So, What Is Chiropractic?

You may have just started your journey at Epoch, been coming a while, or always been intrigued. But do you know exactly what chiropractic is?

Some say it’s great for back pain, others use it for headaches. Then there are those who say it helps their digestive issues, menstrual cramps, and brain fog. And then there is the classic, once you start, you have to go for a lifetime…

So what really is the truth about this profession we call chiropractic? I thought I’d shed a little light and share a bit of history with you today.

The History of Chiropractic

Way back in 1895, Davenport, Iowa there was a man called D.D. Palmer. A magnetic healer at the time. He was doing some treatment on his janitor, Harvey Lillard, who was deaf. 

As the story goes D.D. Palmer felt a palpable lump in his spine, ‘pushed’ it 3 times and afterwards Harvey’s hearing was restored, he could hear the horses on the cobbled streets outside.

Yes, this marvellous profession of ours started with the restoration of hearing!

Over the years that followed the early chiropractors realised that what they were doing when correcting the spine, was affecting the nerves and how the brain and body communicate. 

Their early hypothesis was that a misalignment in the spine would pinch a nerve and wherever that nerve is going, would stop working properly. As such they were helping people with all kinds of alignments and diseases.

The other notion that came from this early work was that ‘the body needs no help, just no interference’. This being the birth of a drug free profession. One that helps the body to take care of itself. Understanding that the body has an innate ability to self-heal. 

Chiropractic Today

Today there have been a lot of advances in our understanding but the core principles remain true.

1. The body can heal itself; chiropractors do not use or advocate for drugs or surgery.
2. The spine is the linchpin that allows the brain and body to function properly for that self-driven innate healing to happen.

What we know now is that a spine with a lack of good motion stops sending signals to the brain, this causes the brain to ‘ignore’ or ‘forget’ about the area that’s not working properly. And this is where sickness can start to occur.

But what is really exciting is the ability for the brain to re wire and up regulate with stimulus from the spine.

Essentially when a chiropractor gets your spine moving better, more signals go to the brain, and due to its neuroplastic nature, the brain wakes up, builds stronger connections, and starts talking to that part of the body again, this is what allows the healing to happen.

So, in answer to the questions at the start of this blog. Yes, getting the spine moving better is great for back and neck pain, but can also dramatically improve how your brain and body are communicating, and the ramifications of that can be far reaching on your overall health.

And do you need to go for a lifetime? That’s your choice. But knowing that after 3 weeks of poor spinal movement, degenerative spinal and brain changes begin. I choose to get adjusted regularly to keep my body functioning tip top!

With love,

Tom