Wood Family Chiropractic Center

What is chiropractic?

Chiropractic is the science, philosophy and art of correcting spinal misalignments that create nerve interference. Chiropractic deals with the body as a whole. When nerve interference is removed, the body is free to function at a much higher level. Everything that occurs in the body is a result of a message being sent from our brain to our spinal cord and out to peripheral nerves. These peripheral nerves tell our organs, tissues, cells, muscles and all other bodily functions what to do. If there is nerve interference occurring anywhere in the body, then our main conducting system cannot do its job properly. Chiropractic is the practice of locating these areas of nerve interference and correcting them, so the body can heal itself.

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What is the difference between an Osteopath and a Chiropractor?

Chiropractors locate and correct specific areas of nerve interference, within the spinal column.

Osteopaths use general manipulation of the entire spine. They are basically moving everything around to create circulatory changes in the body.

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What is the noise everyone talks about during an adjustment?

There are discs located in between each vertebra (spinal bone). When the spinal bones are gently moved by a chiropractor, the fluid, gases, and air within the disc itself are released. The pressure being released is the “noise” that is sometimes heard during a spinal adjustment.

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What is an adjustment?

A spinal adjustment occurs when a chiropractor places his hands on the bone to be moved and introduces a gentle force. The body takes this force and moves the bone towards its proper position. The nerve flow in this area is then restored and the body can now function in a healthier state.

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Does it hurt during an adjustment?

Spinal adjustments are preformed gently and quickly. A spinal adjustment should not hurt if done correctly. After our first or second adjustment we may experience some muscle soreness. This is a normal symptom that occurs in some people, because bones cannot move without the muscles around them responding. If we have not had a spinal alignment for a long time, then our muscles have been holding this bone in the wrong place. It is natural for the muscles to spasm during the healing process.

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I have heard that chiropractic can help with headaches, asthma, allergies, ear infections, high blood pressure, neck pain, back pain, digestive problems, and all sorts of things. Is this true?

Chiropractic is not a treatment for any of these problems, however if we are having any of these symptoms and they are caused by nerve interference, then it would only make sense that by removing our spinal misalignments these problems should go away. It is the result of the body functioning at a higher level of health, and the body’s own innate intelligence that does the healing. This is why drugs are not a cure all and neither is chiropractic. The body itself is the only true one with the ability to heal itself. Chiropractic offers a natural, safe, effective way to get in touch with your own body’s healing ability, without the harmful side effects of most drugs.

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Is it important for infants and children to get their spines checked?

It is important for infants and children to get their spines checked, because they may have nerve interference also. They have all the same body parts as adults, so why shouldn't they get their spines checked?

Think about the birth process itself. It is very traumatic for the mother and the child, even in the gentlest of births. The infant has been in the mother’s womb for nine to ten months and then one day it is time to come out. The infant is released from the warm, comfortable, fluid enclosed womb and pushed through the narrow birth canal, then, often times pulled out by a doctor. The traction on an infant’s tiny neck causes subluxations to occur immediately. Even if traction is not used, just the process of pushing can cause subluxations. Toddlers and children are always falling down, this can cause subluxations. Why not give your newborn baby and children the greatest possible chance at a healthy life from the very start?

While on the subject, pregnant women can and should reap the benefits of chiropractic care. Babies start developing from the moment of conception on. It is vital that the mother’s body be working at her fullest potential in order to ensure proper development of the fetus. It is perfectly safe for pregnant women to be adjusted.

There are special tables, equipment and positions just for pregnant women to ensure a pleasant and effective adjustment.

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Is it dangerous to adjust babies and children?

Absolutely not! The true danger is not getting their spines checked for subluxations. Vertebral subluxations have been linked to sudden infant death syndrome. If there is nerve interference present, then our bodies are not working correctly. Subluxations have been called the “silent killer”.

When an infant or a child receives a spinal adjustment, the pressure used to move the bone or cartilage is just as gentle as the pressure of my finger resting on your hand. That’s all it takes to move the bone in a child. With this knowledge, you should ask yourself how much pressure, or how many falls does it take to misalign or subluxate a bone, causing that nerve pressure to occur? How many days, weeks, months, years do we go having nerve interference present in our body without even knowing it?

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What is a subluxation?

A subluxation is the term used to describe a bone that has misaligned and created nerve pressure and body dysfunction.

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How do we know if we have a subluxation?

We don’t! Chiropractors are the only doctors that have been trained specifically to locate and correct vertebral subluxations.

Most nerve fibers (80%) are present for function only. That leaves only 20% present for pain sensation. What does this mean? It means that by the time your body displays any type of symptoms associated with the subluxation, a lot of function has already been compromised.

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