I come across people all the time who simply do not have any exposure to chiropractic. These folks come in all shapes and sizes, economic levels, and professions. Early on in my career I would often become frustrated with how much of the world is looking for answers outside of themselves, even though coming to see me! That’s right. There is no magic bullet to being healthy. No one food, no perfect adjustment, no drug. The answer is in allowing your innate health potential to flourish. The best part of that is you already have what you need. Eliminating stressor and including health promoters…
Many of you probably do not understand that much about chiropractic. It’s okay. You are not alone in that. I hear that statistics show that somewhere between 8 and 10% of the population have ever been under the care of a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) before. And I was much like you when I was first was introduced. What I thought I knew was collection of bits and pieces of what I had been told from someone else’s experience or seen through the media. I because so fascinated by a profession that was a natural approach to taking care of people that I was willing to apply to chiropractic school without ever having experienced an adjustment myself.
I am so grateful for that leap of faith that has had a profound effect of my life. To me this is similar to what happens when someone is referred in by a friend or family member and trust that we have the compassion and expertise to help them. Now, many years into a profession that I have given and gained so much, I felt compelled to write a short blog of what chiropractic is “in a nutshell”. In fact, this is pretty much what I share with many of my patients when we meet for the first time.
Chiropractic is profession which is a philosophy, a science, and an art. The underlying philosophy that makes this profession unique is the idea that we are born with the innate intelligence to be a self-healing/self-regulating. In addition the nervous system is the master system in our body that controls and regulates the rapid and complex functions constantly at work in the body. Whether we realized it or not, we experience our entire lives through our nervous system.
Secondly, chiropractic is also a science. The anatomy and physiology of the body does not change no matter what discipline you are in you can rely on what has been studied and confirmed over hundreds of years. One of the most fascinating things to me is how the body is designed to have the most vital organs protected by bone. That’s right the ribs, the pelvis, and spinal column and the skull protect many of our vital organs especially the central nervous system.
Lastly, chiropractic is also an art. Each practitioner is using various methods to practice their craft of removing subluxations, along with other techniques to assist restoring balance to the body. That is why every chiropractor may be somewhat different. What you will find is that the philosophy is shared across the profession and that is what makes chiropractic a unique and separate discipline from medicine dentistry, physical therapy, acupuncture, nutrition, etc. What I feel is most important is not to be afraid, but find a D.C. that is a good fit for you and your family.
