Chiropractic Cares soul interest is in the relationship between impaired position/movement of spinal vertebrae and the nerve

Chiropractic Treatment

system, and the effect of this on health. In fact, the normal movement and position of all bones/joints and the appropriate tone and texture of all the connective tissues in the body directly affect well-being and performance. Chiropractic patients come in all shapes, sizes and ages. Using the appropriate techniques, conditioned athletes as well as weekend athletes,sedentary office workers as well as manual laborers, old and young alike may be helped.

What Education Do Chiropractic Doctors Need to Practice?

Healthy Living

The purpose of Chiropractic is to provide our patients with the most advanced conservative health care services available to help them achieve optimum health and performance. They include…

1. Fibromyalgia
2. Muscle Pain
3. Headache
4. Arthritis
5. Low Back Pain
6. Asthma
7. Addictions
8. Menstrual Cramps
9. Tennis Elbow
10. Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
11. Assist in Stroke Rehabilitation

Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic is a health care discipline that emphasizes the inherent recuperative power of the body to heal itself without the use of drugs or surgery. The practice of chiropractic focuses on the relationship between structure (primarily the spine) and function (as coordinated by the nervous system) and how that relationship affects the preservation and restoration of health. In addition, doctors of chiropractic recognize the value and responsibility of working in cooperation with other health care practitioners when in the best interest of the patient.

Most chiropractic physicians use spinal manipulative therapy, which is a hand on approach to restoring joint function and alignment. During that process you may hear and feel the usual clicking sound of the joint being mobilized. Not all patients are able to have this type of chiropractic adjustment whether or not indicated due to a specific health problem or just apprehension. It is important to understand that health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The purpose of chiropractic is not merely to relieve a symptom or address a cause of that symptom, important as these things may be to the patient, but to provide holistic care and to optimize health.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture can work and it is not all in your head. The 2500-year-old healing art has its basis on the theory that there are patterns of energy flow called QI, (pronounced chee) through the body that are essential for health. Disruptions of this flow are believed to be responsible for disease. Acupuncture may correct imbalances of flow at identifiable points close to the skin and improve health and well-being. An acupuncture needle stimulates sensory nerves in the skin triggering electrical impulses to the spinal cord, which signals:

1. Nerve cells to release Endorphins (chemicals that stop pain and stimulate sense of well being. This is what causes the “Runners High”)
2. The mid-brain releases neurotransmitters (to block pain).
3. The pituitary gland to deliver Endorphins and anti-inflammatory chemical into the surrounding brain tissue and bloodstream.

This all adds up to pain relief, healing & a sense of well being without harmful side effects. More research is needed to better understand how acupuncture affects our health. In the meantime, a panel of scientists, researchers, and practitioners at the National Institute of Health has compiled a list of conditions, which can respond favorably to acupuncture without harmful side effects.

Wellness requires you to be a proactive agent for your body. You need to treat it well and not wait until you hurt before you decide to take care of it. Health is not merely the absence of disease any more than wealth is an absence of poverty. Health is not simply “feeling fine,” for we know that problems may progress for years without causing any symptoms whatsoever. As you know by now, heart disease for example, often develops unnoticed for many years before it strikes: in fact, the first symptom of heart disease that many people experience is a heart attack or death.

Now let us be clear that we are not under the illusion that everyone who creates a wellness lifestyle will be immune from pain, sickness, and disease. Many people do everything right and still get sick and die. Some will argue that there are many people who do everything wrong and live long, seemingly healthy lives. However, since we have no way to predict who is who, we have to do our very best to reduce our risk and promote our health.

Concerning your wellness, the three main ideas that you need to consider .

1. Health is not merely the absence of disease.
2. The body has an innate intelligence that runs a series of complex systems that rely on proper balance and coordination in order to function correctly.
3. By living a wellness lifestyle, you can enrich your life with vibrant health.

The Chiropractic Health & Wellness Clinic offers the following services to better serve patients.

