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Editor, Dr. Matthew McCoy, recent article in Chiropractic Lifestyles
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Wellness, Holism and Chiropractic
By Dr. Matthew McCoy
Everywhere you look these days in health care it seems that all types
of providers are offering you “Wellness” services. Even hospitals, where
alternative health care was once considered a step above witchcraft, are
opening wellness centers, offering classes and even providing some types
of alternative care.
With this explosion in wellness services and with everyone getting on
the bandwagon, its important for patients and consumers to understand what
they are really getting when they access wellness care from a provider or
clinic. Is the service actually going to provide a benefit to you in terms
of improved health or is the term wellness merely being used as a buzzword
to get you in the door and to spend some of your hard earned money?
A recent brochure I read from a hospital stated they treated the
“whole” person and it had a laundry list of what it called wellness
services: mammography, MRI, pap smears, well baby checks, whole body
scans, ultrasound etc. What I found interesting was that there was not one
item that actually enhanced your health or well-being. All the services
were essentially diagnostic tests and while these have their place, where
is the substance when it comes to wellness and holistic care and who can
really provide a service that enhances your health and quality of life?
In a recent article published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation
Research Dr. Edward Brown, Chairman of the Department of Diagnosis at
Parker Chiropractic College discusses the role of Holism in chiropractic
and shows how these concepts of wellness and holism have roots in early
chiropractic theory.1 Dr. Brown quotes the Founder of
chiropractic Dr. DD Palmer discussing the physical mental and spiritual
aspects of health:
"The Chiropractor looks upon the body as more than a machine; a union
of consciousness and unconsciousness; Innate's ability to transfer
impulses to all parts of the body-the coordination of sensation and
volition: a personified immaterial spirit and body linked together by
the soul - a life directed by intelligence uniting the immaterial with
the material." 2
According to a recent survey of 658 randomly selected US chiropractors
it was revealed that eighty-eight percent (88.3%) of chiropractors agreed
or strongly agreed that the purpose of maintenance chiropractic care was
"to maintain or optimize state of health." Eighty-percent (80.2%) of the
chiropractors agreed or strongly agreed that the purpose of maintenance
care was to "determine and treat subluxation." Furthermore, US
chiropractors agreed that “maintenance care was of value to all age
groups, with the value increasing slightly with an increase in a patient's
age.3
In another article published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation
Research, Dr. Sean Hannon reviewed numerous studies published in the
research literature showing that chiropractic care has a direct effect on
the function of our bodies.4 Think about that for a moment. If your body
could function better what could that allow you to do? How would that
improve the quality of your life? Perhaps you would tire less easily,
sleep more soundly, move easier, walk faster, overcome illnesses quicker,
become stronger etc.
These all have to do with function. Dr. Hannon reviewed numerous papers
that showed chiropractic care improved range of motion, muscle tone, and
muscle strength. Other studies have shown that chiropractic care has an
effect on how effectively our immune system’s cells destroy invaders, that
it can affect some of the stress hormones and even increase beta-endorphin
levels. You should be getting the picture - chiropractic, by reducing
interference to the way your nervous system works, can actually help the
body work more efficiently. This is what a researcher would call improving
physiological function.
And the effects can be profound. Research has shown that chiropractic
care reduces pulse pressure and reduces heart rate, which can potentially
reduce heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases by increasing
cardiac reserve and nutrient supply to cardiac muscles. Other effects on
cardiopulmonary (heart & lung) function have been studied revealing that
chiropractic can improve aerobic capacity, lung volume and pulmonary
function. There’s that word function again.
Research using athletes has shown changes in agility, balance,
kinesthetic perception, power, and speed reaction as well as improvement
in muscle strength, long jump distance, and capillary counts.
And if you think improved function is limited only to physical
functioning, think again – literally! Studies have shown significant
improvements in neurocognitive function in subjects receiving 4 weeks of
chiropractic care compared to control subjects and in another study
changes in cortical processing following chiropractic adjustments was
studied and revealed a statistically significant improvement in cognitive
function after a single chiropractic adjustment.
Studies on older people who use chiropractic are of special interest.
In one study researchers assessed the characteristics of older people who
utilize chiropractic care. Of a total of 414 seniors, 23 were called
“chiropractic users” and the researchers found that senior citizen
chiropractic users were more likely to report strenuous levels of
exercise, and more likely to report leaving their neighborhood in good
weather five or more times per week. Chiropractic users were also less
likely to report their health status as "fair" or "poor" and were less
likely to report having arthritis than non-chiropractic users. They also
reported fewer depressive symptoms, were less likely to have used a
nursing home, and 73.9% of chiropractic users had not been hospitalized in
3 years. Chiropractic users also used less over-the-counter and
prescription medications.
What all these studies show is that chiropractic care can help you to
live a better life, a more holistic, well balanced and better functioning
life. That’s what wellness is really all about. So the next time you see
or hear someone telling you they provide wellness care ask them what they
mean and then tell them how chiropractic makes you well.
References
- Brown, E. The Chiropractic Antecedents of Holistic Health. Journal
of Vertebral Subluxation Research. Vol. 4 No. 4. 2002.
- Palmer, D.D. The Chiropractor's Adjuster: Text-Book of the Science,
Art and Philosophy of Chiropractic for Students and Practitioners, p.552
- Rupert, RL, Manello, D, Sandefur, R. Maintenance Care: Health
Promotion Services Administered to US Chiropractic Patients Aged 65 and
Older, Part II. JMPT 2000; 23(1): 10-19
- Hannon, S. Objective Physiologic Changes and Associated Health
Benefits of Chiropractic Adjustments in Asymptomatic Subjects: A
Selective Review of Literature. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation
Research. Vol. 4 No. 4. 2002
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