Chiropractor – Find the cause
When we are young, we learn that when we have symptoms ie: headache, fever, pain, nausea, backache, etc. that we are SICK and cannot go out and play, and must stay in until we don’t have those symptoms anymore. When the symptoms are gone we are told we are well and can now go out and play. This teaches us that symptoms are “bad”, and need to be suppressed. Then as we grow up, those ideas are reinforced, by our teacher’s and everyone else’s views.
Our children’s textbooks iterate that idea. Television, radio, newspapers, and magazines also reinforce these teachings. Every adult knows and believes these ideas. We are taught that certain symptoms are “RISK FACTORS” for terrible diseases, and we see people trying to reduce symptoms through diets, exercises, drugs, etc.
When we get symptoms, if we consider them bad enough, we go to the doctor and tell him the symptoms we have and he TREATS us to try to get them to go away. Ads in the newspaper, women’s magazines, television, and radio, tout the wonderful chemical which if we will only take it…” RELIEF IS JUST A SWALLOW AWAY”. Listen to a group of oldsters talk about their symptoms and what they are doing about them.
So we know that symptoms are important and BAD. And the doctor’s job is to make them go away. People who don’t seem to believe these ideas are considered “STRANGE” and “WEIRD”.
But in truth, SYMPTOMS ARE ONLY SIGNS THAT WE ARE ALIVE. They are there for one of two reasons, only.
Either they are SUPPOSED TO BE, and are part of life and healing; or they are NOT SUPPOSED TO BE and are caused by interference to our brain and nerve system, often by “subluxation”, a condition of pressure against or irritation of the spinal nerve system by minor misalignments of the spine or body framework, a lesser version of what can happen if the spine is fractured causing our body to malfunction and produce symptoms, such as paralysis..
If they are not supposed to be there, and caused by subluxations, as a fever that is not needed, a Chiropractic adjustment will, by correcting the causative nerve interference, result in the fever going away in short order.
If they are supposed to be there, as for example a fever needed to destroy viruses or bacteria, the symptom is necessary. In that case if we give a proper Chiropractic adjustment one of three things will occur.
- If the amount of fever is correct, there will be no change.
- If the fever is too high, it will lower, but not go away completely.
- If the fever is too low, the fever will go higher.
This will also happen with other symptoms. If for example a practice member presents with a stiff neck that is due to a nerve interference only, with no inflammation or pathology, when a proper Chiropractic adjustment is given the stiff neck will shortly go away and the person will think the chiropractor is a great doctor. But if the patient’s cervical spine is unstable from a new or old accident, which has resulted in injury to the check ligaments, causing an unstable spine, the muscles may well tighten to protect the cervical nerves and or blood vessels from further damage. If you now give a proper Chiropractic adjustment…
- If the cervical restriction and pain is sufficient, no change will take place and if the practice member is not pre-warned what to expect, the person and sometimes the chiropractor will think that the doctor’s adjustment failed. And the patient will want something more done, and the chiropractor might do something like massage, physiotherapy, etc. which will actually be foolish, by not addressing the underlying problem. Do we want to relax a tight muscle for example in the neck? or do we want to figure out WHY the muscle is tight in the first place? Exactly.
- If the restriction and pain are more than needed, after a proper adjustment, there will be some diminution of symptoms, and again the uneducated practice member will want the chiropractor to do something more; again because the doctor has not educated the person about the purpose of Chiropractic, (and in this day and age it is quite possible the Chiropractor doesn’t really understand either).
- If the cervical restriction is not as strong as it should be, after a proper adjustment the neck might become even more stiff and sore (and the practice member, not understanding that the body is trying to protect itself, will be sure the chiropractor “MADE IT WORSE”. Again due to lack of education and understanding about Chiropractic; “just make the pain go away, Doc”.
THE ONLY WAY TO AVOID MAKING MISTAKES BY TRYING TO FORCE THE SYMPTOMS TO REDUCE IS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN HERE.
If the practice member does not understand that the Chiropractor is not in charge of their symptoms, they will stop care before they can get the results that Chiropractic will ultimately bring them. They may even tell others that Chiropractic didn’t work, and those people may avoid Chiropractic when it might be exactly what is needed for that person to heal.
No matter what your symptoms are, properly trained Chiropractors don’t try to suppress them. No matter what symptoms you may have, the properly trained Chiropractor is going to reduce your NERVE INTERFERENCES. Allowing your body to function and heal at OPTIMAL levels.
DOES THIS MEAN THAT CHIROPRACTic WILL NOT HELP GET RID OF SYMPTOMS?
Of course Chiropractic helps, often when nothing else will by allowing your body to work with less nerve interference. Your body will take care of the symptoms as you heal. The idea that your body must heal itself, so that symptoms go away naturally, is pretty much opposite of your early training, but if you think about it you will agree that, that is what must happen.
Visit our HIlliard chiropractic clinic to see what we can do for you!