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A pregnant woman with sciatic pain.
A 2-month-old with colic.
A 30-something-year-old man with knee pain while running.
A constipated toddler.
A middle-aged woman with no symptoms.
All walk into a chiropractor's office...
Sounds like the beginnings of a very complicated joke, but the reality is this list of people - with what seems like very unrelated symptoms - represent real people who have come into our office and have benefited from chiropractic care.
Is there an adjustment for sciatica, constipation, knee pain, or colic? And why would someone without any symptoms seek chiropractic care? The simple answer is: chiropractic doesn't treat anything.
A Different Approach
Chiropractic doesn't treat any symptoms because it's not a pathogenic approach that is seeking to cure or even prevent disease. Chiropractic instead prescribes to a salutogenic model of health: focusing on factors that support human health and well-being.
More specifically, the "salutogenic model" is concerned with the relationship between health, stress, and adapting. It focuses on thriving, not just surviving. And that's a very different focus.
Is the goal for your marriage to just not get divorced?
You can have a miserable relationship and still be "together."
Is the goal for your bank account to just not be in the negative?
There's a major difference in how you live and the choices you make when you have
$5 in your account vs $500,000, though both are technically in the positive.
Is the goal for your health to just not feel sick?
Health is not measured in merely the absence of symptoms, health is a state of
complete physical, mental and social well-being.
Structure Determines Function
How does chiropractic address health, stress, and adaptation? Through the nervous system.
Your brain communicates with your entire body through your nerves; they are like the electricity of your body. The nerves branch off of your spinal cord and pass between the vertebrae of your spine. When a joint (the place where two bones comes together) is not moving properly or misaligned that causes stress in those nerves. As chiropractors, we call that area of stress a "subluxation."
The term “subluxation” comes from the Latin “sub” which is “less than” and “luxation” which means “light/energy.” When you have a subluxation, the connection between your body and brain is diminished. Chiropractors make specific adjustments to the joints to restore proper motion, reducing nervous system stress, resulting in improved overall function.
"Nature needs no help, just no interference." - BJ Palmer
This is why you will find a multitude of reasons people seek out chiropractic care; improved structure leads to improved function, and the nervous system controls every other system in the body, so the benefits are widespread as well.
This is the same reason many choose to incorporate chiropractic care into their health and wellness routine; not because they are in pain, but because they want to continue to live with improved function. Just like brushing our teeth and moving our bodies, we recommend chiropractic adjustments as they are simple, healthy habits that are the foundation for building a lifetime of health.
