Chiropractic: Encyclopedia II - Chiropractic - Chiropractic subluxation

Chiropractic - Chiropractic subluxation

Palmer imbued the term "subluxation" with a metaphysical and philosophical meaning. He held that certain dislocations of bones interfered with the "innate intelligence", a kind of spiritual energy or life force dependent upon God that connects the brain to the rest of the body. Palmer claimed that subluxations interfered with the proper communication of this innate intelligence with the rest of the body, and that by fixing them 95% of diseases could be treated.

In the mid-1990s the Association of Chiropractic Colleges redefined a subluxation as follows: "A subluxation is a complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological articular changes that compromise neural integrity and may influence organ system and general health." In 1997 the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research defined a subluxation as "a joint problem (whether a problem with the way the joint is functioning, a physical problem with the joint, or a combination of any of these) that affects the function of nerves and therefore affects the body's organs and general health."

Despite differing definitions of "subluxation" most chiropractors subscribe to the principle that the body has an intelligent and self-healing physiology. One result of this is the general chiropractic belief that healthcare interventions should consider the person as a whole and that conservative (non-invasive) treatment approaches should be used where possible.

To date there is limited scientific evidence of the existence of "subluxations", in terms of quantifiable measures. Nerve conduction studies of human spinal nerves identified as being subluxed by chiropractors were shown to be normal by conventional scientific measures. Studies involving X-ray and CT scanning of the human spine before and after chiropractic manipulation show no changes in joint position as identified by radiologists. This lack of a clear definition of "subluxation", supported by scientific evidence, is one of the major sources of chiropractic's struggle for acceptance within the traditional medical community.

Chiropractic philosophy holds that so much of the body is controlled by messages sent to and from the brain along the nervous system. The medical community agrees that all messages - whether it is the brain commanding the foot to move or an organ telling the brain it is in need of repair - pass through the spinal cord; which acts as a kind of cerebral router. An outgoing message from the brain passes down the spinal cord and through the appropriate spinal nerve branch held between the vertebrae on either side of the spinal cord. There are 31 pairs of spinal nerves that emerge from the spinal cord; all of which are housed by vertebrae. If the vertebrae are misaligned (subluxated), chiropractors believe that a spinal nerve can be squeezed or pinched and therefore message flow can be compromised. By aligning the vertebrae and removing restrictions on the spinal nerves, chiropractic claims to allow the spinal cord to more effectively relay messages to and from the brain; thus promoting better health.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Chiropractic subluxation", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki