Chiropractic         Back to Alternative Health    Home

  I can't imagine life without chiropractic adjustments.  Modern life pushes us all to the max.  Chiropractic helps your body get back in balance after all the strains and stresses.  Many people only think to go to a chiropractor when their back is injured.  Our family uses chiropractic for all our health needs.   The science, art and philosophy utilizing the hands to put the bones of your spine back into their proper positions, to remove subluxations and permit the body to heal itself.  Teaching lifestyle modification through diet, exercise, posture, spinal health and positive mental attitude.

What Is It?

The best known and most widely used alternative therapy in the United States today, chiropractic
focuses on the manipulation of the spine and other joints to help treat a variety of problems
involving bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons.

Chiropractors primarily use their hands to apply pressure to a joint or group of joints. (In fact, the
name "chiropractic" is derived from Greek words meaning "done by hand.") This treatment is known as an "adjustment" or a "manipulation." The aim of using manipulation is to provide relief for pain or stiffness, and to improve posture as well as the function of nerves, joints, and muscles.

Spinal manipulation has been practiced for thousands of years; there are records of it from ancient Egypt and China. The birth of modern chiropractic, however, is often cited as September 18, 1895, the date that Daniel David ("D. D.") Palmer, a grocer and apprentice of  magnetic healing in Davenport, Iowa, reportedly restored hearing to a man who had been deaf for 17 years, simply by adjusting misaligned vertebrae.

In the years that followed, Palmer founded the first chiropractic school and refined his discipline,
becoming convinced that pinched nerves caused by misalignments of the vertebrae were
responsible for nearly all disease. His work remains the foundation of many aspects of chiropractic
today.

How Does It Work?

Chiropractic takes a structural, nutritional, and emotional approach to health care. The chiropractor aims to gently restore the natural and delicate balance that exists in all healthy individuals.

To do this, a chiropractor locates vertebrae that do not move properly, particularly along the spine.
These areas are called subluxations and they can cause inflammation and eventually pain and
dysfunction in nerves, joints, and muscles. Chiropractors treat subluxations by adjusting the
bones (and their associated muscles and joints) gently with their hands. When misalignments are
corrected, according to chiropractic theory, the integrity of the nervous system is restored,
ensuring optimal function.

What You Can Expect

After reviewing your medical history, the chiropractor will discuss your general health with
you and conduct a thorough physical examination, which will include orthopedic and neurological
evaluations. The session might include a review of past X rays or you may be asked to have new
ones taken. The course of treatment will probably include a series of adjustments to help realign
your spine, neck, or other problem areas.

The chiropractor may ask you to lie down on a padded massage-type table for spinal adjustments or you may be seated on a stool or in a special chair that provides access to your back. You may be treated fully clothed or asked to undress and wear a hospital gown.

Before doing any manipulation, the chiropractor should explain exactly what the process involves.
Typically, chiropractic is performed using very little force, although techniques vary. As the
chiropractor applies pressure to your spine, you may hear (and feel) a popping sound, like a
knuckle cracking. You should not feel any serious discomfort from the adjustment, however. If you
do, it is important to let the chiropractor know immediately. Many patients find the experience
relaxing. Most describe feeling less pain, reduced tension, and more flexibility in the areas that were
adjusted.

Some chiropractors (called "straight" chiropractors) adhere strictly to D.D. Palmer's theories, using only spinal adjustments to treat problems. Others (known as "mixers") combine spinal adjustments with adjunct therapies such as massage, heat or ice treatments, rehabilitative exercises, acupuncture, cranial manipulation, and nutritional counseling.

An initial visit usually lasts at least an hour. Subsequent visits may only take 10 to 30 minutes. Sometimes one session with a chiropractor is all that is required to relieve pain. An average course of treatment for an acute problem involves three to five visits a week for two weeks.

Dr. Evan K. Hughes  ZEN CHIROPRACTIC, 15 Fletcher St., Chelmsford, MA 01824  (978) 760-7022

EMAIL: evanhughes@juno.com

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