What Is Chiropractic?

By Dr. Paul Rhodes
Teutopolis, IL

The chiropractic profession is the most popular natural health care choice in the United States.  Chiropractic healthcare is a branch of the healing arts that offers a natural drugless approach to pain relief while improving the health and function of the human body.

The term "Chiropractic" comes from the Greek words "cheiro" and "praktikos" meaning "done by hand." Chiropractic care is centered on the philosophy that the human body has the ability to heal itself when it is given the right opportunity and circumstances.

Chiropractic care is based on the scientific fact that the nervous system (brain, spinal cord and all nerves) controls and coordinates the function of all organs (heart, lungs, liver etc), muscles, bones and ligaments.

Interference (misalignments) to the spine causes the body to malfunction and develop symptoms (neck and back pain, high blood pressure, asthma, constipation, infertility, arthritis just to name a few). The spine, when unhealthy, is the most common structural cause of interference to the nervous system.  This is called a vertebral (spinal) subluxation.

When you have subluxations (misalignments) in your spine, the spinal bones cause interference to your nervous system.  Chiropractors locate the areas of the spine that are subluxated (misaligned) and perform adjustments (treatments) to heal the subluxations and remove the interference to the nervous system.

What makes chiropractic care different is the approach to your health problem.  As a chiropractor, I am teaching your body to heal by removing subluxations (misalignments) and improving the overall health of your body.  I do not encourage covering up the problems with medications.

Our approach to your health is to heal the cause of your health problems, improve your overall health, and then work to keep you as healthy as possible for the rest of your life.