Vertebral Subluxation

How to clarify the discussion of chiropractic with friends and family

A common theme in my practice over the past few years is people trying to express the benefits of chiropractic care and what chiropractic is, only to find friends and family “not getting” it. Due to the general public’s preconceived ideas, maybe bad experi­ences, or sometimes just plain confusion, many people are still left unaware of what chiropractic is and what it offers.

It’s not hard to understand their confusion. Many chiropractors are advertising weight loss, laser hair removal, laser liposuction, traction, physical therapy, acupuncture, nutrition supplements, etc. While those things may benefit people, and they are allowed per state law, they are not “chiropractic.” There are plenty of other professions performing those services, and when the discussion centers around these services, it can confuse the public and make our job as chiropractors more difficult; people will have mixed ideas as to what chiropractic is.

So when discussing chiropractic with others, I always focus on the central topic of vertebral subluxations.

A vertebral subluxation (a.k.a. subluxation) is a situ­ation in which one or more of the bones of your spine (vertebrae) lose their normal alignment and function, creating pressure or irritation on the spinal cord or spinal nerves, causing those nerves to malfunction or obstruct the signals traveling over them.

This results in a loss of proper “connection” between your brain and your body, which causes your body to lose the ability to intelligently and purposefully organize all the cells, tissues, and organs to work harmoniously together. It also hinders our ability to adapt to stress.

What do you need to know to help others understand chiropractic in its true light?

Here are five important points to help communicate the purpose and benefits of chiropractic care:

1. Your nerve system (brain, spinal cord, and nerves) controls and coordinates all the func­tions of your body. If you interfere with the signals traveling over nerves, parts of your body will not get the proper nerve messages and will not be able to function at 100 percent of their innate abilities. In other words, some part of your body will not be working properly, and you won’t be functioning in an ideal state of “ease.”

2. In the natural state of “ease,” you are able to adapt to your internal and external environment the way you were designed to. “Dis-ease” means you’ve lost some of that adaptability. You’ve lost some normal function of your spine, some proper connection between your brain and body, or another means of keeping your body organized.

3. Subluxations are evidence of the body needing to regain an ability to handle and adapt to stress. Stress is anything that poses a need for your body to respond or change in new ways. There are physical, chemical, and emotional or mental stresses that can cause subluxation. Each subluxation is an important sign that we are operating beneath our ideal capacity, unable to meet and adapt to the various stresses that occur throughout life.

4. Vertebral subluxations occur regularly and in ev­eryone, often without any immediate, associated symptoms. It is a tremendous gift when we can identify them, helping the individual at any age regain much of their adaptability early on, to overcome challenges and find more ease in expressing their potential in life.

5. You can let people know that there are profes­sionals who undergo years of training to be the experts at locating, analyzing, and assisting in the correction of vertebral subluxations. The name of this profession is chiropractic. Chiropractors help improve normal alignment and function in the spine. They help to re-establish the proper neurological connection between the brain and body. And they help increase your innate ability to purposefully organize your body to better adapt to the stresses of your environment. If you are in a state of “dis-ease,” chiropractic can help you regain “ease” and ideal function. Chiropractors help you do this by applying a series of specific forces called adjustments.

Why seek chiropractic care?

By helping restore and maintain function and alignment in your spinal column throughout your life, chiropractic helps you maintain your vital connection and maximize the expression of life in your body. In other words, life is better without subluxations! That should be reason enough to seek care. And while everyone responds differently, the most commonly seen benefits of regular care include things like more energy, improved health, clearer thinking, memory, and concentration, a better ability to handle stress and adapt to life, improved physical performance, better sleep, improved immune function, better results from exer­cise and nutritional choices, more balanced body chemistry, better emotional moods and improved relationships, better digestion… basically, a greater enjoyment of life!

The reason for getting checked and adjusted and keeping your neurological connection clear is so that you can be a more complete expression of life! This helps you to be all you can be in all areas of your life.

How to help your family and friends

Talk to them about vertebral subluxations. Go over what this article discussed. Let them know that there are chiropractors all over the world who focus solely on locating, analyzing, and assisting in the correction of vertebral subluxations, and are wonderful at it.

If they bring up anything they experienced at a chiro­practor’s office that weren’t “adjustments,” let them know that that wasn’t chiropractic. If they had a bad experience, let them know that just as in all professions, not all chiropractors are equal in skill or in caring. Share with them your experience of chiropractic and the care you’ve received and how it made a difference.

If this incredibly valuable service is available, affordable, and visits are easy and quick enough to fit into any busy life, the only reason someone could have for not wanting it is they still don’t know about the value of correcting sub­luxations, and what it can do for individual and family life.

Our job is to fill that gap and to explain vertebral sublux­ations and how chiropractic helps.

Be sure to remind them that there are always people in their life who are counting on them to be their best. They can feel so much more alive, and beyond just trying to “get through” the day, they can actually begin “giving to” the day again. They have the ability to perform at a far greater level than anyone has ever allowed them to believe. Chiropractic can help them be their best, so they can give their best!