Health Care

By: Andrew Stratton

While you may have heard of chiropractic treatment, you may not be familiar with the practice itself or the benefits of receiving chiropractic care. Doctors of Chiropractic, D.C.s, are specially trained in this alternative type of therapy which involves spinal manipulations commonly referred to as "adjustments."

This treatment is based on the concept that our bodies have self-healing properties that originate from the spine which controls all of our bodily functions and movements. Adjusting the spine allows the various systems of the body to function properly, alleviating common problems such as back pain and headaches.

An initial consultation with a chiropractor can help you determine if treatment is appropriate based upon your medical history or previous injuries as well as any current medical conditions. During the initial appointment, the D.C. will obtain these details and perform a spinal examination and basic physical exam.

If the results of these exams indicate that treatment would be beneficial, the doctor will then set up a treatment plan consisting of regular spinal manipulation and may also include other treatments such as therapeutic exercise, nutritional or diet counseling, and electrical stimulation.

The core element of chiropractic treatment, spinal adjustment, involves application of sudden pressure or force to various points along the spine. This allows joints that have been affected by improper posture, regular strenuous movement, or injury to be restored to their normal mobility which then allows healing of the tissues and an improved range of motion of the joints.

Side effects of chiropractic care are minimal and typically temporary but may include headache and soreness or discomfort of the treated areas. Most patients seek chiropractic treatment for back pain, especially in the lower back, it is also an acceptable form of treatment for neck pain, headaches, and leg pain associated with sciatica. Patients range in age from infancy to the geriatric years.

Treatment may be needed once a week or several times a week and the frequency will usually lessen as the plan progresses. Depending upon the spine's condition, your individual treatment plan could be as short as a few months or as long as several years.

While D.C.s are required to obtain their degree after 4 years of education and training from a college accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE), it is important to inform both the D.C. and your regular physician of any treatments, medications or supplements provided by the other. Before choosing a practitioner, be sure to ask about his or her training and accreditation.

Ongoing research is being conducted to determine the benefits of chiropractic care but the advantages and benefits have long been established. Once considered as something akin to "snake oil treatment", it is now being covered by many insurance companies and HMOs as well as Medicare, some state Medicaid programs, and state workers compensation programs.

Before scheduling treatment, check with your own insurance provider to be sure the services will be covered. As with any form of alternative medicine and therapy, it's important to consider the advantages and expense of treatment to decide if chiropractic care is the right choice for you.

Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory http://www.isnare.com
* About Andrew Stratton

The benefits of chiropractic care have long been established and it is now being covered by many insurance companies. San Francisco chiropractor will help you alleviate back pain, headaches and more using this natural, alternative mode of therapy. Visit http://www.chirocaresf.com/ to know more.

by Jerry Ryan, Ph.D.

Applied Kinesiology is a system that evaluates structural, chemical, and mental aspects of health using manual muscle testing with other standard methods of diagnosis. Dr. George Goodheart, D. C. discovered the importance of weak muscles and their clinical implications in 1964. He has researched, lectured and written about Applied Kinesiology since then.

Treatments may involve specific joint manipulation, various myofascial therapies, meridian/acupuncture skills, clinical nutrition, dietary management, evaluating environmental irritants, counselling, and various reflex procedures. Applied Kinesiology skills are developed and approved by the International College of Applied Kinesiology Board of Standards. These skills are refined from many disciplines including Chiropractic, Osteopathy, Dentistry, Acupuncture, Biochemistry, Psychology, Homeopathy, and Naturopathy. These health care professionals share knowledge through the publications and conferences of the International College of Applied Kinesiology. Applied Kinesiology can be divided into two distinct parts. The first part is to assist in diagnosis. Muscle testing is used to help diagnose what is functioning abnormally. This can be a problem with the nervous system, the vascular supply to a muscle or organ, a nutritional excess or deficiency, an imbalance in the acupuncture meridian system or a variety of other problems. Testing individual muscles and determining what affects the relative strength of the muscle is combined with the basic mechanics and physiological functioning of the body to more accurately diagnose what is going wrong.

The second part of Applied Kinesiology involves the treatment phase. Doctors adapt different treatment methods to the problems that have been diagnosed. From nutrition management to methods of controlling the vascular and nervous system, a wide range of therapies may be used to balance the patient's malfunction.

An examination using Applied Kinesiology begins with a detailed questioning of the patient to uncover clues as to what may be going on. Generally, problems can be related to chemical imbalances, structural imbalances, mental stress, or any combination of the above. After this general examination, procedures are used to assess the health of the patient. For example, changes in blood pressure from lying to sitting to standing can indicate imbalances in the body. This is followed with specific examination procedures used by the practitioner. After these tests are performed, an evaluation of the strength of the muscles is performed. There are many causes of muscular weakness and different procedures may be used to uncover the cause. At the end of all of these different but important parts, the information is correlated to establish a treatment program.

Applied Kinesiology is performed by health care professionals. First, they have their basic education is whatever medical field they practice. For example, they might be a medical doctor, osteopath, chiropractor or a dentist. Then they study Applied Kinesiology in a post-graduate setting. The muscle testing procedures are used to further investigate a patient's problem and depend upon a basic understanding of anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and pathology. Muscle testing used alone without a proper education in the health sciences is no better than a psychic reading. The basic course takes over 100 hours of classroom study and many more hours of study at home. Continuing classes are taken to reach the next step where a complete understanding is shown by a written and oral test. To achieve this level, over 300 hours of classroom study are required along with the writing of at least two research papers.

Applied Kinesiology does not replace standard examinations. It is used as a further tool to help define what is going wrong or what imbalances are present. For example, in some conditions like hypoglycemia there will be specific muscle weakness patterns found. On the other hand, these same weaknesses could be there because of a nerve problem. Only an adequate history of the person, coupled with standard examination procedures allow a proper treatment of the person. The use of Applied Kinesiology procedures speeds the examination process and helps to rule out other possible causes of the person's health problems.

I hope that you found this information useful. If you have any questions about anything in this article, please feel free to contact me at my website - www.JerryRyanPhD.com.

About the Author

Jerry Ryan, Ph.D. is a Natural Health Coach who teaches individuals and group classes on the scientifically documented benefits of natural health techniques. He is also an internationally published author and has been a guest speaker at such places as NIKE World Headquarters. For more information, his website is http://www.JerryRyanPhD.com