The cornerstone of chiropractic health treatment is spinal manipulation, often called the "adjustment". It may involve either gentle pressure, or a quick thrust to restore normal motion to joints that have become restricted or "locked". While manipulation may be performed by other physicians, Doctors of Chiropractic have the most extensive experience and education in manipulation, performing 94% of the spinal manipulations in the United States. Numerous scientific studies have proven the efficacy, safety,cost-effectiveness and high levels of patient satisfaction of spinal manipulation. As a result, it is one of only two treatment protocols given the highest recommendation for the treatment of low back pain by the Agency for Health Care and Policy Research (AHCPR), an arm of the US Department of Health and Human Services. For more information about spinal manipulation, see Information & Research on Chiropractic.
Although most patients receive traditional manual ("hands-on") adjustments, we also offer "low force" adjustments, preformed with a highly advanced instrument. Some patients are familiar with these instrument adjustment techniques, which are often referred to as "activator", "pro-adjustor", or "impulse adjusting". These low-force adjustments are extremely gentle and precise. Experience has shown us that instrument adjusting can be especially effective when used in combination with manual adjusting. In other instances, instrument adjusting may be used as an alternative to manual adjusting. As with all of our treatment options, the doctor will be happy to discuss with you which adjusting techniques would be best for your particular condition.
PROGRESSIVE HEALTH & WELLNESS BLOG: HOW ACCUPUNCTURE WORKS : Acupuncture and other forms of traditional Chinese medicine have been in existence for over 4,000 years. Yet the explanation for how acupuncture works has been largely based on theory. The basic theory is outlined in a text from 200 B.C. It acknowledges in people and nature a vital energy or life force known as Qi (pronounced "chee"). Qi flows through the body via channels called meridians. If the Qi flow is altered, the resulting deficiency, excess, or stagnation of qi causes bodily malfunction, illness, and inability to heal properly. Acupuncture, in which needles are inserted into specific points along these meridians, restores the proper Qi flow, thereby returning the body to a state of improved health and decreased pain.Chiropractic doctors and other licensed practitioners administer about 10 million acupuncture treatments each year in the US, most commonly for pain control, sports injuries, and smoking cessation. As the popularity of acupuncture increases, researchers have become more interested into proving exactly how acupuncture works. To date, researchers have been able to measure an increased flow of acupuncture-induced endorphins. This explains the pain-relieving effect of acupuncture. Also, functional MRI's have measured changes in the activity of key centers of the brain, where pain is interpreted, when certain acupuncture points are treated. There are other beneficial effects of acupuncture also being researched, including the treatment of: nausea, asthma, sinus conditions, colds and the immune system, and other internal disorders. Furthermore, acupuncture has been observed clinically to enhance healing, and provide long-lasting pain relief. Read More |