function. There can be no life without organization. It is this life force, which is the cause of all living function.
Although the presence of Innate Intelligence is actual and demonstrable, its location has to be theoretical. The brain is the organ through which coordination is maintained. All motor and trophic impulses originate there, and all sensory impulses are interpreted there. It seems reasonable to assume, therefore that the brain is the place in which Innate Intelligence is located. In actuality, however, there can be no specific location for Innate Intelligence. Being immaterial, it does not occupy space. To say that it is located in the brain would be to deny that it is anywhere else. Paradoxically, it is everywhere yet has no location at all.
Let’s remember for a minute that experiment that we all did back in HS biology with the dead frog hooked up to the electrode. The frog’s leg will always jump when stimulated by the electricity because of the presence of the physical nerve and physical nerve impulse. In order to have life in an organism, there must be a physical nerve impulse and a mental nerve impulse. The mental nerve impulse is the life force. It carries the intelligence or organization. It carries the specialized message to the specialized cell to produce a specialized action. With just a physical nerve impulse and no mental impulse, it would be like mailing just an envelope without the specialized contents of the message inside. There would be no order, therefore no life.
When interference is corrected, and nerves are freed up, the potential for the nerve system to carry these once blocked mental impulses (intelligence) out to all the cells becomes greater. Therefore this Innate Intelligence will be better expressed throughout the body and cells will have a greater potential to work better and regenerate healthier.
Once again, It’s not about your back. It’s about your life.
CHIROPRACTIC SIMPLICITY
1. There is a UNIVERSAL INTELLIGENCE in all things constantly giving those things all their properties and actions. There is order in the universe. Things are rational. Things are logical. Things do not happen by random chance. Something much greater than us put the universe together and keeps it orderly.
2. INNATE INTELLIGENCE is the individualized, unitized portion of universal intelligence that exists in all biological structures. It is transmitted along the nerve system in all human beings.
3. UNIVERSAL FORCES are constantly eroding all things in the universe, constantly challenging universal and innate intelligence. Because universal forces are erosive and corrosive, they destroy life. They lead to premature death of the organism.
4. VERTEBRAL SUBLUXATION, is caused by erosive, destructive, universal forces. It interferes with the function of the nerve system. It interferes with the transmission of innate intelligence. It exists in all humans. Vertebral subluxation diminishes the ability of the body’s innate intelligence to adapt to the destructive universal forces.
5. CHIROPRACTORS are the only people on this planet who specifically help the body correct vertebral subluxation.
6. CORRECTION of vertebral subluxation helps the innate intelligence to be better expressed. This helps the body to adapt better to its outside environment which is full of destructive universal forces. THIS PROMOTES LIFE.
7. THERE’S A SMALL MIRACLE IN EVERY CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENT.
THEY SAY THAT GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE…
… a kind of super-intelligence exists in each of us, infinitely smarter and possessed of technical know-how far beyond our present understanding.- Lewis Thomas, M.D., The Medusa and the Snail
Intelligence is present everywhere in our bodies… our own intelligence is far superior to any we can try to substitute from the outside…- Deepak Chopra, M.D., Quantum Healing
I have never been able to accept fully the idea that adaptation and the harmonious building of complex biological systems… are the results of molecular accidents… even considering the millions of billions of years (that) may have been available for the changes. I have always been seeking some higher organizing principle that is leading the living system towards improvement and adaptation.- Albert-Szent Gyorgy, Ph.D.(Nobel Prize laureate discoverer of Vitamin C) From his essay, “What is Life?”
Life is the center where the material and spiritual forces of the Universe seem to meet and be reconciled.- Edwart Sinnot, renowned Yale biologist
The entire mind body system is a “net work of information.”- Dr. Candace Pert, Director, brain biochemistry division, National Institute of Mental Health
A new medicine is in the making – one in which mind, consciousness, meaning and intelligence play key roles.- Larry Dossy, M.D., author of Space, Time and Medicine
Disease is a lack of co-ordination between Innate, the source of power, and its expression.- D.D. Palmer -Founder of Chiropractic
WHO DO YOU THINK LIKE?
LIFE
What is it? Intelligent energy
Where does it come from? The Brain
Where does it go? To all parts of the body
How does it get there? By way of the nerve system
What does it do? It keeps you alive and 100% healthy.
What happens if it gets shut down? Your body expresses less than its full potential for life…...every time.
How does it get shut down? Vertebral Subluxation(nerve pressure)
How does it get turned on again? Chiropractic Adjustments
What happens when it is turned on again? Life returns…adaptation begins…....every time.
What happens when you keep it turned on? You maintain the greatest degree of life possible