What Can Chiropractic Cure?

(From time to time I’ll use this space to explode some of the common myths we hear about chiropractic ~ Dr. Tony)

Chiropractic doesn’t cure anything. Nor is it a treatment for disease. If there’s going to be any “curing” going on, it will be up to you and the capacity of your body.

Name virtually any disease or health problem and a chiropractic patient somewhere has seen it resolve after receiving chiropractic care. Yet, when skeptics or chiropractic detractors hear that cases of asthma, acid reflux or sinus problems improve with chiropractic care, they’re suspicious. They write it off as merely the “placebo effect.”

Turns out, the only thing that the best doctors (of any type) can do is to remove interferences that may be preventing your body from healing itself. That’s why our focus is on your nervous system. Your nervous system controls how your body works. If controlling and regulating nerve impulses are compromised somewhere between your brain and your body (often along the spine), then restoring better brain/body communications permits normal healing.

So, while many think chiropractic is about the spine, it’s really about the integrity of your nervous system. And with a better nerve supply, your body is capable of just about anything!

The Ball Bearings of the Spine

They bulge, herniate, degenerate and tear, but they don’t “slip.”

Discs are the “ball bearings” of the spine. Separating each vertebra, they create the necessary spacing for nerves to exit the spinal cord to service the organs and tissues of your body. Rings of fibrous tissue called the annulus contain a soft jelly center.

In our office, we see two common disc problems:

Bulging Disc

A weakened area of the annulus can allow the softer nucleus of the disc to bulge like a balloon. This can put pressure on nearby nerves. “Bulging discs respond well to chiropractic care,” observes Dr. Bennett. “With improved spinal function we’ve seen many cases resolve nicely.”

Herniated Disc

A herniated or ruptured disc is more serious. It can occur anywhere in the spine, but is most common in the lower back. This is when part of the soft nucleus pushes out of the annulus into the spinal canal, usually through a weakened area due to trauma or degeneration.

Chiropractic care, along with simple exercise, such as walking, increased water intake and improved nutrition offer a natural, non-surgical resolution to many disc problems.

Stomach Bleeding and Kidney Damage

While the unintended deaths from high profile prescription drugs make front-page news, there may be a far more dangerous drug problem lurking in your medicine cabinet.

Everyday, millions of people take an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) for quick, easy pain relief. Because these drugs are easily accessible and can be very effective, there is a dangerous misperception that they are risk free.

Yet, problems can range from mild stomach upset to stomach bleeding and ulcers. This can happen because NSAIDs prevent prostaglandins from doing their job of protecting the lining of your stomach. At the same time, NSAIDs prevent the body's normal ability to stop bleeding.

Pain medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen, are one of the leading causes of stomach ulcers and have been associated with side effects ranging from stomach upset to stomach bleeding, which can be life threatening. In fact, NSAID use leads to more than 103,000 hospitalizations and 16,500 deaths each year in the United States.

Prostaglandins are also essential for the proper function of your kidneys. The elderly are especially susceptible to kidney damage from NSAID use. In fact, a recent study of 114 elderly men and women who had just begun taking ibuprofen, a popular NSAID, showed that 13% were experiencing reduced kidney function. When taken in high doses, NSAIDs can permanently damage your kidneys, requiring dialysis.

“When you swallow a pill, it affects your whole body, not just the part that hurts,” observes Dr. Tony.

Health is something that people will spend only the barest
minimum to keep, but spend their last dime to to recover.