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How Does Chiropractic Work?

We are presently in a healthcare paradigm shift. The current mechanistic model is no longer sustainable either socially or monetarily. Complimentary medicine, functional medicine, natural healing, holistic healthcare are all terms that are continually being bandied about without much understanding of what they actually mean. Defining these terms is a subjective experience, meaning their definition is dependent on the practitioner claiming to be part of that process.

Chiropractic, on the other hand, has always maintained an inside out approach. While many of the aforementioned paradigms claim to be different, often their approach is outside in, meaning they want to add or remove some substance or organic matter to or from the body to make it healthier.

Chiropractic stands alone in the construct that the human body, given the opportunity, has its own internal “innate” mechanism to know how to heal itself. Chiropractic does not purport to want or know what to add, what to take, what to remove or what to do to make one healthier. Instead, chiropractic is based on the principle that if you remove interference to the function of the nervous system, the main controlling system of ALL bodily functions, the body then has the greatest opportunity to create health from within. Once this balance, between the brain and spinal cord is restored, this communication system has a clearer channel through which to operate.

A chiropractic adjustment is the only healthcare protocol that is specifically designed to remove interference to the body’s internal/innate communication system. This creates an environment that allows the individual’s health potential to be expressed as fully as possible.

If you are looking for a natural, non-invasive, safe and powerful way to improve your health starting with a healthy, highly functional nervous system, Chiropractic is your best bet.

While many people consider chiropractic only relevant in structural healing, chiropractic care has a global effect on the human condition. The various aspects of the subluxation process include many factors. Here are some of the ways these subluxations affect your overall functional capabilities.

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Kinesiopathology – Abnormal Joint Motion

Affects proprioceptive and nociceptive input.
Creates compensatory patterns and reactions (muscles).
Decreases available energy for healing and growth potential.
Lowers adaptive threshold due to biomechanical stress.

Structural Neuropathophysiology – Piezoelectricity

Connective tissue and bones are crystalline in nature therefore biomechanical changes, such as those that occur in subluxations, may elicit electrical responses in bone and other connective tissues.
Such electrical changes may effect, “control of cell nutrition, local pH control and enzyme activation or suppression, orientation of intracellular macromolecules, migratory an proliferative activity of cells, synthetic capability and specialized function of cells, contractility and permeability of cell membranes and energy transfer.”

Meningeal/Structural Neuropathophysiology – Neurological Irritation and Dysfunction

Stretching or compression of spinal nerves causing increased or decreased tone leading to abnormal nerve conductivity – Distorted input and output
Too much or too little -Systemic fatigue

Viscerosomatic or Somatoviscero Pathophysiology

Sympathetic or parasympathetic imbalances – Structural, vasomotor or dural influences on the thoraco – lumbar sympathetic chain
Structural,vasomotor or dural influences on the sacrum and occiput – parasympathetic influences
Nutrient deficiencies, toxic overload, organic deficiencies and disrupt afferent or efferent pre and post ganglionic neurological transmission.
Waste and toxic residue buildup or ischemia.

Mental Impulse Pathophysiology

Changes in cell membrane permeability.
Stimulation of negative genetic propensities by destruction of enteric protein coat on genes.

Genes and DNA do not control our biology; instead DNA is controlled by signals from outside the cell, including the energetic messages emanating from our positive and negative thoughts.

Bruce Lipton – Biology of Belief

The impact of the subluxation on the individual is quite extensive but correcting these subluxations in the pediatric population can prevent many of these detrimental effects from being expressed in adulthood.

In the country with the highest expenditure on healthcare, prenatal care and delivery our children are not the healthiest. It appears that by empirical facts alone the allopathic paradigm we are embracing in not working. To shift this downward trend in our children’s health we must embrace a new model, a shift in the paradigm.

Neuropathophysiology – Spinal Dysfunctions Effect On Central Neural Processing

Altered afferent input from joints can lead to both inhibition and facilitation of neural input to related muscles. Even painless induced joint dysfunction has been shown to inhibit surrounding muscles
Rapid central plastic changes after injuries and altered sensory input from the body have been observed.
Adaptive neural plastic changes can occur over time in the CNS due to the altered sensory input.