• Full Spine and Extremity Adjusting; both manual and low force (non-popping) techniques available
• On Site X-ray
• Home Exercise Programs
• Spine and Joint Rehabilitation and Core Stabilization
• Physical Modalities for Pain/Inflammation Relief (Electric Muscle Stimulation, Ultrasound, Mechanical Traction)
• Nutritional Counseling
• Pediatric Care
• Scoliosis Screenings
• Educational Lectures and Classes in Office or For Your Business/Group
• Public Spinal Health Screenings

Call your MN Chiropractic today and begin the healing process…

1.  Chiropractic was founded in 1895 by Daniel D. Palmer as an alternative health care discipline to medical practice. The word “chiropractic” is derived from Greek, meaning, “done by hand.”2. Chiropractic today is the third largest primary health care profession in the western world next to medicine and dentistry.

3.  Chiropractic education consists of a minimum of two years of university study in pre-med sciences, followed by four years of full time chiropractic school. Chiropractic colleges are recognized and accredited by the U.S. Council on Chiropractic Education (C.C.E.). The curriculum is similar to that of medical school, except in chiropractic the emphasis is placed on the structural and functional analysis of the spine/extremities and corrective adjusting techniques, while in medicine the emphasis is placed on the analysis of body chemistry and pharmaceutical interventions.

4. Chiropractic has always presented itself as a natural and conservative source of health care, offering an alternative in some cases to the medical domain of prescribing medication and performing operations. Accordingly, chiropractors make no use of drugs or surgery.

5.  Chiropractic’s central interest is the relationship between impaired position/movement of spinal vertebrae and the nerve system, and the effect of this on health. In fact, the normal movement and position of all bones/joints and the appropriate tone and texture of all the connective tissues in the body directly affect well-being and performance.

6.  Chiropractic utilizes a “hands on” active approach. The principle treatment is adjustment/ manipulation of the spine and supportive soft-tissue techniques. There is a focus on lifestyle counseling, prevention, and patient responsibility for health (for example, in the areas of posture, diet, exercise, stress-reduction, etc.).

7. Chiropractic care is safe. The risk of serious injury following chiropractic treatment is considered remote – less than 0.01% according to medical studies. This compares with a much higher risk for invasive procedures involving injections, medications, and surgeries that, in most cases, should only be attempted after multiple forms of conservative care have failed.

8. Chiropractic care has been known to help many people suffering from a wide variety of nerve/muscle/joint-related conditions. If the chiropractor examines a person and finds joint dysfunction, nerve irritability and/or connective tissue abnormalities related to the problem area, it is likely that chiropractic care will help.

The term “Chiropractic” comes from the Greek word Chiropraktikos, which means “effective treatment by hand”.  It started over 100 years ago when the originator of Chiropractic, D.D. Palmer, moved a bone in a deaf man’s neck and enabled him to hear again.

Chiropractic is a type of natural health care based on a philosophy that if your nervous system is functioning at its best, so will your entire body.   The BASIC understanding is that when the spine is out of alignment, it pinches the nerves, which decreases vital communication from the brain to the body.  Chiropractic adjustments move the bones into position to remove this pressure and facilitate better health naturally.

For example, when your neck muscles tighten up from stress, car accidents, sports injuries, etc. you may not be able to completely turn your head, or you may get dizzy or have headaches.

A different example is if the mid-back is injured it can affect the nerves going to the stomach, the lungs, or the muscles along the spine. When this happens, you can have symptoms like acid reflux, asthma, or stiffness and pain between the shoulder blades.

There is always a source to the symptoms you’re feeling and Chiropractic looks at the structure of your body to establish this cause and then treats with adjustments to remove the pressure on the nerves and encourage proper function.

Doctors of Chiropractic (Chiropractors) practice a drug-free, hands-on approach to health.  They have been educated to believe that a pill or liquid is what will make us ‘better’ and ‘healthier’. Such as weight loss… Americans would much rather take a diet pill than actually eat well and exercise!

What are the Difference between a MD (Medical Doctor) and a DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine)?
Chiropractors look at the body differently than MD’s or DO’s. We encourage movement, stretching, exercising, eating well, and getting adjustments to encourage the spine to help heal the body. MD’s may refer you to physical therapy where you will get training on exercises and stretching but you will also receive medications to cover up your pain.

Here is an example, if you fall and break a leg or arm; you would go to a D.O. to have it set and casted. If you dislocate your shoulder completely to get it set back into position, but then you can see a Chiropractor to help rehabilitate the muscles and ligaments and strengthen the area to prevent it from happening again.

