Now that I have told you a little about myself and what makes me tick, I think it makes sense to provide you with a basic understanding about the science and art of chiropractic. Everyone knows us to be ‘back doctors’, but we are so much more than that! I hope to foster a more profound appreciation of what chiropractic means to your health with a better understanding of what we do.
First a quick anatomy lesson: Your adult spine is made up of 24 vertebral bones, your sacrum and your coccyx. Each vertebrae articulates, or makes a joint, with the bone above and below it. Between each vertebrae is a disc that gives the spinal column flexibility and acts as a cushion to the vertebrae. Here comes the really important part: within the spinal column is housed your spinal cord. At each level of your spine, nerves come off the cord and out through the spinal joints to the rest of your body. This means that all the messages between your brain and your body must pass through the gateway of the spinal joints. This includes sensory information coming in like touch, temperature and pain, and commands from the brain going out to your many body systems and muscles.
We can all agree, I think, that there are certain unavoidable things in life: injuries, stress and toxins. In chiropractic philosophy, we call them the three T’s: traumas, thots and toxins. (And, yes, I know I misspelled thoughts; it is a tribute to DD Palmer, the founder of chiropractic.) These three things affect our health by causing a subluxation, or vertebral subluxation complex, in our spine. We call it a complex because it involves many structures at once: joint, muscle, nerve, blood and lymph flow. The movement of the joint is restricted, the muscles become tense, the nerve is irritated and blood and lymph flow are restricted.
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The part that we chiropractors are most concerned about is that nerve, because proper nerve function is so necessary for all of your body’s processes. When that nerve is irritated, the communication between your brain and body is altered. Altered signals in your body result in altered function which you may experience in any one of a number of ways, depending on the nerve involved: pain, headache, immune dysfunction, digestive problems, reproductive problems, etc. The symptoms you experience are all a normal response to the abnormal state of your nervous system.
So does it make more sense to treat the symptoms or to treat the nervous system? It is far more effective to address the cause of the problem, instead of relieving the symptoms, which are your body’s way of letting you know that something inside is not working quite right.
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This is where I come in. As a chiropractor, I can treat your nervous system through a specific spinal adjustment. Through a spinal exam, chiropractors detect the subluxation complex. The adjustment, applying a gentle force in a specific direction to one level of your spine, will return motion to that vertebral joint, relax the surrounding muscles, calm the nerve and improve blood and lymph flow. Now your body can heal itself and return to its normal state. Symptoms resolve because the cause has been addressed.
You may be wondering though, what caused the subluxation in the first place? We can not forget about the three T’s! Your chiropractor should not only deliver an adjustment, but should assess your health holistically and identify which lifestyle factors are causing the subluxation complex to occur. It is your responsibility to take control of your health and make the recommended lifestyle changes in order to improve your response to chiropractic care and prevent the subluxation complex and other health problems from happening. These lifestyle changes typically involve nutrition, exercise, ergonomics and stress management. Your chiropractor will guide you through these changes and offer support, but ultimately you are the only one who can make those changes.
So, it is far more appropriate to call us ‘nervous system’ doctors than ‘back’ doctors. Furthermore, we are holistic doctors that treat you as a whole person and not just as a spine or a symptom. We are trained to diagnose, just like your medical doctor, and can refer you to another doctor when necessary. Chiropractors are portal of entry doctors, meaning you can see us without a referral from your primary doctor. In fact, a chiropractor can be your primary doctor. We are uniquely suited to be your first line of defense against loss of health, and we are an invaluable asset should a health problem arise.
I would love to entertain your thoughts and questions about how chiropractic fits into your life! Feel free to email me at drerica@kinetichealthalternatives.com.
Dr. Erica Bullock, D.C.
Concierge Wellness Doctor
Kinetic Health Alternatives
703.766.5786
Virginia I Washington, DC I Los Angeles
