Why You Need Chiropractic Care

Seeing a chiropractor is a wise choice that can be a key component of one's overall health routine. Not only can chiropractic care treat a variety of conditions, but it is also an excellent preventative measure that will do wonders for maintaining wellness and avoiding disease. Many people only think of seeing a chiropractor if they have back or neck pain or are recovering from an accident. However, once you understand the benefits of chiropractic care and the philosophy behind it, you may come to see that this drug-free and surgery-free method of holistic health care has many exciting applications.

How Does Chiropractic Work?

The science of chiropractic is based on the premise that our bodies have been created with the ability to heal, restore, and maintain themselves if we are aware enough to enable them to. Basically, chiropractors address the health and condition of the nervous system, focusing on the spine and the network of nerves that run from it to all parts of the body. A doctor of chiropractic seeks to bring wellness to his or her patients by adjusting and manipulating the components of the spinal cord and its associated nerves, bones, and muscles. In fact, the term chiropractic comes from the Greek, and means "effective treatment by hand."

Chiropractic has been recognized as one of the healing arts for over 100 years, but it has been a struggle for it to gain acceptance in conventional medical circles. In the past, many chiropractors were considered "quacks" by some because they rejected both surgery and pharmaceutical drugs, instead focusing on spinal manipulation and taking a holistic approach to healing and wellness including nutrition, exercise, and other natural means. However, the field has finally gained more acceptance in mainstream medicine, with physicians often working alongside chiropractors to serve their patient's needs. In addition, most insurance companies now cover chiropractic care as well.

When the spine and related structures are not aligned or operating properly, people can experience pain, swelling, numbness, and/or tingling throughout the body, depending on which nerves are affected. Such problems result in pressure or irritation on the spinal nerves, and chiropractors call these structural distortions subluxations.

When subluxations are present, the complex communication network that is dependent on the spinal nerves is disrupted, and instructions cannot flow efficiently between the brain and the rest of the body. This impaired nervous function interrupts the body's natural ability to heal and maintain itself.

How Can Chiropractic Care Benefit Me?

There are many potential benefits from chiropractic care, and some of the major ones include:

• Relief from pain in the back, neck, and head is the reason most people visit a chiropractor.
• Such treatments can often prevent surgery and help individuals to get off pain medication. Back surgery does not have a very successive success rate as surgeries go, and the ongoing use of pain medication is toxic and dangerous to the body.
• Chiropractic care can significantly improve the effectiveness of the immune system. As nerve function improves, the body is better able to fight off disease and keep itself well.
• Improved cardiovascular health, as a properly aligned spine can lead to better blood flow and nerve communication to and from the heart.
• Better respiratory health can also be realized through chiropractic care. This includes improved lung function and a reduction in viral infections, allergies, asthma, and other respiratory conditions.
• Better digestive tract function. Every organ in your digestive system -- mouth, tongue, throat, esophagus, pyloric valve, stomach, intestines, glands, pancreas and others -- needs a healthy nerve supply from your spine. In fact, as early as 1921, it was discovered that spinal abnormalities could cause stomach, esophagus, duodenum and intestinal disorders.
• Greater emotional health. Chiropractory may help to improve your ability to sleep and relieve stress, depression, and anxiety. It can also help you to relax more effectively.
• Children. Chiropractic is great for children. Knowledgeable chiropractors are able to adjust for issues such as ADD/ADHD, asthma, autism, bed wetting, "birth trauma," hypertension, cerebral palsy, Crohn's disease, colitis, colic, the common cold, constipation, ear infections, epilepsy, headaches, low immunity, sinus and respiratory infections, eczema, psoriasis, sleep disturbances, stuttering, tonsillitis, Tourette's Syndrome. In fact, many states are allowing chiros to be primary care practitioners. Utilizing chiropractic for well-children care proves to be very beneficial.

What Can I Expect When Visiting a Chiropractor?

There are several different schools of chiropractic, but being adjusted by a chiropractor should never be painful or too aggressive. Keep in mind that after being manipulated, you may experience some soreness initially. When the spine and related tissues are moved, attaching muscles and ligaments may become temporarily tender as the body adjusts -- similar to how you might feel after a strenuous workout. Drinking at least 36-ounces of purified water before a chiropractic adjustment and then continuing to hydrate your body afterwards will help to ease, if not eliminate, most soreness.

Your chiropractor will initially examine you, which may or may not include x-rays (avoid them if possible). He or she should be able to clearly explain a treatment plan to you at this point. How many visits will be necessary? Each case must be taken on an individual basis, but generally, the longer your spine has been out of alignment, the longer it will take to correct. This is why children often respond quicker to chiropractic care than do adults.