Judging from the fact that we’ve been serving this same community in this same location for more than 35 years, we think we must be doing something right. We are committed to giving the best chiropractic care to as many people as physically possible. Our love of chiropractic and humanity demands it. In order to accomplish that, we have attempted to remove as many barriers as possible for people to receive chiropractic care.
Chiropractic is different from medicine. We do not diagnose disease, medical doctors do. We are not trained to practice medicine, medical doctorsare. We do not treat disease, medicine does. We correct vertebral subluxations, medical doctors do not. We find them because we are trained to find them. Physicians are not so trained. We do this because vertebral subluxations interfere with the function of the nervous system and prevent your body, your entire body, from working at its fullest potential. We believe that alone justifies our existence.
Because vertebral subluxations occur in everyone and because they occur frequently, we have determined that we need to check our practice members on a weekly basis, unless our examination indicates otherwise. Seeing people every week is different. We are different.
What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic may very well be one of the least understood philosophies of life and health. It is based upon a few very simple ideas. The body is designed with an inborn ability to maintain itself in a state of proper function. A newborn baby may seem small, fragile and helpless, but within that body is the ability to make food into living tissue, to heal cuts and bruises, to adapt to changes in the environment, to produce the chemicals necessary to perform every bodily function, to fight off invading organisms, and to live as much as 100 or more years. In short, to lead a healthy, productive life. The brain and nerve system are the primary tools by which we attain proper function, what we commonly call “health.” Every organ, gland, and cell in the body depends upon messages carried to and from the brain to function in a coordinated manner so that each part can benefit the whole body, producing a full and healthy life.
Interference in the nerve system reduces the body’s ability to function in a coordinated manner. A corpse has a brain and nerve system, but it does not have life. There is no power or energy flowing over the nerve system. Similarly, a paralyzed person has lost function due to injury to the nerve system. Even slight damage to the delicate and vital nerve system can reduce the body’s ability to function at its fullest potential. A spinal misalignment that interferes with the nerve system (called a “vertebral subluxation”) creates a reduction in coordinated function. Slight misalignments of the bones of the spine caused by everyday, common activities can interfere with the ability of the nerve system to carry messages that are necessary for the successful accomplishment of those everyday activities, not the least of which is the attainment of maximum health. Chiropractors correct vertebral subluxations. In our office, the single objective of the chiropractor is to locate and correct vertebral subluxation in adults and children so that families and entire communities are able to express life at a higher level. If you and your family are not seeing a chiropractor regularly, you are not doing all you could for your life and health. It’s as simple as that!
What is Vertebral Subluxation? A vertebral subluxation is a misaligned spinal bone that interferes with the vital information being carried over the nerve system to every organ, tissue, and cell in the body. It is what the chiropractor addresses and assists in correcting. A vertebral subluxation is one of the causes of decreased expression of life in the body.
Chiropractic Absolute: Vertebral subluxation always causes the body to work at less than 100%. You cannot wholistically reach your optimum physical and mental potential in life without regular chiropractic care. There are no alternatives to chiropractic care. Chiropractic is never an approach to treating disease- In fact, chiropractic aims to correct vertebral misalignments in the spine so as to better facilitate proper body biomechanics and body function.
What Can I expect when I come in to your office?
Our approach to chiropractic is unique. For this reason it is sometimes referred to as “straight chiropractic.” We have a singular objective and do not infringe upon other fields of health, disease treatment or human performance. Our philosophy and practice seek to keep the bones of the spine (vertebrae) in their proper relationships with each other to allow the body to more fully express its maximum potential.
What do you mean by maximum potential?
Every individual human being has his or her own unique blend of potentials pre-programmed by genetic heritage long before birth. These include such abilities as the capacity to see and to hear; the capacity for eye-hand coordination in work and play; the capacity to think clearly, to remember, to reason, to organize thoughts, to solve problems; the capacity to resist disease and to recover from injury; the capacity for balanced emotional response, for humor, for love. These are but a few examples of the many potentials and capacities inherent within the individual. While nobody can know the outermost limits of these potentials, it is easy to see how failure to express them fully would make us less than we could be.
What do chiropractic and the bones of the spine have to do with expressing potential
The bones of the spine house and protect the spinal cord, which is the brain’s control pathway to organs, glands and other body parts. It has been shown that a loss of normal relationship between spinal bones, called a vertebral subluxation, interferes with normal nerve impulses to and from the brain, and thereby disrupts the harmonious interaction of body parts. Because all of the glands and organs manufacture body chemicals, this interference disturbs the delicate balance of body chemistry. This disturbance in the balance of body chemistry affects every physical, mental and emotional aspect of life, thus interfering with the ability of your body to completely express its full potential in all areas of life.
