What Can Chiropractic Care Do for You?
What is chiropractic all about and how does it work? A chiropractor is a health care professional who specializes in the health and function of the spine and nervous system. Because of this focus on the spine, many people think chiropractors can only help with problems such as back pain, neck pain and headaches. It is true that chiropractors can often help with these things, but there is so much more to chiropractic than just pain. Chiropractic care is really about total health and wellbeing. It's about helping people to feel great and get the most out of life by functioning at their optimal potential. A recent study found that about 25% of Canadians have visited a chiropractor at some time in their life. Although back and neck pain were the main specific health problems people gave for seeing a chiropractor, almost half of the chiropractic patients said they went for general wellness or disease prevention. They saw a chiropractor because they wanted to function at their best. About 2/3 of the chiropractic patients said chiropractic care had helped them to improve their overall health and made them feel better and almost half of them said it helped them to sleep better or to reduce stress and to relax. One third of those seeing chiropractors said it helped them by making it easier to cope with their health problems and it gave them a sense of control over their health.
Patients felt that chiropractic motivated them to eat healthier and exercise more regularly.
Most patients said they felt that chiropractic care helped them with the cause of their health problems instead of just treating their symptoms. Symptoms are a bit like a fire alarm. The fire alarm is not the problem, the fire is.
The alarm only goes off to let you know that something is not right. If you take drugs or medication to mask your pain or symptoms it's a bit like taking the battery out of the fire alarm. It's much better to take care of the cause of the problem. This is what your chiropractor is aiming to do.
The spine is there to protect the spinal cord which is part of the central nervous system. The spine is like a set of armour made up of segments so that it could bend and move naturally with the body. A spinal segment consists of two vertebra and the joints that connect them. There is a disk between each vertebra that acts as a cushion. Underneath that armour a lot is happening. Messages travel around the body up the spinal cord and into the brain. The brain processes those messages and sends replies back down the spinal cord to tell the body how to respond. The central nervous system is one big information highway and it carries vital messages to every part of your body. Sometimes the wear and tear of everyday life can impact the spine and spinal segments can move in a way that is different to normal in a dysfunctional way. That wear and tear can happen gradually such as from bad posture or it can happen suddenly which is common with sports injuries. Because of the close relationship between the spine and the nervous system, everyday strains can actually impact the flow of information and communication between the brain and the body. Messages may not be delivered to the brain or they may be inaccurate. When that miscommunication occurs due to abnormal movements of the spine, chiropractors use manual techniques called chiropractic adjustments or spinal manipulations. By making fast gentle adjustments to the spine, chiropractors restore its natural movement. If the central nervous system is like the engine of your body, a chiropractor acts like the mechanic, tuning the spine and central nervous system so that your body can run like a race car.
So, do you want to sleep better, feel better, have more energy, reduce stress, relax or simply maintain your health and wellbeing? Give it a go and join the millions of others who report to get these benefits from chiropractic care.
This column has taken excerpts from Haavik Research (The Reality Check)
James DiGiuseppe is a local chiropractor with a busy family and wellness practice. For more health information or to contact Dr. DiGiuseppe visit: www.portarthurchiropractic.com