What Does Chiropractic Need?

The following is a quote sent to me by a friend of mine. It captures very succinctly the status quo of chiropractic today. This profession is its own worst enemy and suffers from a lack of identity. As students its refreshing to see the perspectives of those who have gone before us. We need to sew the seeds of our success today by having the guts and the vision to stand up for chiropractic, for patients, and for the innate power of the human being. We can be more than we are today its just a matter of opening the minds of the chiropractors of tomorrow about the possibility of a future where health is the focus, not merely the treatment of the disease.

In a future where patients seek to minimize invasive and dangerous medicine, chiropractic will lead the way.

Yours in Health,

Andrew

Chiropractic doesn’t need fanaticism, chiropractic doesn’t need gimmicks, chiropractic doesn’t need dogma masquerading as philosophy and chiropractic doesn’t need medicine.

We don’t need medicine’s approval, permission or their misguided suppressive, mechanistic philosophy and belief system.

Chiropractic’s expressive, empirical (vitalistic) philosophy is far superior to medical thought and is far more effective in helping patients.

We don’t need students in chiropractic colleges confused about their philosophy, but we have that. We have students who don’t know what they can do for patients. We have students who don’t know whether or not to vaccinate their children, don’t know about natural childbirth or the subluxation or their place in the world as chiropractors.

If we are to be a light amongst the confused we need to have schools that give students the big picture, the big idea, as BJ used to say. To heal our professional schism we must understand the roots of the philosophy, art and science DD Palmer taught and let that guide our practice.

What chiropractic does need is to get sick people well, no matter what the condition, and keep them in tune with their innate expression, as much as possible.

-Ted Koren

Chiropractic & Functional Medicine

This past weekend, instead of sleeping in and taking it slow, I attended a seminar for "Kinesiology Applied to Functional Medicine" taught by Dr. Bob Rakowski. Dr. Bob is a warrior in the field of natural healing. He is high energy and knows the latest science and statistics by heart, which gives his message some weight. In addition to lecturing and traveling, Dr. Rakowski is a very successful clinician and has one of the best practices in the country. He treats world-class athletes as well as regular, everyday folks. It is obvious that his command of biochemistry and peer-review science, concerning the effects of adjustments and nutrition, are key ingredients to his success. When someone asks the question: "Do you have any research to back this up?" Dr. Bob is ready to respond: "How many references would you like? 20? 50? 100?" This understanding and scientific literacy is something to aspire towards, as it provides a foundation of understanding that goes beyond the borders of one specific and often narrow field of study. In his words, students must be "elite upon graduation" in order to make it and better serve humanity. Of course, we are given a golden opportunity to learn here...so lets get on with it!

It was an excellent seminar for all of us, esp. so for myself and three other classmates who were given some very practical information re: chiropractic, nutrition and health. Our curriculum at Northwestern Health Science University is very academic at this point, as it must be, in order to prepare us for board exams. However, it is inspiring to get hands on instruction about real-world chiropractic issues. It was a valuable experience, the best so far, and one that I look forward to continuing in the future. The science behind Applied Kinesiology (AK for short) is fantastic and in the months ahead the topic will be explored with more detail right here.

Yours in Health,

Andrew

Beginnig T2

Well in a few days T2 begins at Northwestern Chiropractic College. This time we are responsible for 27.5 hrs of studies in only 4 months. It is commonly understood that "full time" status is 12 hrs, so 27.5 is a 2x load from undergrad. The name of the game is to stay present in the moment. When something needs to be done, do it! Do things when they come to mind, that way they are taken care of quickly. I'll leave you with a photo of one of the giants of Chiropractic: B.J. Palmer. Anyone notice a resemblance?

Yours in Health,

Andrew

Update

The named was changed to "The Chiropractic Method" due to a few things. The idea of being a warrior is something that must be worked for and proven over a period of time, through effort and sweat -- we are not there yet. The word method is closer to the idea that I am learning techniques which are different from established medicine, ie a different method of health care. Third, this new title reflects that Chiropractic is a system and has many facets which will be explored here.

Enjoy the Holidays!

Andrew

The Body is a Community

The human body is amassed of trillions of cells working as individuals in full, self-less support of the integrity of the whole. It is a community of mutually assured success. In a healthy and balanced body, no cell hoards more than is necessary or more than it needs at the expense of its neighbor. There is an agreement on some level that the individual cells are better off if they work together. The sum total of all cell bodies and tissues is the human body. Medicine does not address the view that the body is far better than any "medicine" at healing itself. In viewing the body as a community of trillions of cells, under a programming system designed to maximize efficiency and harmony, Chiropractic philosophy relies on the qualities inherent in the body for the healing and health positive effects of adjustments.
Every unnecessary surgery and over-prescribed anti-biotic represents an assault on the fabric of community which holds the body together. The idea that we are justified in destroying the body in our attempts to heal it results in unnecessary deaths and suppression of essential body functions. To think that the body is incapable of healing itself is egotistical. We depend not only on our cells but also on trillions more bacteria cells without which we could not perform life-essential functions like digestion. The current treatment of cancer in the medical community is the ultimate manifestation of attacking the patient instead of the disease. How are patients going to survive when medicine destroys the patients' ability to heal?
Medicine has an important but limited role in Health. Medicine is very adept at preventing death. And once a patient survives medical treatment that individual, while no longer at death's door, is still very far from health (see chart). Once symptoms are reduced or suppressed the Allopath is very limited in offering useful services to the patient.


Who then is skilled at restoring health and vitality? Who can provide the care necessary for the patient to become healthy, not merely managing symptoms? Chiropractic of course! Chiropractic is the way for the patient to restore and increase health. The nervous system is the most important part of the body and that is precisely why Chiropractic care is so effective. Proper alignment of the skull and spine allows for proper functioning of the nervous system, which in turn increases health across a broad spectrum.
Patients must recognize Chiropractic as the vehicle for the restoration and maintenance of health. Simply put, we seek to put you in the form you were designed to have. We see the body as more than the sum of its parts; as mysterious yet predictable; integrated at a higher level than even the brightest minds on Earth could grasp. From this perspective we seek to remove "stress" from the system, to preserve the community of the human body, and to maintain an optimum level of nervous system function. The end result of this type of care is a higher level of function of both body and mind.

Yours in Health,

Andrew