More and more, people look for answers on how to become healthier and on how to maintain this newfound health. As individuals, we are no longer satisfied with just having our symptoms relieved or covered up. We are looking for the causes of our problems and situations. This global change demands more answers to the questions we ask about our health.
It often appears that people take better care of their cars than they do of their own bodies. Every three to six thousand miles they change the oil and receive regular tune-ups. They continually watch the gauges and tire pressure. Even when the car is running well, we still see the mechanic for regular checkups and maintenance.
We have been trained to see a doctor only when we have a problem. Shouldn’t we give our bodies at least the same attention that we give our automobiles? If health is what we want, then we must learn what it is, where it comes from and how to achieve it!
When we look at our present health care system, it is obvious that achieving and maintaining health is not the common goal. Most health care providers look only at treating symptoms or relieving and emergency within the body. We are told to do this or that and then instructed to come back only if the problem or symptom persists or becomes worse.
Is this a health care system? Clearly a “Sick Care System” has been established. Come in when you are sick and return when you are sick. Chiropractic is a true “Health Care System” that prides itself on looking to the cause of the problem, not just relieving the symptoms.
How can a person truly become healthy without knowing what health really is? Chiropractic’s paradigm of health is to educate individuals to they can take greater responsibility for their own healthcare. Through education, trust and love, your Doctor of Chiropractic will guide your body through the healing process so you may achieve the highest level of health possible.
Your Doctor of Chiropractic will encourage you to maintain this level of health by teaching you how to listen to your body, understand your body and trust your body. When empowered to achieve optimal health, a person is on the road to a happier and more prosperous life.
Why has Chiropractic become so popular? why does it work so well? It is because doctors of chiropractic are the only professionals trained to locate and correct a condition that can damage body function and overall health: the vertebral subluxation complex. If you have one, you cannot be truly healthy.
It was on September 18th, 1895 in Davenport, Iowa that Dr. Daniel David Palmer, a successful magnetic healer, just learned that Harvey Lillard, his janitor had become deaf 17 years earlier after something “gave” in his back. Palmer examined the man’s spine and found a vertebra slightly out of its normal position. With Mr. Lillard’s permission, Palmer adjusted the vertebra back into place and his hearing returned. His curiosity piqued, Dr. Palmer examined other patients’ spines. As he later wrote:
“Shortly after this relief from deafness, I had a case of heart trouble which was not improving. I examined the spine and found a displaced vertebra pressing against the nerves which innervate the heart. I adjusted he vertebra and gave immediate relief. Then I began to reason if two diseases dissimilar as deafness and heart trouble, came from impingement, a pressure on nerves, were not other diseases due to a similar cause?”
Such was the discovery of chiropractic. In many ways it was a re-discovery of the ancient art of spinal care found in nearly every culture and practiced since time immemorial. Palmer’s “displaced vertebrae… (causing) a pressure on nerves is now called the vertebral subluxation complex (VSC or subluxation). The subluxation defies easy description – nearly 300 terms are used to describe it. That is because the VSC is technically an abstraction, like the electron, gravity, or the gene. It is a term used to describe the phenomenon by which chiropractors get such good results. Most definitions of the VSC say it consists of a spinal bone out of place interfering with brain/nerve function. The VSC causes body malfunction (dis-ease, which can lead to lowered resistance to disease, pain, imbalance, fatigue and can pave the way for ill health. It is sometimes called the “silent killer” because it can slowly eat away at your health and vitality for years without your having the slightest awareness of it.
For ease of understanding and communication, subluxation damage is defined by the following 4 components:
Subluxations are caused by stress: macro-stress such as accidents, falls, sports injuries, birth stress and other trauma or micro-stress which is caused by repeated movements that gradually wear down your body parts, by bad posture and even emotional stress. present subluxations can occur from a difficult birth or from childhood falls. It is for that reason that infants and children need to have their spines checked by a doctor of chiropractic. Neurological and other health problems have been traced to spinal damage at birth or in infancy.
Subluxations are so common that they can be considered an epidemic – nearly everyone has them. It is sometimes said that if you suffer from neck and back pain you’re lucky – you are aware of a spinal problem and will (hopefully) go to a doctor of chiropractic for a spinal checkup.
The chiropractor will not only check the areas in pain, but will throw in a “bonus” and check your entire spinal column for subluxations, even the areas that don’t hurt. Pain doesn’t always mean that’s where the subluxation is located – the pain may be referred with the subluxation far from the area that’s hurting. Chiropractors, for example, have seen severe leg pain (sciatica), pneumonia, kidney or bladder problems, allergies or stomach problems disappear after correcting subluxations in the upper neck.
But subluxations are often painless. Therefore, periodic spinal examinations to locate and correct vertebral subluxations should be a part of every family’s health care routine. Correcting silent subluxations today might save you and your family from conditions that, later in life, could not possibly be ignored.
