Of Health And Chiropractic...

By Dr. George Auger
Greenville SC

Chiropractic is based on four fundamental or basic principles of health.
Because of these principles, chiropractic has a emormous impact on a
person's overall health and well-being. So, let's take a closer look at
each of these principles.

Principle number one states that living organisms are self-healing and
self-regulating. For instance, when you cut yourself, you heal. When you
break a bone, your body heals on its own. No thought or knowledge
needed, it just happens. Why? Because all living organisms are endowed
with the inborn ability to heal. In the same way, we are all
self-regulating organisms. As you read this letter you are breathing,
digesting your last meal, your heart is beating and your kidneys are
filtering. Are you thinking about any of these functions, or is your
body performing them without any conscious thought? Let's be thankful we
don't have to think about every function that keeps us alive. If that
were the case we certainly wouldn't be around for long. Why does all
this happen without you giving one thought to it? Because you are a
self-healing, self-regulating organism.

Principle number two states that the brain and nerve system are what
controls and coordinates your body's ability to heal and regulate
itself. The brain sends out information over the nerve system to every
organ of the body. This information tells the organs what to do and when
to do it. The organs then send back information to the brain, over the
nerve system, so that the brain knows everything is working correctly.
This is the most complicated and wonderful information superhighway
known to mankind. The body's ability to function properly is dependent
upon the free flow of information over the nerve system.

The nerve system is so delicate that it needs to be protected by the
skull and spinal bones, called vertebrae. The spinal bones also allow
you to freely move. The trick is to allow the spinal bones to move
without stretching, pinching, irritating, choking, or rubbing on the
delicate nerve fibers. When this happens the information that is
traveling across the nerve system, which is responsible for running your
entire body, is altered and the body malfunctions. This brings us to
principle number three.

Principle number three states that there is a condition of the spine
which interferes with the transmission of information over the nerve
pathways. This condition is called a vertebral subluxation. Vertebral
subluxations occur when one or more of the spinal bones become
misaligned and stretch, pinch, irritate, choke, or rub on the delicate
nerve fibers. This alters the information traveling over the nerve
pathways and is bad for a person's overall health and well-being.
Subluxations don't always hurt and they do not discriminate based on age
or gender either. Both male and female alike can have a subluxation.
Children, seniors and everyone in-between can get a subluxation from the
daily stresses of life, which we all must endure. Subluxations are
prevalent and affect the health of more people than AIDS, cancer and
drugs combined. If you have a subluxation, what can be done? This brings
us to principle number four.

Principle number four states that a program of chiropractic adjustments
is necessary to optimally correct subluxations. Quite simply,
chiropractors perform spinal adjustments to help the body realign the
spinal bones so they will not interfere with the transmission of
information to and from the brain. After the adjustments help restore
the communication pathways of the body, the body works better. In fact,
the body always works better with a proper nerve supply.

The four principles of health are very straight forward and can be
summarized like this: You are alive. That makes you a self-healing,
self-regulating organism. You are not a machine and you do not have
extra parts. True health is your natural state. It is programmed into
every cell of your body and expressed with great creativity by your
nerve system, if there isn't interference caused by subluxation. How do
you know if you have a subluxation? You don't, unless you have your
spine checked by your family chiropractor. While you're at it, bring in
the spouse and children too. Don't they deserve the chance to be as
healthy as they can be?!