Philosophy
Everyone has a philosophy even though they may not be aware of it. Your philosophy is how you believe or understand things to function. At one time people had a philosophy that the world was flat. Today most people have the philosophy that the world is round. A particular philosophy is not necessarily based on truth, so it is important to constantly evaluate whether your philosophy still fits with the available knowledge.
All branches of health care have a particular philosophy and it is important to have an understanding just what that philosophy is. If you are going to seek health care it seems like a good idea to understand and agree with the philosophy of the type of health care you are going to recieve.
The philosophy of chiropractic is one of vitalism. Vitalism is defined by Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary as the following:
vitalism \"v-tl-'i-zm\ noun (1822)
- : a doctrine that the functions of a living organism are due to a vital principle distinct from physicochemical forces
- : a doctrine that the processes of life are not explicable by the laws of physics and chemistry alone and that life is in some part self-determining
Both of these definitions help us to understand the philosophy of chiropractic. The first explains that we, as a living organism, are more than just a collection of parts like a machine. There is an additional non-physical component that makes us who we are. An example of one non-physical component that makes us who we are is love. Most people recognize the existence of love but it can not be quantified or localized. There are many other such components many of which we have only just begun to understand.
The second definition also expresses this
Universal Intelligence
The first principle of chiropractic is that there is a Universal Intelligence in all matter and it continually gives to it all its properties and actions, thus maintaining it in existence. We understand that an atom is composed of neutrons, protons and electrons. The properties of each of these elements are governed by this Universal Intelligence. We have no understanding of it other than a recognition that it exists.
We can see that our planet revolves around the sun, we are part of the Milky Way galaxy and our galaxy holds its place among all the other galaxies in the universe. There is a sense of order in all of this.
On our planet we have trees that produce oxygen which we need for survival and we in turn produce carbon dioxide which the plants need for their survival. The matter that makes up both plant and animal is continually being broken down and reused by the ecosystem. When an animal dies it decomposes into the ground and provides nutrition for the plants, these plants become food for other animals. This is the circle of life.
When you stop and recognize that there is such an incredible order to things it becomes obvious that there must be some sort of intelligence behind it all. To say that it ALL just happened by random chance seems preposterous. In the philosophy of chiropractic this intelligence is referred to as Universal Intelligence.
Innate Intelligence
Innate Intelligence refers to the intelligence that we are born with. We are not talking about how well we are going to do in school This intelligence is responsible for allowing us to adapt to the environment in order to survive. All living beings are born with this knowledge and it is present as long as you are alive.
If you put a leafy plant on a window sill, in a day or so it will turn its leaves to face the light. Move the plant and it will turn its leaves again. It knows it needs to have light to survive.
The plant doesn't use logic to figure out that it needs light. It doesn't think at all. Yet it still knows how to perform all the functions necessary for life. It knows how to get nutrients from the soil, exchange gases with the air and convert sun light into food. It knows all this because it has an Innate Intelligence.
In human beings, Innate Intelligence is present from the moment of conception. It tells the first cell how to divide to become two cells. Eventually the cells become different tissues, then organs, then a complete living breathing human being.
This intelligence does not abandon us once we are born. It continues to guide our development as we grow into childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Even as adults our Innate Intelligence is always present. It guides all bodily functions such breathing, heart rate and the digestion of our food. It is also responsible for all the tissue repair and regeneration that takes place on a daily basis.
Your body is always being regenerated. Most of the cells that make up your body are constantly dying off and being replaced with new cells. The red blood cells live for 120 days until they are recycled. The lining in your stomach is replaced every five minutes. Even the cells that make up your bones are constantly dying off with new ones being created. In fact, your body is almost completely new every 7 years.
Think about that. We are constantly being recreated and this recreation is under the control of our Innate Intelligence. This Innate Intelligence has a pretty big responsibility, doesn't it?
Triune of Life
Innate Intelligence is not enough to create life by itself. In order to have life there must be three things present and they are intelligence, matter and energy.