The three most important factors in correcting your vertebral subluxations are time, repetition, and energy. The following understanding is important for your journey to health through Chiropractic.
Many people expect to regain their health right away. They are used to fast cars, fast foods and fast health care. Time is a key ingredient to regaining 100% health. Many people’s health problems started in the past and finally their symptoms came to light. If the underlying causes of problems that have been with a person for months or years, it makes perfect sense that the problem won’t be gone in a few days or visits. Time is a key ingredient to making changes.
Repetition is the vital key to correcting Vertebral Subluxation and restoring the integrity of the nervous system through the healing process. Your Chiropractor is likely to work with you on a repetitive program. Consistency of care is essential for changes to take place. You cannot diet for two days, binge for seven days, diet for one week, binge fro three weeks and expect to lose weight. The prose pct of releasing weight doesn’t seem logical. The same is true of correcting your Subluxations and stabilizing your nervous system. It takes repetition to change things that have been in your body for a while. The length of time you have had your problem will determine the amount of repletion your body needs to recover and heal.
Energy is the part of the equation that holds everything together and is mostly the patient’s responsibility. Make your appointments. Ask questions. Do any home care that is given to you. Attend extra classes offered by your doctor to learn more about your health and take a greater responsibility for your health and healing.
With the formula of Time, Repetition and Energy. It is easily seen that your chances of optimal health increase dramatically. If you can put the discipline it takes into these three step… health is within your reach!
Listed below are common questions and answers to help give you a better understanding of your report and your digital foot scan.
Q: What do the digital images of my feet tell me?
A: Your regular foot scan image shows where your weight is distributed on both feet. You can see whether or not the area of your foot touching the foot plate is the same on each foot. If the areas are not equal, you’re placing more weight on one side of your body than the other and transmitting stresses to the knees, hips and spine – which could be the cause of pain in those areas. A balanced, symmetrical foot scan shows that ideal weight distribution has half the weight on the heel and half the weight on the forefoot. This means that the feet are doing a good job absorbing the stresses of standing and walking.
If your feet don’t look like this, they are not able to do a good job absorbing the stresses of standing and walking. This stress could be contributing to pain throughout your body. From your foot scan, your healthcare professional can determine if you can benefit from Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers.
Q: What are Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers?
A: Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers are flexible custom-made orthotics you wear in your shoes. They are the only orthotics designed to support all three arches of your foot. Stabilizers balance and support all three arches of your foot to help align your ankles, knees, and hips, providing a solid foundation for your entire body. Exact measurements of your feet are taken from your digital foot scan when we create your pair of Stabilizers, so they are as unique as you are. Firm and flexible, they support the body and allow your feet to maintain normal movement.
Q: How could Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers help me?
A: By properly supporting the arches of your foot, Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers help your feet maintain their structural and functional balance as you stand, walk, or run. Your feet are like the foundation of a house. If the foundation is not level or is shaky, then the house will never be level The same is true for you! If your foundation is not level or balanced, it can lead to problems all the way up your body. Stabilizers give you the stable foundation you need for a properly aligned boyd, which helps reduce unnecessary stress and strain on your joints – meaning less pain for you now and in the future.
Scoliosis usually develops in the pre-teen or early teen years, when the body grows rapidly. It is seven times more common in females than in males. As a result of the spinal curvature during this rapid growth period, the vertebrae – normally square and level grow into a wedge shape. The rib cage adapts to the bend and twist of the spine. When the bones form in this position is almost impossible to obtain correction. Treatment at this advanced stage can retard or halt the progress of the scoliosis, but complete correction is probably not obtainable. The obvious answer to the problem is to find the imbalance when it first develops, thus preventing the abnormal bone formation.
Rarely does the individual him/herself discover the scoliosis, because it usually develops with no pain or other symptoms. Most cases of scoliosis are observed and reported by parents or in a school screening program. Unfortunately, this is usually after the condition has progressed considerably. Most parents are unaware of the early signs of developing scoliosis, and the condition is usually somewhat advanced before it is recognized.
There are many signs of developing scoliosis that every parent should know, so that the earliest possible treatment can be obtained. Observe your child’s general structural balance.
Have your child stand in front of you and bend forward, as if to touch his/her toes. As s/he bends forward, observe that the head, shoulders, trunk, and pelvis stay balanced all the way down. It is important cot watch your child in the actual bending process, as well as when s/he is in the full toe-touching position. Imbalance at any stage of this action is important.
As the right leg goes forward, the left arm should flow forward easily. The next stage of walking finds the left leg going forward; the right arm should flow forward easily. The next stage of walking finds the left leg going forward; the fight arm should flow smoothly forward. If this smooth movement is not present and your child looks awkward when walking or running, it is quite possible that there is confusion in the nervous system. This is one of the primary reasons for scoliosis.
The prevention of scoliosis is extremely important to your child’s future health and general well-being.
*Excerpted from the following publications: