Chiropractic philosophy starts with the initial understanding that the body was intelligently created. As such, it was designed with the innate ability to regulate, maintain,
and heal itself within its environment. Because of this we can state, “Health should be
defined as the presence of vitality of life, and not by th
e absence of symptoms or disease”.
Here is where D.D. Palmer’s theory, “The Law of the Nerve” comes into play; interferences within the nervous system that prevent communication between the brain and the body causes failure of the body to function correctly. We understand from basic science that the Central Nervous System is the system charged with coordinating and regulating all other functions within the body. This is true to such a degree that we can state,
the nervous system controls every cell, tissue, organ, and gland within the body; in short, everything!”.
Therefore, if an interference is introduced into the nervous system that prevents the brain from proper communication with all, or part of the body, then the affected part of the body will cease to perform normally and may begin to exhibit symptoms and signs of the system’s malfunction. This condition is known as disease.
Chiropractic is aware of 3 root causes for these interferences: Physical Stress, Chemical Stress, and Emotional Stress. Stress is not always bad for the body and mind. It is often required for proper function, however stress that results in a negative effect is the problem here, and it is really best to refer to this kind of stress as “dis-stress”
Physical dis-stress is any physical injury to the body. Slips, falls, auto accidents, fights, all of these are easy to see. This is why so many doctors self-limit themselves to the recovery of physical trauma. Physical injury, even what we perceive as minor, can have significant and long-lasting effects on the body. However, physical dis-stress can also come from being overweight and poor posture. These both change functional biomechanics and can start a pattern of chronic degeneration.
Chemical dis-stress is any chemical reaction that the body is not capable of handling
to handle. This could happen from rare exposure to genuine poison or harmful environmental substances (arsenic, ricin, radiation, mercury, etc…). But we see this most frequently associated with poor diets, abuse of legal and illegal substances, and even reliance on other common “health practices” of our western culture.
Emotional dis-stress speaks to our emotional state of mind. Ancient wisdom suggests that the mind can exert influence over matter, “mind over matter”. Our emotional state has untold ability to influence our body. Road rage during a morning commute, stress over a deadline at work, difficulties with a spouse or children create physical effects that ripple throughout our body.
Each of these dis-stresses can cause very physical changes to our body and of course, most concerning, are the ones that negatively affect the operation of our nervous system.