Science, Philosophy and Art

Chiropractic is a health profession that enhances the innate ability of the body to heal itself without the use of medication or surgery. Chiropractic focuses on the relationship between the skeletal system (mainly the spine) and the nervous system), and on how this relationship influences the achievement of optimal health and contributes to its ongoing maintenance.

The nervous system controls every tissue, organ and cell of the body, directing and coordinating all cellular functioning. The cranium and spine make up the central nervous system (the brain, spinal cord and nerve roots) and ensure its protection. Because of this intimate relationship, biomechanical or structural problems of the vertebral column may lead to irritation of closely connected parts of the nervous system. This irritation may be due to biochemical reactive inflammatory substances released in surrounding tissue, or may be caused by direct mechanical pressure.

Chiropractic treatment is generally divided into three phases. Each of these phases is complimentary and varies in length, depending on the individual:

Initial Phase

The initial phase is a very intense and primarily passive phase. This phase has the primary goal to alleviate the patient's symptoms, whilst priming the body for optimal function.

Stabilising Phase

Visits become less frequent and more active (the patient has to do something to assist in the improvement of their condition). The goal of this phase is to correct the cause of the original symptoms, thus restoring its wellness potential. During this phase, the chiropractor will assess the reasons why the symptom showed up in the first place. In this phase, the patient will address their overall lifestyle, like eating habits, physical activity, their stress management and so on.

Maintenance Phase

This phase allows the patient to maintain and improve their wellness potential through regular but infrequent visits, every few months, applying the chiropractic lifestyle.

In both cases the nervous system is negatively influenced, and so is the function of the tissues, cells and organs that that part innervates. The outcome depends on which cells, tissues or organs are affected, but also on the overall state of the nervous system. Because the body’s innate ability to naturally heal itself is mediated and integrated by the nervous system, the correction of mechanical spinal lesions irritating the nervous system can also have far reaching benefits for patients who suffer from various conditions that may not seem of vertebral origin.