If you have back pain from bending over or from a slip and fall, you should see a Chiropractor to check the spinal alignment and get it adjusted back into position.

Many changes occur during pregnancy, which can put added stress on your body. Your growing abdomen increases the curvature in your back, affecting your posture; your pelvis joints relax and move more freely to allow your baby to be born easily. These changes sometimes result in a misaligned spine, pelvis, rib, or other joint.

Chiropractic care during pregnancy has many benefits for you and your baby. It can help relieve many discomforts of pregnancy including nausea, back pain, and other joint pain. It also promotes optimal positioning of the spine, pelvis, and other joints, keeping your body in its best condition for birth, and allowing your baby to get into the best possible positioning for labor and birth.

The benefits of chiropractic care are becoming more widely accepted and acknowledged by both the mainstream medical community and the public. Doctors and chiropractors are finding ways of working in unison to promote overall health and wellness for their patients. Today we know that everyone can benefit from routine chiropractic care, especially pregnant women.

Routine Chiropractic Care also promotes the health of your nervous system, which is responsible for the communication of nerves throughout your entire body, including your reproductive system.

More and more pregnant women are seeking chiropractic care these days.  It is because these women have realized that this treatment is not only beneficial for them but for their babies, too. Chiropractic care treatments a more comfortable transition from early to late term pregnancy and through to postpartum recovery. No one has said that pregnant women should silently endure the aches and pains of pregnancy. The good news is that pregnant women do not have to suffer these pains that result from a changing body posture.

Pregnancy and Chiropractic Care

Chiropractors will assess your spine and pelvic joints to see if there are certain areas that are not moving as easily as they could. They perform many of the same tests that your physician does to determine that you are in perfect health: a complete history, orthopedic exam, neurological exam, and a postural exam to see how your body is adapting to your pregnancy. If however they find that you have areas in your spine or pelvic joints are not moving properly, they will usually adjust them. The choice is yours as to whether they adjust or not. What is important to remember is that a chiropractic adjustment will allow the areas of your spine that are stuck to move again, which will relieve your discomfort.

The pelvic area is of great concern to Chiropractors. The pelvis is essentially a ring made up of four bones: the sacrum, which is the triangular bone at the base of your spine, the tailbone that attach to your sacrum, and the two hipbones of your pelvis. Ligaments and connective tissue hold four bones together. Relaxing, the hormone of pregnancy is released in the body from early on in the pregnancy to soften these ligaments to allow better passage of the baby during labour and birth. What can happen later on in the pregnancy is that the ligaments stretch quite a bit, to the point of overstretching. The sacroiliac joints (where the sacrum meets the pelvis) can become quite moveable and walking can become a challenge. The “pregnant waddle” can be noticeable as a woman walks because, at this point, the sacroiliac joints move too much and the body locks the sacrum into place by causing the woman’s feet to turn out and for her to lock her knees. With a Chiropractic adjustment, the sacroiliac joints are able to move in a more normal position and the woman is able to walk more easily.

The goals of Chiropractic care throughout pregnancy are to ease the pregnant woman’s areas of discomfort and to help promote a more stable pelvis. A study done in 1990 showed that women who were under Chiropractic care throughout their pregnancies had reduced labour times. First time moms experienced 25% less time in labour and birth and moms with previous babies averaged 31% shorter labour times. Also, another study done in 1991 showed that women who experienced back pain during their pregnancies had a 72% chance of having back labour during labour and birth. Back labour is not pleasant and Chiropractic care can help ease back pain.

Chiropractors are interested in relieving your aches and pains throughout your pregnancy and during your postpartum period. Immediately after birth, your body experiences another great posture change and your back needs to adapt to not having a pregnant belly anymore. The posture of breastfeeding can cause great discomfort in the mid-back, especially between the shoulder blades. There is the constant lifting, bending, stooping, carrying the car seat about, rocking, walking and so on. Life with a new baby is definitely another time where chiropractic care can help your body more easily.

After birthing a baby, your body continues to produce relaxing for approximately the next four months, but in a gradually decreasing amount. This process helps the ligaments slowly tighten back around the spine and the rest of the joints in the body. Chiropractic care can keep the joints in your spine and pelvis in optimal alignment as your ligaments pull back into place around the joints of your spine.

