I am fortunate enough to have a chiropractor for a brother-in-law. As such, I’ve been getting adjusted at least weekly for the last 4+ years. My son received his first chiropractic adjustment within days of his birth and he’s rarely missed a week in his 3.5 years of life. We love chiropractic care!
While I’ve been the recipient of excellent chiropractic care for years, I have also been quite ignorant of the history of the practice, the science behind it, and the philosophy that guides doctors of chiropractic.
What an eye-opener this book was! I’m excited to share with you some of the amazing things I’ve learned about this effective and gentle therapy, and I hope you’ll consider adding it to your regular health routine.
Spinal Manipulation is an Ancient Practice
Did you know evidence of people manipulating the spine can be found as early as 17,500 BC? Throughout the ages, records of people from China to Egypt to Tahiti and more show evidence that spinal manipulation was practiced as a means of addressing health issues. Hippocrates is credited as saying, “Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases.”
Chiropractic Care in Modern Times
Canadian D. D. Palmer is given credit for the first chiropractic adjustment in the modern era. The story goes that he met a janitor who went deaf when something gave way in his back as he exerted himself in a stooped position. Palmer found a vertebra out of place, replaced it where it should be, and the man’s hearing was restored.
D. D. Palmer dedicated many years of his life studying the spine and practicing various adjustments for all sorts of maladies, including headaches, stomach problems, and epilepsy. He started his own chiropractic clinic where he treated many patients.
His son, B. J. Palmer, is given credit for developing chiropractic work, setting the foundation for what we know of the field today. Without B. J. Palmer’s work, his father’s knowledge would’ve died with him.
What exactly is chiropractic care?
“A doctor of chiropractic is uniquely trained to locate and help correct nerve system interference which promotes the body’s natural healing ability.” I love this simple summary of the role the chiropractor plays.
The author spends a lot time explaining in depth how every person is endowed with Innate Intelligence that brings them life and healing. It’s impossible to recreate the miracle of this intelligent order that is in every living thing. Plants just know how to grow, birds know how to fly, and human beings are endowed with their own innate intelligence that always strives to remain healthy.
However, Innate Intelligence is not all that is needed. The person also needs strength and tools – or Energy and Matter, as chiropractors see it. Intelligence, Energy, and Matter are the triune of life.
At times, our matter can malfunction, specifically in the spine! When a person experiences a subluxation in the spine, their energy flow is disrupted and information from the brain to the rest of the body becomes distorted or blocked. This results in any number of health issues. The job of a chiropractor is to restore the matter (spine) to its proper place, thus allowing the body to restore energy flow and heal itself.
Chiropractors don’t force things into balance – that would be impossible, as forcing doesn’t result in balance. They simply restore and remove blockages and make way for the Innate Intelligence to do its thing.
Education
For most chiropractors, education plays an important role in their practice. In that vein, the author does an amazing job presenting each organ and system in the body for the purpose of showing the reader how every part is interconnected, and how each has its own role in the health of the body. The author also uses this section to demonstrate how the Innate Intelligence truly knows what it’s doing and has mechanisms in place for keeping the body in a state of health.
Additionally, the author spends a chapter educating the reader on what to expect when beginning to work with a chiropractor for the first time. Especially for those who have never been, this can be helpful to give an idea of what happens in a chiropractic office, as it looks different than in a conventional medicine office.
Who would benefit from chiropractic care?
Surprise, surprise: Everyone! However, as a mom, I particularly enjoyed the chapter that discussed the benefits children can receive from regular chiropractic adjustments. Many children come from the womb a little out of alignment from the birthing process and a gentle adjustment can make a huge difference. In case you’ve never seen an infant receive an adjustment, you can rest assured that they will not be getting their back or neck cracked in any way. A skilled chiropractor can apply simple pressure in the right places for the adjustment to be effective. I honestly don’t know how we would have made it through those early weeks postpartum without the help of the chiropractor!
The author goes into detail about many of the different ailments that commonly plague children, and how they are typically addressed in the medical system. When we go straight to medicine for our children’s problems, we can make the problem worse, and never actually address the cause of the issue.
Adjustments can give the child proper nerve signaling so their body can heal itself as it was designed to do. There is a long list of issues at the end of the chapter that chiropractic can help with, including fever, colic, croup, allergies, wheezing, poor posture, stomach ache, hearing loss, neck/back pain, asthma, bedwetting, constipation, weakness/fatigue, ear infections, skin problems, and so many more.
Not only can children benefit from chiropractic care, but so can the elderly. It was disheartening to learn in this section how many prescriptions the elderly are given, and how often they experience negative effects from these medications. Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to improve health without any of the negative side effects and risks of taking medicine!
Of course, everyone in between can also benefit. If you are human, getting adjusted will be a great asset to your health.
Research and Court Case
The author also cites many research studies that show the benefits of chiropractic care. In addition to the research, he offers an enlightening chapter on the Wilk v. AMA court case, in which the American Medical Association was found guilty of conspiring against chiropractors because of the competition they proved to be for the medical community. Very interesting, especially for those who aren’t familiar with the politics involved in our health care.
Problems with the book
The main issue with this book is it is old! It was first published in 1996. As such, the research and statistics cited are outdated, with much more research now available on the topic. So, if you’re looking for the latest on chiropractic research, this is not the book for you. If you’re wanting a nice, easy introduction to the principles behind the profession and the benefits, this is a great start.
The other issue is there are a few typos and grammatical issues. You can look past them, but if you’re a stickler about those things, you’re going to notice.
Otherwise, excellent, short, easy introduction to the world of chiropractic care!
