Chiropractic Can Solve Spinal Issues and More

By Dr. Thompson

The spine is an integral, key structure in the body.  In fact, it is one of the first recognizable structures in the developing embryo, and the nerves that branch out from it help the embryo to develop properly.  This core structure also controls and coordinates all the body functions in the adult, including digestion, breathing, heart rate, even hormone balance.

Once again, the two health care styles, medical and wellness, take such different views because of the differences in the way we look at health and disease.  To a medical provider, there is no way working on a spine would have any effect on a disease in the stomach.  If you have an ulcer, you have an ulcer, and the condition will probably not resolve until the ulcer is treated.

But from a wellness point of view, it makes perfect sense that correcting problems in one part of the body will help improve the health in other parts. This is especially true of the spine, since spinal nerves go to every major organ in the body.  If there is an alignment problem in the area of the spine that supplies nerve flow to the stomach, the nerves can become irritated, and will not send proper messages to the organ.  This is sometimes called “spillover”.  If the stomach is not getting its proper nerve supply, it could interfere with its function lower its resistance, and make it more susceptible to problems such as ulcers.   If a chiropractor realigns the spine, it stands to reason that the nerve flow would be normalized.  Better nerve flow to the stomach could then improve its healing, helping it to recover from disease.

Chiropractors often make the point that treatments are not specific for any disease, but many conditions resolve when the spine is treated.

An example of this type of healing can be seen with migraine headaches.  Many patients are told by their medical providers that there is no way chiropractic care can help migraines, that this type of headache occurs entirely within the walls of the skull, and the spine is not involved. This however, is an oversimplified view of the condition.  Migraines are due to overexpansion of the blood vessels in the brain, but those blood vessels have a nerve supply that controls their size, some of which comes from the neck.  Correcting problems in the joints and muscles of the neck can normalize nerve flow to the blood vessels.

Consequently chiropractic is for the spine but can affect so many other parts of your body in positive and corrective ways.