The Myths of Chiropractic

Even if you’ve never set foot into a chiropractic office, odds are that you have known someone who has. Many people, possibly including yourself, are curious about pursuing chiropractic care, but you have your doubts. If so, join the club. For good or bad, there are a lot of stereotypes floating around regarding exactly what goes on in a chiropractic office. Make no mistake, the chiropractic approach to health is different from the care you may have received in other health care offices. However, it’s this crucial difference that sets chiropractors apart from anyone else in the healthcare profession and has allowed us to help millions to change the way they view their health. Let’s take a look at the more popular myths and see if we can’t put a few of them to rest.

Myth #1: “Chiropractors are just back doctors.”

Fact: While chiropractors do focus a great deal of attention on your spine, what we are really addressing (and ultimately affecting) is your entire nervous system. Between every vertebra in your body, there is a pair of spinal nerves branching off from your spinal cord that travels out into your body to supply cells, tissues and organs with information signals from your brain. Information that provides feedback from the body then travels back to your brain through these very same nerves. Even the slightest alteration in alignment or motion of adjacent vertebrae can affect the signals moving through these nerves. This disturbance is known as a vertebral subluxation, and if left uncorrected they can ultimately alter body function. When nerve function is altered, do you think it brings you closer to health or closer to illness?

Myth #2: “Chiropractic isn’t scientific.”

Fact: Chiropractic is grounded in science. The scientific method involves the recognition of a problem, the collection of data through observation and experimentation, then testing the resulting hypothesis for validity. The fact that doctors of chiropractic don’t always walk around in lab coats and don’t utilize drugs or surgery does not mean they aren’t scientific or not “real” doctors. There are a multitude of studies that support the chiropractic approach for reducing disturbances to the nerves via the spine, enhancing the ability of the brain and nervous system to regulate the functions of the body. Research has been widely published documenting the benefits of chiropractic on asthma, colic, immune function, injury recovery times, menstrual problems, athletic performance, and sure… back pain. Current research papers from within the fields of neuroscience and physiology have also validated the claims that chiropractors have been making for over a century.

Myth #3: “I’m not in pain so I don’t need to see a chiropractor.”

Fact: Of the trillions of nerve signals that reach your brain every second, you are consciously aware of a miniscule fraction of them. All too often people wait for symptoms to arise up before they make choices about their health. The problem is that if you wait until you feel symptoms, there have been underlying, subconscious changes going on long before then. Pain is typically the last thing to show up during a pathological process, so don’t wait until you are in pain to have your spine assessed.

Myth #4: “Once you go, they make you go for the rest of your life.”

Fact: First of all, you shouldn’t ever have to do anything in life that you don’t want to do. The overwhelming majority of chiropractic patients feel a pleasant sense of relief, energy and well-being after getting adjusted. Some patients only choose to see us when problems arise, while others make the decision to be proactive with their health and continue care on a regular basis. Once people experience the feeling they get after an adjustment, they understand what “normal” is supposed to feel like and are aware of when they are due for another visit. Just like regular trips to the dentist are designed to prevent the decay of your teeth, regular spinal checkups keep your spine properly aligned. How long you decide to benefit from chiropractic care should be up to you, not your doctor.

If any of the myths you’ve heard about chiropractic were true, the profession would have disappeared a long, long time ago. However, chiropractic has stood the test of time to not only survive, but it’s now thriving more than ever before. As people begin searching for a safe, natural approach to better health and wellness that doesn’t immediately resort to drugs or surgery, chiropractic becomes more and more appealing. If any of this appeals to you, please seek out a qualified doctor of chiropractic in your neighborhood today.

For more information about the authors, drop by their office at 420 Inverness Corners or visit them on the web at www.ChiropracticToday.com. They welcome your feedback as well as suggestions for future topics that may interest you.