What to Expect From Chiropractic Services

Your body knows what exactly it needs to do to keep you healthy. It knows how fast your heart should beat, how often you should breathe, or how your food should get digested. Your body could perform all these functions because it possesses Innate Intelligence. We are all born with this knowledge. 

Every organ and cell in your body receives various instructions from your Innate Intelligence. If the organs or cells follow the instructions properly, your body will be able to not only obtain its optimum level of health but also to maintain it. 

In cases where there is any interference with the transmission of information from your Innate Intelligence to your cells or organs, your body will not be able to reach or maintain its optimum level of health. 

Information to and from your brain travels as electrical impulses through the spinal cord, a complex system of nerve fibers that extends from the base of the skull down to the center of the back. 

Your spinal cord is protected by the spinal column, also called the backbone. The spinal column forms a tunnel of small interlocking bones called vertebrae. Nerves branch off to various parts of your body through the spaces between the bones in your spinal column. The tunnel of interlocking bones should be strong enough to protect the nerves and flexible to allow you to bend and move freely. 

When one or more bones are misaligned, the spaces between the bones might close up or the bones might rub against each other and irritate the nerves that pass through them. A spinal bone which has lost its normal placement or is misaligned is said to be "subluxated." 

Nerve impulse that passes through a subluxated bone in your spinal cord can become distorted. This condition interferes with the transmission of information from your Innate Intelligence to your cells or organs.

The key to chiropractic care is the spinal adjustment. Chiropractic aims at locating and correcting subluxations. Detecting subluxations is a complicated process as well as an exacting science. A chiropractor's education focuses mainly on locating and analyzing misalignments of the vertebrae. 

Most chiropractors use their hands to feel any misalignments in the bones. This technique is called palpation. Chiropractors may also use X-rays and other instruments to get a detailed picture of the subluxation, including its location and severity. 

Chiropractors correct these subluxations with spinal adjustments. While there are different types of adjustment techniques used by chiropractors, they all focus on correcting subluxations. These techniques "unlock" the misplaced vertebrae from its improper position and shift it back to its normal position, allowing the nerve flow to resume its normal course. 

When the vertebrae are aligned properly, the instruction can again reach the destination without interference. 

Chiropractic adjustment focuses on correcting the detected subluxations. The chiropractor applies pressure to the bone and unlocks it from its improper position. After the bone has been unlocked, it is allowed to align itself correctly. 

Many patients believe that the chiropractor pushes a vertebra back into its proper place. However, only your own Innate Intelligence knows where the proper place for the bone is. A chiropractor's role is to free up the vertebrae. Your body plays a major role in getting the vertebrae back in the correct position. 

Muscles that are connected to subluxated vertebrae have a tendency to pull the bone out of its proper position. Several adjustments are necessary before the bone settles into its proper alignment. 

Each patient is different, and not just one technique will help take care of their problem. Also, each subluxation is different and may require a separate approach. That's why chiropractic colleges teach their students various adjusting techniques. 

When choosing the technique, the size, weight, and muscle structure of you and your doctor should be taken into consideration. Your chiropractor will select a technique that will effectively correct any subluxations with a minimum force. 

The art of chiropractic adjustment requires skill and training, and not just strength. For this reason, slightly built chiropractors can provide excellent adjustments on all patients, regardless of their size, weight, or muscle structure. 

Chiropractors are required to use minimal force and gentle pressure for most chiropractic adjustments. For this reason, few patients feel some discomfort during the adjustments. Others will, however, hear popping sounds. The sounds that you hear are just tiny pockets of gas releasing with pop and there's nothing to be worried. Your adjustment should be completely pain-free, either with or without popping sounds. 

Patients who are tense may involuntarily stiffen and resist the adjustment. These patients might feel some discomfort until they learn to relax. When you've got used to the popping sounds, you will associate them with good adjustments. You should remember that over time, these noises will lessen or disappear. This doesn't mean that the adjustment is not effective. If you don't hear the popping sounds, it means that normal flexibility is returning to the misaligned vertebrae. 

Chiropractic doctors are highly qualified. Chiropractors are required to complete two years of pre-professional training and four years of professional training. Chiropractors can help bring immeasurable service and dramatic results to the sick.

Below is a comparison of the basic educational curriculum of major chiropractic colleges with that of major medical schools.

Physiology: 326 hours (minimum)

Pathology: 335 hours (minimum)

Chemistry: 325 hours (minimum)

Bacteriology: 130 hours (minimum)

Diagnosis: 374 hours (minimum)

Neurology: 112 hours (minimum)

X-Ray: 148 hours (minimum)

Psychiatry: 144 hours (minimum)

Obstetrics and Gynecology: 198 hours (minimum)

Orthopedics: 156 hours (minimum)

Anatomy: 520 hours (minimum)

Physiology: 420 hours (minimum)

Pathology: 271 hours (minimum)

Chemistry: 300 hours (minimum)

Bacteriology: 114 hours (minimum)

Diagnosis: 370 hours (minimum)

Neurology: 320 hours (minimum)

X-Ray: 217 hours (minimum)

Psychiatry: 65 hours (minimum)

Obstetrics and Gynecology: 65 hours (minimum)

Orthopedics: 225 hours (minimum)