By Stamatis V. Tsamoutalidis, D.C.

A common theme in my practice over the past few weeks has been people telling me that they have been trying to tell people about chiropractic and my office. They’ve been having a hard time getting through to their friends and family, however, due to preconceived ideas as to what their friends and family think chiropractic is. Sometimes it was a bad experience elsewhere, sometimes it is just plain confusion or distrust in the unknown.

It’s not hard to understand their confusion. Locally, there are chiropractors advertising weight loss, laser hair removal, laser liposuction, traction, physical therapy, acupuncture, nutritional supplements, etc. While those things may benefit people, and they may be allowed, per state law, they are not chiropractic. Besides, there are plenty of other professions performing those services. In my eyes, chiropractors doing those things confuse the public and make my job more difficult. So it’s no wonder that people have a mixed idea as to what chiropractic is.

So instead of talking to people about chiropractic, discuss vertebral subluxations.

A vertebral subluxation (a.k.a. subluxation) is a situation in which one or more of the bones of your spine (vertebrae) lose their normal alignment and function and create pressure on, or irritate the spinal cord and/or spinal nerves causing those nerves to malfunction and obstruct or interfere with the signals traveling over those nerves.

This results in a loss of proper “connection” between your brain and your body, which causes your body to lose the ability to intelligently and purposefully organize all the cells and tissues to work harmoniously together.

So What Do You Need to Know?

We’ll keep this as simple as possible (it should be a review for you anyway):

1. Your nerve system (brain, spinal cord, and nerves) controls and coordinates all the functions of your body.1 If you interfere with the signals traveling over nerves, parts of your body will not get the proper nerve messages and will not be able to function at 100 percent of their innate abilities. ,3,4,5,6,7 In other words, some part of your body will not be working properly. You are in a state of “dis-ease” (incoordination/dysfunction).

2. Whenever you are in a state of “dis-ease,” you’ve lost normal function of your spine, lost the proper connection between your brain and your body, lost your ability to keep your body organized, lost your natural state of “ease” (health). You are not able to successfully adapt to your internal and external environment as well as you were designed to do so.

3. Vertebral subluxations are caused by your body’s inability to handle and adapt to various daily stresses placed on the body. (Stress is anything that can cause a need for your body to respond or change in some way.) These everyday stresses we are all exposed to, from birth until the time we die, could potentially cause subluxations. They are characterized as physical, chemical, and emotional/mental stresses.

4. Subluxations occur regularly and in everyone and one of the scariest things about a vertebral subluxation is that they very rarely have any obvious symptoms associated with them. Because of this many people are walking around with subluxations and may not even know it.

5. You can let people know that there are professionals who undergo years of training to be the experts at locating, analyzing, and assisting in the correction of vertebral subluxations. They do this by applying a series of specific forces (called adjustments) to restore normal alignment and function in the spine. Adjustments help to re-establish the proper neurological connection between the brain and the body. This increases the ability to purposefully organize your body and to better adapt to the stresses of your environment. This allows you to gradually return to harmony, ease (health) – a process most call healing. The name of this profession is Chiropractic.

What Should You Do With this Information?

As you know, by helping restore and maintain function and alignment in your spinal column throughout your life, chiropractic helps you maintain your vital connection and maximize the expression of Life in your body. In other words, your body works better without subluxations! That should be reason enough to be under care. And while everyone responds differently, the most common seen benefits of regular care include things like: more energy; improved health; clearer thinking, memory, and concentration; a better ability to handle stress and adapt to life; improved physical performance; better sleep; improved immune function; better results from exercise and nutritional choices; more balanced body chemistry; better emotional moods and improved relationships; better digestion; basically … a greater enjoyment of LIFE.

The reason for getting checked and adjusted and keeping your neurological connection clear is so that you can be a more complete expression of health and life! Helping you to be all you can be in all areas of your life.

How to Help Your Family and Friends?

Talk to them about vertebral subluxations. Go over what this article discussed. Let them know that there are chiropractors all over the world that focus on only locating, analyzing, and assisting in the correction of vertebral subluxations – and nothing else.

If they bring up anything else that may have been done to them in a chiropractor’s office, let them know that it is not chiropractic. If they had a bad experience, let them know that just as in all professions, not all chiropractors are the same. Share with them your experience of the office and the care you’ve received.

If this incredibly valuable service, that everyone needs, is made available, affordable, and visits are easy and quick enough to fit into any busy life, the only reason they could have of not wanting this is because they may not care enough about their health or their family’s health. Unfortunately, it is not your job to fix that. Your job is to just explain vertebral subluxations and refer them to your practice. If you need more help just ask.

REFERENCES:
1. Gray’s Anatomy, 41st Edition, 2016 Elsevier Limited.
2. Rydevik BL: “The effects of compression on the physiology of nerve roots.”       JMPT15(1):62, 1992.
3. Gelfan S, Tarlov IM: “Physiology of spinal cord, nerve root and peripheral nerve compression.” Amer J Physiol 185:217, 1956.
4. Sharpless SK: “Susceptibility of spinal roots to compression block.” The Research Status of Spinal Manipulative Therapy. NINCDS monograph 15, DHEW publication (NIH) 76-998:155, 1975
5. Sunderland S, Bradley L: “Stress-strain phenomena in human spinal roots.” Brain 84:121, 1961.
6. Windsor, H. The Windsor Autopsies
7. Suh CH, Sharpless SK, Macgregor RJ, Luttges MW, Researching the Fundamentals of Chiropractic (Summary of Research, 1971-1973). The University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, 1974.