WHAT IS CHIROPRACTIC?
Chiropractic is a health care profession that realizes that the body has an amazing ability to heal itself and remain healthy. Chiropractors mainly focus on the nervous system.
Why is the nervous system so important?
The energy that makes all human beings alive is carried in the nervous system from the brain, the central controller of the body. This energy is sent by the brain in the form of nerve impulses to the organs, tissues and cells of the body, which perform all of our body’s functions. Your nervous system allows you to see, hear, taste and feel. Your heart beats faster or slower depending on the signals from your brain. You don’t need to think about your heart beating or breathing because your brain automatically controls all of these processes. The nervous system also affects the immune system, which controls how our bodies fight off bacteria and viruses. The nervous system is the ultimate controller of everything we do. When there is no interference to the nervous system, our bodies are able to function up to their maximum potential.
That is why natural health can only occur when the nervous system is functioning normally.
Unfortunately for many people, the nervous system isn’t always functioning at 100 percent. This could be because somewhere between the brain and the rest of the body there is something interfering with the communication process. When this happens, the message isn’t sent properly causing our bodies to function abnormally. Imagine talking on a telephone with excessive static. It is very difficult to get the correct message across because, somewhere in the communication process, the signal is interfered with.
This same communication block can happen inside our bodies. The 24 moveable bones that surround and protect our spinal cord can sometimes become slightly misaligned. When these misalignments occur, the bones can pinch those nerves that travel through. In other instances, the misaligned bones can stretch those nerves, causing an entirely different set of problems. Imagine a garden hose with water flowing out of the end. If you step on the hose to pinch it closed, the water stops flowing. This is an extremely simplified way to illustrate what happens when the bones misalign in our spine. But just like the hose that can’t spray it’s water correctly, the nerves along the spine can’t communicate that message that the brain is trying to send to the body. Chiropractors call these vertebral misalignments “Subluxations”.
Dr. Tompkins checks for these subluxations in many ways. He may take X-rays. He will use SEMG and Thermography, 2 non-invasive tests to determine how well the nervous system is functioning. Then he will use his hands to locate the direction of those misalignments. Once your chiropractor finds where those subluxations are, he uses his hands or a gentle adjusting instrument to correct the misalignment. This takes the stress and strain off those nerves, allowing the brain to send its signal clearly to its target. It is almost like removing your foot from the garden hose and watching the water flow again. That life force which travels from the brain to the rest of the body is able to flow without interruption and our bodies can function to their maximum potential. Through chiropractic care, we can all live up to our maximum potential. Ask Dr. Tompkins how Tompkins Family Chiropractic can help your family.