What is Chiropractic?
Does it Hurt?
Are Regular Visits Necessary?
How Old Should You Be?
How Does It Work?
Should I See a Chiropractor if I Feel Fine?
Do Chiropractors use Drugs, or Surgery?
What about During Pregnancy?
History
Education

What is Chiropractic?
To Jeffery it's a cure for chronic ear infections. It helps Mary with her menstrual problems. Bob thinks it's all about relief of his headaches and back pain. Chiropractic is, many things to many people, but based on one simple principle. Your nerves control everything. Stomach, heart, muscles, kidneys, pancreas, blood flow, everything! When the spine gets "out of wack", it will irritate, or "pinch" those nerves, and cause problems to whatever part that nerve goes to. If it's your stomach you might get acid stomach or indigestion.. If it's the muscles the symptom might be pain numbness, or weakness.

Chiropractic is the Science & Art of finding the problem areas and restoring them to a balanced state. Simple, painless corrections to the spine, calm the nerves and improve the body's function. It's that simple.

Does it hurt?
Most of the time chiropractic adjustments are painless and actually feel good. Most patient's look forward to their treatments. In cases of recent trauma, such as whiplash, mild discomfort may be experienced the first few times, due to inflammation and muscle spasm. It is also common to feel sensation in the extremities briefly following treatment due to the release of pressure from the affected nerve.

Are regular visits necessary?
Regular chiropractic care, like regular dental care, will help eliminate small problems before they become big ones. Timely adjustments help restore integrity and balance to the muscular, skeletal, nerve and immune systems. It is easier to fix small problems then big ones. The choice is always yours.

How old should a person be ?
From birth til death, regardless of age, the spine can become misaligned. Twisting and pulling during the birth process can misalign the infant's neck. Gentle light pressure techniques can correct this. Chiropractic checkup's are recommended to detect problems early while they are still easy to fix.

How does it work?
Chiropractic treatments do not heal the body. Chiropractic helps restore balance by eliminating interference to nerve flow. The body then heals itself.

What if I feel fine?
Do you ever go to the dentist when you have no pain? Occassional Chiropractic checkups can detect small problems before they become big ones. Even if you feel fine, chiropractic can help your body maintain its optimum level of function and health.

Do Chiropractors use Drugs or Surgery?
Chiropractors use natural healing principles and do not include drugs, or surgery in their treatment programs. Medications often interfere with the body's healing mechanisms, produce side effects, create dependence and lead to drug-caused disease or complications. The first response in most illnesses and injuries should be conservative. When absolutely necessary your chiropractor will refer you to a medical doctor for drugs or surgery.

How does chiropractic help pregnant woman?
Chiropractic can reduce the pain associated with child bearing and delivery, by maintaining proper alignment in the pelvic and spinal bones. Pregnant women under regular Chiropractic care often experience fewer headaches, less nausea and better elimination. Studies show these women have significantly shorter labor, which reduces the stress of child birth on the mother and child.

A Short History of Chiropractic
Spinal manipulation is traced all the way back to the beginning of recorded time. Writings from 2700 B.C. in China and Greece mention spinal manipulation to ease back pain. Hippocrates, the father of medicine wrote," Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases ".

Dr. Daniel D. Palmer named Chiropractic in 1895 after helping a deaf janitor regain his hearing with a spinal manipulation. Palmer read the medical journals of his time and developed a theory that misaligned spinal bones put pressure on the sensitive nerves and caused a whole host of problems.

In 1897 he established the first School of Chiropractic and today there are Chiropractic Colleges and Universities across the U.S. and around the world.

A New Zealand study published in 1979 strongly supports the efficacy of chiropractic care. It was influencial in expanding medical cooperation and acceptance of chiropractic care. In 1993 a study published in Canada pointed out the cost effectiveness of chiropractic and concluded that, it's natural and preventative approach, could save hundreds of millions of dollars annually in work disability payments and direct health care costs.

Chiropractic Education
Doctors of Chiropractic (D.C.'s), like Medical Doctors (M.D.'s), first must complete 2 to 4 years of undergraduate study, then an additional 4 years of graduate school. This includes over 4,200 hours of classroom, laboratory and clinical experience. Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Diagnosis, Radiology, etc.

The biggest difference is the focus on treatment technique and philosophy. Chiropractors learn spinal analysis & adjustment technique, nutrition and exercise physiology, while medical students learn about drug therapy and minor surgery.

All doctors must pass riqorous National Board Examinations covering all aspects of their education, and State Board Exams for each state they wish to practice in. They must attend annual post graduate courses to maintain their primary health care provider status.