Myopathophysiology Muscle Facilitation

Discomfort
Pain
Compensation patterns
Decreased threshold and tolerance
Reducing excessive signaling from the involved intervertebral muscles changes the way the CNS responds to subsequent input. This alters how the nervous system responds to the environment.

Meningeal/Dural Primary Respiratory Pathophysiology – Change in CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) flow and / or pressure

CSF stasis may be associated with adverse mechanical cord tension, vertebral subluxation syndrome, and restricted respiratory function.
Decreased CSF flow seen in an overall pattern of structural and energetic dysfunction in the axial skeleton and CNS.
Brain temperature changes
CNS nutrient deficiencies
Waste and toxic residue buildup
Electrolytic environment of the (CNS) * Systemic acid-base balance
Transports hormones, neurotransmitters, releasing factors, an other neuropeptides throughout the CNS.

Global Neuropathophysiology – Abnormal Brain and CNS Function

Changes in brain wave patterns
Changes in blood supply
Changes in the quality and quantity of nerve impulses
Neurotransmitter dysfunction – Threshold variances – Negative neuroplastic changes

Factoids

The period from birth to age two may be the most dynamic and important phase of postnatal brain development in humans. This period is likely to be critical in neurodevelopmental disorders. There is a dramatic increase in overall brain size during this period, with the brain reaching 80-90% of adult volume by age two (Pfefferbaum et al., 1994).

The large increase in total brain volume in the first year of life suggests that this is a critical period in which disruption of developmental processes, as the result of innate genetic abnormalities or as a consequence of environmental insults, may have long-lasting or permanent effects on brain structure and function.

These facts suggests that there is a pressing clinical need to identify children at risk for developmental disorders within the first year of life and to initiate appropriate interventions.

“Traumatization of the suboccipital structures (subluxations) inhibits functioning of the proprioceptive feedback loops. The motor development, though preprogrammed, cannot develop normally. These systems are fault tolerant and able to overcome considerable difficulties and restricted working conditions. But the price for this is a reduced capacity to absorb additional stress later. These children may show only minor symptoms in the first months of their life but later on, at the age of 5 or 6, they suffer from headaches, immune system dysfunction (allergies), postural problems or diffuse symptoms like sleep disorders, being unable to concentrate, etc.”

“The primary mechanisms of injury to the spinal cord appears to be excessive traction applied to the spinal canal and cord during the birth process.” Today the C-section rate in birth is steadily rising to almost 33%. While at times this birthing procedure is necessary, we must understand that it is traumatic to both the mother and infant, since during this type of delivery the normal pushing out of the infant by uterine contractions is not present. And in many cases, more traction is exerted on the infant’s spine to remove them from the mother’s womb.

We know that most subluxation/dysfunction patterns that we see in older children and adults have occurred in the first six years of life. And there is more evidence to support that these insults to the nervous system may even occur and become compensatory patterns within the first year. Traumatic birth, accidents, falls, sports injuries, toxic internal and external environments (including food, drugs and environmental stressors) can cause compensatory reactions that over time will create imbalances and dysfunction in the nervous system, setting up aberrant or compensatory neuroplastic patterns that can effect the overall health and potential of the individual.

Chiropractors are the only healthcare providers that are trained to evaluate the spine, cranium and nervous system for subluxations and their effects. A chiropractic adjustment is the only healthcare protocol that is specifically designed to remove interference to the body’s internal/innate communication system. This creates an environment that allows the individual’s health potential to be expressed as fully as possible. If you are looking for a natural, non-invasive, safe and powerful way to improve your health starting with a healthy, highly functional nervous system, Chiropractic is your best bet.

We at Wellesley Chiropractic Office offer specialized chiropractic care for all ages. Our techniques have been proven safe and effective for over 32 years. If you have a healthcare issue or you just want to perform and function at your best we are here to help you reach your goals. If you would like more information or to schedule and appointment please contact our office.