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Chiropractic Philosophy
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Published: September 22, 2006
Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases. These words, spoken by Hippocrates millennia ago, demonstrate man's recognition of the link and sensitive relationship between spinal health and overall well-being. Yet it is only less than a century and a half ago that the perspectives that would form modern chiropractic medicine were concretely forged and implemented.
Chiropractic as a distinct form of medical care emerged in 1895 through the efforts of a man named David Daniel Palmer and his son, Bartlett Joshua Palmer. One of David Palmer's major contributions to the evolution of chiropractic care came in the form of the specific spinal adjustment, famously performed on September 8th, 1895 to Harvey Lillard. Lillard had lost his ability to hear when he felt something give in his neck years earlier. After an examination, Palmer discovered something unusual in his neck. Lillard had a misaligned vertebra, which Palmer preceded to realign into its normal position. Soon after, Lillard regained his hearing.
This example aptly demonstrates a key perspective in the chiropractic philosophy: that the structure and condition of the body influences how the body functions and its ability to heal itself. So logically, if something was out-of-synch in the structure or condition of the body, this could affect it's ability to function properly: hence, the neck injury-hearing loss connection in Lillard's case.
Another central ideology of chiropractic medicine is that the relationship between mind and body is instrumental in maintaining health and in the healing processes. This relates directly to what can be described as an overarching, umbrella-concept for chiropractic healing: the holistic approach. The term holistic itself can be defined as a consideration of the whole or complete system as opposed to the exploration of parts. Applied to medicine then, holistic healing refers to the total organism that is the human body, a process that takes into account aspects not only of the body itself, but of the mind and spirit as well. With this is mind the idea of health takes on a new definition, one that takes into consideration a natural balance. It is when the balance is disturbed that illness results.
Another staple of the chiropractic belief system is that it's crucial to understand the cause of illness in order to remove it, rather than simply focusing on the treatment of the symptoms. To some, this represents a major departure from other forms of medical practice in which prescriptions are written without a second thought as to the cause of the actual symptom. In addition to an approach that focuses on the source of illness, chiropractic philosophy emphasizes early intervention through prompt diagnosis and treatment. In chiropractic medicine the nervous system plays a central role in the consideration of illness and pain within the human body. For this reason, many chiropractic physicians may implement other healing methods within their practice that take the nervous system into account such as acupuncture.
Though some remain skeptical of chiropractic medicine's adherence to a more natural approach to healing and health, for many, the practices that David Daniel Palmer and his son pioneered are an effective and welcomed alternative to other medical approaches.
Works Consulted
Chiropractic Philosophy. 2005. Chiroweb. 28 Aug. 2006
.
History of Chiropractic. 2005. Up C Spine. 28 Aug. 2006
.
The History of Chiropractic. 2006. The World Chiropractic Alliance. 28 Aug. 2006
.
Chiropractic as a distinct form of medical care emerged in 1895 through the efforts of a man named David Daniel Palmer and his son, Bartlett Joshua Palmer. One of David Palmer's major contributions to the evolution of chiropractic care came in the form of the specific spinal adjustment, famously performed on September 8th, 1895 to Harvey Lillard. Lillard had lost his ability to hear when he felt something give in his neck years earlier. After an examination, Palmer discovered something unusual in his neck. Lillard had a misaligned vertebra, which Palmer preceded to realign into its normal position. Soon after, Lillard regained his hearing.
This example aptly demonstrates a key perspective in the chiropractic philosophy: that the structure and condition of the body influences how the body functions and its ability to heal itself. So logically, if something was out-of-synch in the structure or condition of the body, this could affect it's ability to function properly: hence, the neck injury-hearing loss connection in Lillard's case.
Another central ideology of chiropractic medicine is that the relationship between mind and body is instrumental in maintaining health and in the healing processes. This relates directly to what can be described as an overarching, umbrella-concept for chiropractic healing: the holistic approach. The term holistic itself can be defined as a consideration of the whole or complete system as opposed to the exploration of parts. Applied to medicine then, holistic healing refers to the total organism that is the human body, a process that takes into account aspects not only of the body itself, but of the mind and spirit as well. With this is mind the idea of health takes on a new definition, one that takes into consideration a natural balance. It is when the balance is disturbed that illness results.
Another staple of the chiropractic belief system is that it's crucial to understand the cause of illness in order to remove it, rather than simply focusing on the treatment of the symptoms. To some, this represents a major departure from other forms of medical practice in which prescriptions are written without a second thought as to the cause of the actual symptom. In addition to an approach that focuses on the source of illness, chiropractic philosophy emphasizes early intervention through prompt diagnosis and treatment. In chiropractic medicine the nervous system plays a central role in the consideration of illness and pain within the human body. For this reason, many chiropractic physicians may implement other healing methods within their practice that take the nervous system into account such as acupuncture.
Though some remain skeptical of chiropractic medicine's adherence to a more natural approach to healing and health, for many, the practices that David Daniel Palmer and his son pioneered are an effective and welcomed alternative to other medical approaches.
Works Consulted
Chiropractic Philosophy. 2005. Chiroweb. 28 Aug. 2006
History of Chiropractic. 2005. Up C Spine. 28 Aug. 2006
The History of Chiropractic. 2006. The World Chiropractic Alliance. 28 Aug. 2006
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