Chiropractic doctors practice natural, drugless, non-invasive health care and rely on the body's ability to self-heal. Sounds ideal, but just how does it work?

We look at the whole picture
Like other healthcare providers, we follow a standard routine to gain information about the patient. We consult, review the case history, conduct a physical examination, and we may request laboratory analyses and/or x-rays.

Unlike other healthcare providers, however, chiropractic physicians also conduct a careful analysis of the patient's structure and pay particular attention to the spine. We also ask you about your life— Do you eat well? Exercise at all? How do you deal with stress? Do you have children? What do you do for work? And so on.

Although we look at things differently regarding your health, sometimes we find that a cooperative effort with other healthcare providers can help you obtain the optimal solution to your health concerns.

We seek the origin of the problem
Using this information, a diagnosis is made. Included in the diagnosis is the probable reason for your pain or discomfort. It is important to note that chiropractors seek the origin of the illness in order to eliminate it-we do not simply treat the symptoms.

If your roof is leaking, do you simply catch the drips in a bucket for years on end, or do you repair the roof to prevent it from leaking? Similarly, if the migraine headache you've had all week is being caused by misaligned vertebra and an irritated nerve, do you continue to take pain killers indefinitely, or do you realign the vertebra to eliminate or reduce the pain?

Chiropractors have a term for misalignments: subluxations. A vertebral subluxation is a misalignment of the bones that protect the spinal cord. It's a leak in the roof. Or a kink in the wiring of your nervous system.

The severity of the subluxation can vary, and there are a number of potential contributing factors that can include physical, emotional, mental, or chemical factors. The subluxation can be caused by any number of incidents, from birth trauma to an auto accident to simple repetition or over-use. These then can be amplified with muscle adaptation including spasm.

Then we help you fix it
When a subluxation occurs, a chiropractor can adjust the misaligned bone and allow it to return to its proper function. This procedure is appropriately called an adjustment, and the adjustment enables the body to begin healing.

To keep the wiring fixed and the information flowing, several adjustments over a course of time may be necessary, in addition to massage, physical therapy, stretching exercises or strengthening exercises. In the chiropractic world, keeping the problem fixed and preventing its reoccurrence is just as important as the initial remedy.

Another important aspect of chiropractic care is that the patient's improvement is the responsibility of both the doctor and the patient. You will be active in your own care-this is essential in optimizing the care you receive.