So often chiropractic is associated with back pain. If you ask the average person what a chiropractor is, you’ll probably hear something along these lines: “ back doctor”, “back pain”, etc.  It’s easy to understand this misconception. Chiropractic IS really good at dealing with back pain.  Also, many chiropractors do focus on pain treatment.  I’ve said this many times and written it here before, as well: this is really missing the potential of having a chiropractor as part of your healthcare team.

Chiropractic’s true goal is much deeper than pain relief; the goal is function. Function of the spine, yes, but also of the brain and nervous system.  That may sound strange if you’ve only thought of your chiropractor as your back doctor.

Consider some of the these ideas though: at Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic’s International Research and Philosophy Symposium a study was presented that demonstrated that a chiropractic adjustment had a positive effect on the central nervous system, specifically the four primary frequencies of brain function (brainwaves).  Meaning: getting adjusted by a chiropractor may have a good effect on how your brain works, simply put.

Another example was published in 2010. Researchers found that “spinal manipulation of dysfunctional joints may modify transmission of neuronal circuits not only at a spinal level but a cortical level and possibly deeper brain structures such as the basal ganglia” (J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2010 Mar-Apr;33(3):178-188). Again, in English, the study authors are stating that they found that chiropractic adjustments effected your brain and it’s function.

The question always comes back to: well what do we do with this information? I’m glad you asked.  The point is this: if our brain and nervous system are the control center for everything in our body, then it has to be of the highest priority to keep this system well.  If your nervous system is functioning poorly, in my opinion, you can argue that attempting any other health improvement is a futile task.  Putting healthy food, vitamins, exercise, or even medicine into a body that has a nervous system that can’t make the most of these things, seems backwards. At the very least, ineffective. In my mind, restore function to the nerve system and then you get the most out of your healthy choices.  If you have a less than optimally function nervous system, it’s like putting premium fuel in a car that has a non-functional engine. It’s not going to do much.

I know everyone feels like they want to be healthy and so many have the best of intentions.  My hope for you is that you can begin to see a new path to health. My family operates with this hierarchy: nervous system function first (chiropractic), building blocks for the nervous system next (nutrition, sleep, water, exercise, stretching, etc.), and personalization next.  The last step is what you do with your healthcare team on your own. Whether that’s your PCP or massage or whatever.  The idea is that you get your nervous system and your health basics in order first, then you are at a good starting point to address any other issues (if any remain) with your personal healthcare team.  Basically, you’re setting yourself up for success.  As always, improved health is almost always available, you just need to take it.