When the first chiropractic adjustment was performed in 1895, DD Palmer set in motion a chain of events that has led to chiropractic becoming the largest holistic health care profession on the planet.
But what is chiropractic?
Chiropractic offers a completely different approach to health and wellness that does not rely on outside interventions and recognizes the inherent recuperative powers of the human body. This “innate” ability of the body to heal itself is under the master control of the nerve system, and it is here that doctors of chiropractic focus.
There are several different aspects of chiropractic to examine. Let’s go through them!
More on nervous system dysfunction
Chiropractors believe that universal intelligence exists in all matter, and that there is a further innate intelligence that resides in all living things. In human beings, this innate intelligence is allowed to flow thanks to unobstructed pathways from the nervous system to the rest of the body.
A healthy spine allows the body to perform at its highest level.
The nerve system is housed by the spine, and misalignments within the spine can interfere with the expression of the body’s innate intelligence. These misalignments of the spine that reduce the body’s ability to heal and regulate itself are called vertebral subluxations. Doctors of chiropractic are experts in the location and correction of subluxations.
When subluxations occur, the flow of innate intelligence is compromised. As a result, the body operates at less than its optimal potential, and innate forces wind up causing “incoordination or dis-ease,” according to Ralph W. Stephenson, DC, in chiropractic’s 33 principles.
These subluxations can be removed with chiropractic adjustments. In doing so, a body’s structural integrity is reinforced, interference with nerve transmission in the body is removed and the flow of innate intelligence is restored.
These adjustments can be performed using a variety of specific techniques that can be applied safely and effectively to people of any age to restore the nervous system’s optimal function. When the spine and nervous system are operating at a higher level, this enables the body to function at a more optimal level and to heal through its own natural recuperative powers.
Wait … natural recuperative powers?
Vitalistic chiropractors recognize the body’s proven ability to heal itself, and that the body’s innate intelligence allows everyone to adapt to their own environment in the most appropriate manner possible. As a result, the effect of each individual adjustment can be different.
Removing vertebral subluxations allows innate intelligence to flow freely through the body. This allows every part of the body to work as nature intended, without interference or outside assistance.
This, of course, is a far different approach than others in the world of health care might take. It’s common for other doctors to use opioids and other medicines to treat pain and different conditions.
Vitalistic chiropractors provide chiropractic adjustments that allow the body to do what it is intended to do, which is to adapt and heal, and then restore itself to its optimal potential.
Life West students have many opportunities to gain hands-on experience.
How to become a chiropractor
Chiropractic education programs are doctorate-level and usually span four and a half years. At Life Chiropractic College West, most students graduate within three and a half years because they have the option of staying in school year-round to fulfill academic and clinical requirements.
Life West also has created a Clinically Inspired Learning curriculum. While students at other schools often have to wait years to enter clinical settings, students at Life West begin observing within the clinic in their first few quarters of study, and the exposure to the clinical experience grows exponentially throughout their career as a student. Because of the additional hands-on experience they get at Life West, students graduate as practice-ready chiropractors, with experience in a variety of different techniques and the knowledge of when to use them.
If a career in chiropractic sounds appealing to you, come to a Life West Career Night. Career Nights offer opportunities to learn about chiropractic from local professionals and meet Life West admissions representatives, who can tell you more about the doors a Life West education can open. Please join us for a Career Night soon.
For more information, visit the Career Nights website or email the Life West admissions department at admissions@lifewest.edu.
