October is National Chiropractic Month

By Akindman

“Quacks! Waste of money – it is all in his head.” Yep, those were my dad’s words about me seeing a Chiropractor when I was about 15 – mom prevailed and lo and behold, after a few sessions – back and legs were back where they belonged. They were knocked out of whack about eight years earlier in an auto accident.

Alternative medicine, healing, wellbeing are often taboo in our society –especially over the past five decades.  We are learning just how beneficial they can be. Yoga, meditation, massages therapy, reflexology, herbs, spices, honey, cinnamon, veggies and fruits to touch on just a few.

My experience with these and others has truly improved my quality of life and highly recommend them for others.

Chiropractic is a form of alternative medicine that emphasizes diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially the spine, under the hypothesis that these disorders affect general health via the nervous system. It is generally categorized as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), a characterization that many chiropractors reject. Although chiropractors have many attributes of primary care providers, chiropractic has more of the attributes of a medical specialty like dentistry or podiatry] The main chiropractic treatment technique involves manual therapy, including manipulation of the spine, other joints, and soft tissues; treatment also includes exercises and health and lifestyle counseling. Traditional chiropractic assumes that a vertebral subluxation interferes with the body's innate intelligence, a vitalistic notion that brings ridicule from mainstream health care.  A large number of chiropractors want to separate themselves from the traditional vitalistic concept of innate intelligence.

D.D. Palmer founded chiropractic in the 1890s, and his son B.J. Palmer helped to expand it in the early 20th century. It has two main groups: "straights", now the minority, emphasizes vitalism, innate intelligence and spinal adjustments, and consider vertebral subluxations to be the cause of all disease; "mixers", the majority, are more open to mainstream views and conventional medical techniques, such as exercise, massage, and ice therapy. Chiropractic is well established in the U.S., Canada and Australia and is the third largest health profession, behind medicine and dentistry. It overlaps with other manual-therapy professions, including massage therapy, osteopathy, and physical therapy] Most who seek chiropractic care do so for low back pain. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropractic]

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) will once again lead the nation in celebrating National Chiropractic Health Month (NCHM).

This year’s theme — “Get TechnoHealthy!” — and activities focus on how doctors of chiropractic can help the public stay healthy and injury free while toting the gadgets they love or working long hours in front of a computer.

The excessive use of mobile devices and incorrect posture while using smart phones and other gadgets or while sitting in front of a computer can lead to neck, back, wrist, and even thumb pain, in addition to other musculoskeletal issues. The problem is becoming so widespread that earlier this year a spokesperson for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said that musculoskeletal injuries remain one of the biggest workplace health and safety problems in American industry.

National Chiropractic Health Month offers us an opportunity to educate the public on the potential injuries associated with extended technology use, which is a growing public health issue, and also raise awareness of how chiropractic care can help people prevent and treat these conditions naturally.

National Chiropractic Month is a nationwide campaign spearheaded by the American Chiropractic Association and held each October. This year’s activities will educate consumers about the value of chiropractic and the health care services available through doctors of chiropractic (commonly referred to as chiropractors or chiropractic physicians).

Did you know that doctors of chiropractic most often treat conditions such as: back pain, neck pain, headaches, whiplash, as well as sports and work-related injuries? Did you know that doctors of chiropractic are trained to recommend therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises, as well as to provide nutritional, dietary and lifestyle counseling?

Chiropractic care is an important aspect of today’s health care delivery system and is used by more than 22 million Americans each year. There’s never been a better time to discover how chiropractic can help limit your pain and improve your overall health.

Facts about Chiropractic:

Chiropractic offers a conservative, non-invasive, and preventative approach to health care. As evidence supporting the effectiveness of chiropractic continues to emerge, consumers are turning in record numbers to chiropractic care a non-surgical, drug-free treatment option. [http://www.chiromedicalgroup.com/node/218]