Chiropractic care involves the care of the body’s support structures, with a focus on the spine.

The theory behind chiropractic care is that the entire person is affected by changes in certain areas of the body. Many people falsely assume that chiropractors treat only back and neck injuries. They do treat the spinal column, but they provide comfort for more than stiff necks and slipped disks. In fact, chiropractic care focuses on treating the entire patient through bone and joint alignment of the entire body, treating pressure on particular nerves, providing patients with vitamin and mineral information, care for headaches, stress, and a laundry list of other complaints. Chiropractic is also about preventative care.

Not just anyone can hang up a sign and begin practicing chiropractic medicine. Chiropractors hold traditional four-year college degrees and advanced degrees in chiropractic care. They must attend 4,800 hours of chiropractic post-graduate training. Their training is ongoing even after those 4,800 hours. They follow up with courses and seminars throughout their careers. Chiropractors are licensed professionals who must pass rigorous tests to prove their abilities. In the United States, every single state requires chiropractors to be licensed.

Why start now?

Think about the physical changes your body has undergone (and will continue to undergo) because of the miracle going on inside you. The additional weight you are bearing, the hormones surging through your body, the emotional roller coaster you’re riding (even if the emotions you are feeling are of the everyday variety mixed with flying high variety), these things put stress on your body’s muscles, nerves, bones, joints, and organ systems. When you think about it, now may be the perfect time to start.

One of the best times for first timers to begin chiropractic care is in the second trimester, when you are just beginning to grow larger. You are really only beginning to grow larger; there are so much more of you to come in the months ahead. Remember I said that a large part of chiropractic care is the preventative aspect of it.

Can chiropractic care benefit me? Even women whose pregnancies are relatively complaint free can benefit from chiropractic care during pregnancy.

Pregnant women who visit a chiropractor regularly report:

• Better digestion
• Less back and leg pain
• Healthier circulation – fewer instances of tingling in the extremities
• Feeling more calm than they did before chiropractic care began
• Fewer headaches

Chiropractic care does not substitute traditional medicine…it complements it

If you decide to investigate chiropractors in your area, a great place to start is with your obstetrician. She may recommend a great doctor of chiropractic. Many obstetricians encourage patients to see a chiropractor on a monthly basis for the duration of their pregnancies. If your body has adapted beautifully to pregnancy, monthly visits may provide you all the realignment you need.

If you are one of life’s less fortunate, perhaps bi-weekly or even weekly visits could help you on your pregnancy journey.

MN Chiropractic Care

If chiropractic is new to you, it is something worth thinking. It is definitely not for everyone. (However, you are not just anyone, are you?) For some, it is just too odd, too nontraditional. No one will fault you for being traditional, for choosing the medical care you believe is in the best interests of you and your baby. However, when your back starts to ache in the third trimester you may want to reconsider.

A chiropractor who is versed in the needs of women who are pregnant will also provide you with exercises and stretches that are safe to use during pregnancy and compliment any adjustments made to your spine.

If you are pregnant or plan to start a family in the near future, consulting with a Champlin Minnesota Chiropractor would be very beneficial.

Chances are good that once you have felt the benefits of chiropractic care during your pregnancy, you will continue with your chiropractor beyond pregnancy.

The goal of chiropractic adjustment is to relieve pain and improve your body’s physical function. A chiropractic doctor performs chiropractic adjustment; an osteopathic doctor or physical therapist may provide spinal manipulation.

Whom should I see concerning my back pain, a chiropractor or an orthopedist?

Patients often ask if they can or should be seen by a chiropractor for the treatment of back pain. There have been a number of studies that show effective treatment of back pain by chiropractors. However, a chiropractor should treat not all causes of back pain. There are some conditions that should be identified and treated by an M.D. rather than a chiropractor.

A chiropractor can effectively treat most cases of back pain. Chiropractors have been shown to be most effective at treating acute back pain. However, there are some conditions, potentially serious problems, which must be considered before initiating any treatment. Most of these conditions can be screened with a thorough history and physical examination.