Are you saying that internal changes in body chemistry, caused by vertebral subluxation, can affect such mental factors as mood, memory or creative ability?
Yes. We have only to think of the physical, emotional and mental changes that can result from alcohol, drugs, medicines and life changes such as menopause, to realize how important body chemistry is to ALL functions. When body chemistry is disturbed either by adding chemicals from the outside, or by changing what the body manufactures from the inside, the result always affects every aspect of life.
How do you know if you have a vertebral subluxation?
Unfortunately, most of the time you don’t. It is true that some vertebral subluxations may be accompanied by pain and/or muscle spasms, but most are not. The only way to be absolutely sure is to have your spine checked by the trained hands of a chiropractor.
How do you identify vertebral subluxations?
In our office, identification and correction of vertebral subluxation is done completely by hand. It is based upon the fact that the body always uses its spinal muscles to try to correct any and all vertebral subluxations. After much training and sensitizing of our fingertips, we identify exactly what the body is trying to do with any spinal bone. If the body is trying unsuccessfully to move a bone, we implicitly trust the body’s innate wisdom to know what it is doing, and we offer a little extra thrust for the body to complete the job. When the balance of spinal muscles indicates that the body is content with the position of all spinal bones, nothing further is done.
How does a chiropractor correct vertebral subluxations?
To be absolutely accurate, we must point out that the chiropractor does not really correct the vertebral subluxations. The body has its own spinal muscles to do that. Where there are muscle fibers working to correct a vertebral subluxation, we apply a very gentle and specific force in the direction indicated so that your body may adapt accordingly. If after this application of force your body is no longer working for change, our job is completed.
What particular physical, mental or emotional conditions respond to chiropractic?
As offered at the Greater Pittsburgh Chiropractic Center, chiropractic is NOT a treatment for any condition or an attempt to cure any disease. It is true, of course, that one of the potentials which could be reduced by vertebral subluxation is the body’s potential for health. A body which has vertebral subluxations could never be as healthy as it could under the same circumstances but without the subluxations. Whatever potential one has for resisting disease or recovering from disease will be better expressed without vertebral subluxations. However, it is important to realize that ALL people are better off without vertebral subluxations under ALL circumstances, without regard to whether they are sick or well. If you want to know the best treatment for any disease condition, ask your medical doctor, not us. If you want to stay free of subluxations just because that’s the best way to be all that you could be, see your chiropractor regularly.
What causes vertebral subluxations?
Almost any fall or accident could cause a subluxation, just as poor posture, physical, emotional or chemical stresses, birth trauma or any one of thousands of other things could. Any force that your body is unable to adapt can cause a subluxation. In fact, almost everyone has subluxations at some time or another, often in childhood. Unless these subluxations are corrected, you will spend your entire life being less than you could be. Having your spine checked regularly for vertebral subluxations is a major factor in maintaining optimal body function and maximizing your performance in all areas of your life at all times.
Do I have to continue to come regularly?
That is really up to you. If you are really serious about being the best that you can be physically, mentally and emotionally, then you need to add chiropractic to your life. A chiropractic spinal exam is easy and painless. If you have a vertebral subluxation, the correction of it is also easy, and takes just a few minutes.
How much does it cost?
The fee system in our office was created because of our firm belief that no one can set a price on an individual’s life and health. For us to place a price on this service would surely keep someone from being able to afford care. At the same time, good health is invaluable and worth so much more than anyone could pay. We strongly feel that this service should be made affordable and available to every individual and family. For this reason, we are willing to work with you so that you can afford that care that you need. We pride ourselves on providing quality chiropractic care that is affordable for you. It is merely a simple and honest approach to the problem of the spiraling cost of living and makes this service of chiropractic affordable for all who wish to receive it.
So, if you aren’t satisfied with your current level of performance or if you think you see room for improvement in your life, then you owe it to yourself to have your spine checked and see what life is really like when you’re running on all cylinders! Potential is something we’ve all been blessed with. Whether or not you fully express it is entirely up to you!
*Thank you to Joe Strauss for this wonderful explanation of what chiropractic represents. His words reflect our philosophy of chiropractic and how we care for our patients.