How to Choose the Right Chiropractor For You
Chiropractic in the 21st century has evolved to include many different techniques and styles of natural health care.
This means there is a type of chiropractic that is suitable for everyone, but the challenge now becomes- how to choose the right chiropractor for your needs.
This article is intended to give a quick overview of some of the widely different options available.
Chiropractic began over 200 years ago with the discovery that by moving a bone to take pressure off a nerve, normal function could be restored to a damaged joint, muscle or organ.
This basic philosophy of removing stress from the nervous system to allow the body's own natural healing is common to all forms of chiropractic.
However, the way in which this is achieved, and what else is included varies greatly from technique to technique.
In chiropractic we consider the triad of health- 3 equally important factors which determine health on all levels.
An imbalance in any factor will eventually unbalance all factors.
The factors are: Physical/Structural- all the physical tissues and structures of the body Chemical- all the biochemical reactions and processes that sustain life Emotional- all our mental and emotional processes- our thoughts and feelings Chiropractic techniques could be divided into groups according to which of the above levels they work on.
The first (and largest) group are the techniques that are just focussed on the structural- realigning the body and the spine to allow full functioning of the nervous system.
This is essential for real wellness, no matter what other levels of health you work on.
Chiropractors in this group can be broken up into "manual" adjusters- people who adjust the spine by hand; and "instrument" adjusters- people who use a small, low-force mechanical instrument to adjust the spine.
This is a very gentle way of treating the spine, and is especially appropriate for elderly or very young people.
A "straight" or primarily structural chiropractor would be best for you if your problem is purely mechanical, like a sports injury, accident or repetitive strain injury.
Techniques that also work on the biochemical level include Applied Kinesiology (AK) and Total Body Modification (TBM).
These systems use kinesiology, or muscle testing to test for a wide range of stresses on the nervous system, such as food allergies, nutritional deficiencies, toxicity and hormonal imbalances.
These techniques also correct structural problems, but by also treating biochemical imbalances they often treat the underlying causes as well.
These types of chiropractor are particularly appropriate for you if you problem is chronic or involves multiple health challenges.
Often these techniques succeed when other physical therapies have failed.
There are also chiropractic techniques that work on the emotional level.
These are often able to follow the chain of causes one step deeper- often the chronic biochemical imbalances are the result of "stuck" emotional patterns and limiting belief systems.
Techniques that work on this level include Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) and LifeLine Technique.
These systems also use muscle testing to diagnose stresses on the nervous system, but in this case the stress is emotional rather than physical or chemical.
This type of chiropractor is able to treat problems on all three levels of the triad of health, and would be ideal if your problem is chronic, complex, or keeps coming back or seems to be stuck on some level.
Ultimately most of our health challenges originate on this emotional level.
All health problems originate from imbalance in one of the three areas discussed above.
Whatever your health problem is, there is a chiropractor with a technique that can help you get back into balance and get on with your life.
This means there is a type of chiropractic that is suitable for everyone, but the challenge now becomes- how to choose the right chiropractor for your needs.
This article is intended to give a quick overview of some of the widely different options available.
Chiropractic began over 200 years ago with the discovery that by moving a bone to take pressure off a nerve, normal function could be restored to a damaged joint, muscle or organ.
This basic philosophy of removing stress from the nervous system to allow the body's own natural healing is common to all forms of chiropractic.
However, the way in which this is achieved, and what else is included varies greatly from technique to technique.
In chiropractic we consider the triad of health- 3 equally important factors which determine health on all levels.
An imbalance in any factor will eventually unbalance all factors.
The factors are: Physical/Structural- all the physical tissues and structures of the body Chemical- all the biochemical reactions and processes that sustain life Emotional- all our mental and emotional processes- our thoughts and feelings Chiropractic techniques could be divided into groups according to which of the above levels they work on.
The first (and largest) group are the techniques that are just focussed on the structural- realigning the body and the spine to allow full functioning of the nervous system.
This is essential for real wellness, no matter what other levels of health you work on.
Chiropractors in this group can be broken up into "manual" adjusters- people who adjust the spine by hand; and "instrument" adjusters- people who use a small, low-force mechanical instrument to adjust the spine.
This is a very gentle way of treating the spine, and is especially appropriate for elderly or very young people.
A "straight" or primarily structural chiropractor would be best for you if your problem is purely mechanical, like a sports injury, accident or repetitive strain injury.
Techniques that also work on the biochemical level include Applied Kinesiology (AK) and Total Body Modification (TBM).
These systems use kinesiology, or muscle testing to test for a wide range of stresses on the nervous system, such as food allergies, nutritional deficiencies, toxicity and hormonal imbalances.
These techniques also correct structural problems, but by also treating biochemical imbalances they often treat the underlying causes as well.
These types of chiropractor are particularly appropriate for you if you problem is chronic or involves multiple health challenges.
Often these techniques succeed when other physical therapies have failed.
There are also chiropractic techniques that work on the emotional level.
These are often able to follow the chain of causes one step deeper- often the chronic biochemical imbalances are the result of "stuck" emotional patterns and limiting belief systems.
Techniques that work on this level include Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) and LifeLine Technique.
These systems also use muscle testing to diagnose stresses on the nervous system, but in this case the stress is emotional rather than physical or chemical.
This type of chiropractor is able to treat problems on all three levels of the triad of health, and would be ideal if your problem is chronic, complex, or keeps coming back or seems to be stuck on some level.
Ultimately most of our health challenges originate on this emotional level.
All health problems originate from imbalance in one of the three areas discussed above.
Whatever your health problem is, there is a chiropractor with a technique that can help you get back into balance and get on with your life.