Symptoms that raise concern include:

• Any problems controlling bowel or bladder function
• Numbness around the genitals
• Pain with fevers, chills, or sweats
• Pain that awakens you at night

Furthermore, an orthopedist rather than a Chiropractor best treat some symptoms. These include:

• Back pain with associated leg pain
• Numbness or tingling in the legs
• Weakness of the muscles of the legs

Tips for Back Pain Prevention:

• Maintain a healthy diet and weight.
• Remain active—under the supervision of your doctor of chiropractic.
• Avoid prolonged inactivity or bed rest.
• Warm up or stretch before exercising or other physical activities, such as gardening.
• Maintain proper posture.
• Wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes.
• Sleep on a mattress of medium firmness to minimize any curve in your spine.
• Lift with your knees, keep the object close to your body, and do not twist when lifting.
• Quit smoking. Smoking impairs blood flow, resulting in oxygen and nutrient deprivation to spinal tissues.
• Work with your doctor of chiropractic to ensure that your workstation is ergonomically correct.

The basic concepts of chiropractic care are as follows:

• Chiropractic therapy is given with the goals of normalizing this relationship between structure and function, and assisting the body as it heals.
• The body’s structure (primarily that of the spine) and its function are closely related, and this relationship affects health
• The body has a powerful self-healing ability

Back Pain is the most common reason why people come to the chiropractor. Whether it is intense throbbing from a migraine or constantly aching joints from arthritis, we all want the pain to go away — and fast!  Sometimes pain is a temporary condition that will go away on its own (like after a minor injury or after surgery). However, sometimes the pain is an indicator of something more serious, and it will not get better until it’s treated. It is important that you get it diagnosed correctly. A chiropractor will advise you on available treatment options for pain management because it is important that you receive all the information you need about potential treatments.

Determine How Natural Healing Can Be

Chiropractic is a system of health care that releases a serious stress from your body: the subluxation, an often painless, tiny distortion in your spine and structural system that can affect your nerves, muscles, internal organs, discs, bones, brain, posture and overall health.

The wellness approach is to look for underlying causes of any disturbance or disruption and make whatever interventions and lifestyle adjustments would optimize the conditions for normal function.

The main difference between wellness care and standard medical care is that wellness care seeks to turn on the natural healing ability. Wellness care does not add something to the system; instead, it removes anything that might interfere with normal function. Wellness care trusts that the body would know what to do if nothing were interfering with it. Standard medical care, on the other hand, seeks to treat a symptom by adding something from the outside – a medication, a surgery or procedure.

Inside Out vs. Outside In

If a patient has high blood pressure, a standard medical approach would be to choose a drug that lowers blood pressure, and ask the patient to take the drug. This may serve to lower the blood pressure, but ignores the underlying cause that is making the blood pressure high, and runs the risk of side effects complicating the person’s recovery. Whether it is a nutritional issue, faulty control by the nerve system or a manifestation of stress, the medication could decrease the blood pressure, leaving the problem causing the symptom of high blood pressure unaddressed.

The Wellness Approach

Wellness is a state of optimal conditions for normal function… and then some. The wellness approach is to look for underlying causes of any disturbance or disruption (which may or may not be causing symptoms at the time) and make whatever interventions and lifestyle adjustments would optimize the conditions for normal function. That environment encourages natural healing, and minimizes the need for invasive treatment, which should be administered only when necessary. When the body is working properly, it tends to heal effectively, no matter what the condition. When the body heals well and maintains itself well, then there is another level of health that goes beyond “asymptomatic” or “pain-free” which reveals an open-ended opportunity for vitality, vibrant health, and an enhanced experience of life. This is true for mental and emotional health as well as physical health. While some people may suffer psychological disorders, creating an atmosphere of mental and emotional wellness will address all but the most serious problems.

Of course, if you presently are ill and suffering, you need your natural healing ability enhanced so you can better fight disease and return yourself to a state of balance and health. That is a fact no matter what disease or condition you may have. By correcting your subluxations, a Minnesota chiropractor can help awaken your natural healing ability to function at its optimum; to awaken your “inner doctor.”

For millions, Chiropractic Care has made the difference between living with pain and living without pain, between living with sickness and living in health, between a fast recovery and a slow recovery and even between life and death.

Why live with health problems when you can live without them? Discover chiropractic – discover how natural healing can be.