By Adela Beasley


Chiropractic treatments are a form of alternative and complementary medicine. It specializes in the diagnosis, management and prevention those conditions that cause problems on the neurological as well as the muscular and skeletal systems. It involves use of manual manipulative techniques targeted on the spinal cord and vertebrae with an aim of correcting dysfunction and therefore restoring health. Initially this practice was predominantly located in North America, Europe and Australia but is now practice in over 100 nations.

This practice was first discovered by a magnetic healer called Palmer in the united states but has faced many challenges in being adopted into convectional systems because of lack of scientific basis to support the mechanisms of the practice. Scientists disapprove the allegations that spinal dysfunction is the sole cause diseases, they however approve it for manual therapies for conditions of the lower back while discrediting it for cervical conditions where it could be dangerous.

Several chiropractic specialists have different believes on the mechanisms through which this therapy works. They however have a consensus on a few issues such as the existence of a relationship between health and the nervous system. The specialists are well vast with functions and structures of the spinal cord and nerves and how they relate to disease processes.

The principles guiding the use of this therapy gives the users confidence in this treatment mode. One is the principle of reductionism which tends to demystify the theory of holism that ill health is related wellness of the body, mind and spirit to the external environment. Here the belief is that the nervous system is the main and sole determinant of health. Second is the conviction that the body has an innate ability self-heal when giving enough external support and time to do so, a principle called homeostasis and finally the principle of conservatism that invasive techniques like surgeries are not a useful approach of therapy instead focus should be on exploring less invasive procedures like simple body manipulation.

Mr. Healer the father of chiropractic made a hypothesis that misalignment of the joints in the vertebra which is also called subluxation greatly reduced the ability of the body to heal itself and therefore resulting is diseases. Part of the pathologies was also because of the malfunctioning of organs that were supplied by the nerves whose pathway had been interfered with the subluxation.

The practice closely resembles other form of therapies already in practice like osteopathy and massage therapies. Slight differences however exist that specialists easily identify on how the processes are carried out. The target nerves tend to be deeper so chiropractics tend to have firmer grips on the point of contact on the body compared to other therapies.

Examples of conditions that are managed through this therapy include Low back pain which is the commonest condition manageable through this approach. It has also been used to manage migraine headaches. It is also used in many systemic diseases where there is an issue of nerves associated to the condition resulting in chronic pain.

Chiropractic treatments are generally relatively safe especially when done by a skillful practitioner and in the appropriate manner. There is however few complications that could occur could arise and there are contraindications against which it cannot be delivered such as conditions that result in unstable joint like rheumatoid arthritis.




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