Chiropractors work with the spine, not just because it’s often the source of neck and back pain, but because it houses and protects the central nervous system — that system which monitors, controls and regulates all body function, and allows the body to adapt to internal and external influences. This brief video explains what chiropractic is all about and how you and your family can benefit from chiropractic care.
The ability to adapt to internal and external influences is central to the body’s ability to maintain its health and sustain life. Virtually every vital life-sustaining process, whether it’s digesting our dinner or responding to potential infection, depends on the integrity of this communication network between the brain and the body.
Since the central nervous system is so vital, the body has wisely built in a system of protection. Around the brain we have the skull, or cranial vault, and around the spinal cord is a system of protection for the spine – 24 moveable segments which have the dual role of protecting the central nervous system and providing the axis for the entire musculo-skeletal system. Each vertebra has a unique set of nerves that pass through it to the other systems of the body through individual holes called foramen.
Ironically, the very thing that is designed to protect the spinal cord can actually interfere with it, due to misalignment of the spinal vertebrae.
Chiropractors maintain the proper position of these delicate joints and the precious cargo they protect, your nervous system. Pressure on the root nerves that leave the spine through the foramen or on the brain stem can affect millions of nerve fibers. Interfering with these nerve fibers can have disastrous affects on your health.
Spinal mis-alignments are typically caused by stress that overwhelms the body’s resilience and coping ability. Physical stress can occur as the result of a car accident or slipping on an icy sidewalk, improper posture, occupational trauma, or birth trauma. Emotional stress can be the result of significant emotional trauma or the inability to adapt to a stressful situation. Chemical trauma can result from the misuse of prescription or illicit drugs, inadequate nutrition, or environmental toxins. By interfering with the nervous system, these misalignments interfere with normal function, reducing your body’s ability to self-regulate, adapt, and heal.
Chiropractors detect and correct the cause of this interference, allowing your body to properly self-regulate, adapt and heal. The care and maintenance of the spine and nervous system is a necessary component of any natural approach to healthcare.