Because chiropractic treatments are accepted widely in the medical field, it is tough for most consumers to remember that it is just as much a holistic or alternative approach to medicine. After all, it is frequently mistaken as relating only to the spine, but many chiropractors have a totally different perspective on the work they do.
It is Hands On
Firstly, a chiropractor uses a lot more hands-on treatment than the average primary care physician. They perform “manual” care of the spine (including the neck), but they are not working to maintain only these regions of the body. Instead, many feel that the spine is simply the avenue through which so much of the body’s general health and well being is regulated.
There is a tremendous amount of practical, good sense to this sort of philosophy. Just consider; the brain communicates to the body through the spinal cord. This houses the many different nerves that send out messages relating to movement, pain and more. Many of our bodies’ unconscious processes (digestion, circulation, and so on) are regulated by the neurological functions between the brain, spine, and body.
It Regulates a Delicate Machine
Now, imagine this system as a sort of machine. The brain could be a CPU or central computer that sends out messages along a cable full of smaller cables. That cable is the spinal column and it is housed inside the sturdy bones and flexible cartilage and tissue of the spine. What happens to any machine if a part is out of alignment or rubbing against another moving part? Something malfunctions.
This is precisely how chiropractors view their work. They don’t just position and reposition the spine, they help the entire system stay in balance by ensuring that the structure of the spine is not injured, stressed, or causing malfunction.
Where Did It Start?
A lot of people accept these simple facts about chiropractic healing, and yet still want to know a bit about its background. This is actually helpful because it explains the name of the treatment – chiropractic actually translates to “do by hand”. It began only in the late 1800s as a way of remedying all disease. A great many trained physicians became interested in this new area of medicine and by the early 1900s, it was spreading as a form of healing. By the 1970s it was accepted by all states in the U.S. and was in high demand from the public.
Today, it is viewed by some as alternative or complementary, but by many more medical experts as a form of medicine that they frequently recommend or use as part of overall treatment. There is ever increasing cooperation between primary care physicians and licensed chiropractors because of the evidence of its effectiveness at remedying more than just back-related issues.
There is a practical philosophy behind modern chiropractic healing, and those who are struggling unsuccessfully with health concerns will want to consider paying a visit to a chiropractor. This might provide the kind of remedy that cannot come from medication or other treatments.