The building of a house can be used as an analogy. The architect and contractor provide the intelligence for what is supposed to be constructed. They then must utilize tools and materials, the matter, and energy in various forms in order to complete the construction.
In the living being there is the intelligence, and this of course is the Innate Intelligence. The tools and material are the atoms that make up the DNA and various cells, tissues and organs. The energy available is primarily an electrochemical source.
As it was mentioned the Innate Intelligence was present from the moment of conception. As the organism grows a vast network of nerves is created to allow communication between the various parts of the body. This network is called the nervous system.
 The nervous system consists of the brain, which extends down into the spinal column and then attaches to additional nerves that go to all the tissues and cells of the body. The nervous system conducts messages via electrical impulses. These messages are constantly being sent between the brain and the body. The Innate Intelligence monitors the internal and external environment of the body by the information it receives from the nervous system. Based on this information the Innate Intelligence makes any necessary changes by sending out new messages over the nervous system. When these messages are being sent along the nervous system without any interference the Innate Intelligence will be able to maintain the function of this organism in its optimum state; a state of ease. If there is interference to these messages, the body will not be functioning as well as it could be. This would be a state of dis-ease. In the initial stages, it does not usually produce any symptoms but left long enough it will result in system malfunction and the appropriate symptoms will become noticed.
Vertebral Subluxation
The spinal cord is the portion of the brain that has extended down into the column of vertebrae. There are 24 vertebrae and they have been designed to allow us to bend and twist and tie our shoes. Because they are moveable it makes it possible for them to become misaligned, moving abnormally or not moving enough. When this occurs it may interfere with the function of the nervous system thus interfering with the transmission of messages. This interference is called a subluxation and is the basis of chiropractic care.
The role of a chiropractor is to locate subluxations and assist the body in correcting them. This allows the messages to be sent without interference and therefore allows the Innate Intelligence to do its work the best it knows how.
When there are no subluxations the body will be working with ease. A subluxation by itself usually produces no pain so you are unaware that it is present. Once subluxations are present the body is then working without ease or with dis-ease. If this condition persists for a long enough period of time, which could be years to decades, a condition of disease will result. This will then trigger symptoms to alert you that the situation is serious and you can no longer afford to ignore it.
For example, if the subluxation was interfering with the message of Innate Intelligence from getting to the kidney, then the kidney is going to start to function less than ideal. It is not that the kidney is breaking down but rather that it is not being built back up properly. It is a natural process for the kidney to break down. The cells are constantly being replaced. The problem is that the information needed to replace the cells properly is not being received therefore the cells are not being created in a perfect state. When enough of these imperfect cells have been created you will start to get kidney problems and this is known as kidney disease. This is not the only source of kidney disease it is just one of them. Subluxations can contribute to all diseases in the same manner and this is why when subluxations are corrected many conditions improve and diseases are no longer present.
There is really no way of knowing exactly what organs are going to be effected by a given subluxation. The nervous system is too vast to be able to tell for sure It is just understood that the organism will function best when all the messages can get through. That is what chiropractic is about. Making sure all the messages get through by correcting subluxations.
The longer a subluxation is present the greater the potential for damage and the longer it will take for the damage to be repaired. This is why many chiropractors believe that getting checked for subluxations regularly and correcting them as soon as they are found is the best course of action if you are looking for optimum health.
If you have a subluxation, when do you want to know about it? Most would say as soon as possible. Once you find out you have a subluxation, when do you want it corrected? Again, most would say right away. Once you have been cleared of subluxations, how long do you want to stay that way? Most would say for the rest of their life.
It is as simply as that. Eliminate dis-ease from the body by getting your subluxations corrected as soon as they occur so that the life energy being sent by your Innate Intelligence can get to your physical body so that optimum health can be maintained throughout your life.
Chiropractic care is an integral part of a Wellness Lifestyle. We look at the Wellness Lifestyle as having five components. They are getting proper nutrition, regular exercise, adequate rest, maintain a positive mental attitude and ensure that all life channels are free of subluxations so there is no interference to our grand Innate Intelligence that created us and maintains us.
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