Chiropractic and how chiropractic therapy supports the body's natural ability to heal itself
Chiropractic is a health care approach that focuses on the relationship between the body's structure, mainly the spine, and its function. Practitioners may use a variety of treatment approaches – which can include enzyme therapy, nutrition and bioenergetic medicine – in addition to spine adjustments. A major goal of chiropractic is to support the body's natural ability to heal itself. Therapy aims to normalize the relationship between structure and function and assist the body as it heals.
While some procedures associated with chiropractic care can be traced back to ancient times, it was in 1895 that Daniel David Palmer founded the modern profession of chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. Palmer, a self-taught healer, believed that the body has a natural healing ability. Misalignments of the spine can interfere with the flow of energy needed to support health, Palmer theorized, and the key to health is to normalize the function of the nervous system, especially the spinal cord.
A 2002 national survey found that about 20 percent of American adults had received chiropractic care at some point during their lives. Chiropractic was one of the 10 most commonly used alternative therapies. Among the reasons Americans reported using chiropractic, 40 percent reported that conventional medicine did not provide the help they needed. Chiropractors may combine the use of spinal adjustments with several other treatments and approaches, such as the following:
- Nutritional and enzyme supplements
- Bioenergy modalities
- Heat and ice
- Electrical stimulation
- Rest
- Rehabilitative exercise
- Counseling about diet, weight loss and other lifestyle factors
(SOURCE: NCCAM, National Institutes of Health)
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