History   |    Techniques    |    Glossary

ADJUSTMENT - The specific application of force to aid the body's correction of nerve interference. See additional explanation.

CHIROPRACTIC - A health care profession focused on the anatomy of the spine and immediate articulation, and the condition of nerve interference. Also, it is the term for the practice encompassing the education, advise, and address of nerve interference.

CHIROPRACTIC DIAGNOSIS - The comprehensive process of evaluation of the spinal column and its immediate articulations to determine the presence of nerve interference and other conditions that may call for chiropractic procedures.

CHIROPRACTIC PRACTICE OBJECTIVE - To correct nerve interference in a safe and effective manner. The correction is not a specific cure for any particular symptom or disease. It is applicable to anyone with nerve interference, regardless of symptoms of disease.

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DIS-EASE - A combination of dis, a prefix meaning "apart from," and ease, meaning a "state of balance." Dis-ease is a lack of comfort. Chiropractors believe in first treating dis-ease with the reduction or elimination of nerve interference to give a patient a chance to recover naturally before resorting to the treatment of disease with drugs or surgery.

HEALTH - The state of optimal physical, mental and social well-being. Health goes beyond the mere absence of disease or infirmity.

MANIPULATION - The forceful passive movement of a joint. Manipulation does not imply the use of precision, specificity, or correction of nerve interference. Manipulation is not synonymous with chiropractic adjustment.

MRI - Magnetic Resonance Imaging, an MRI uses radio waves, magnetic fields, and computers to create a high quality picture of the internal organs, soft tissue and nerve network. The patient lies still while being passed through a narrow cylinder. An MRI can detect brain and spinal tumors, disc disease, spinal stenosis, degeneration and indications of a stroke. It is also used to examine heart and liver tissue and joints. It is the preferred method for examining spinal disc degeneration.

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NERVE INTERFERENCE - See vertebral subluxation.

RETRACING - The re-experiencing of some discomfort from an old injury. Body tissues remember traumas, injuries and accidents they have experienced. If retracing is experienced after a chiropractic adjustment, the pain or discomfort is usually brief. It is best to be patient as the body heals itself. Often retracing is mild and almost unnoticeable but it can be dramatic for a short time.

SUBLUXATION - See vertebral subluxation.

THERMOGRAPHY - A special camera takes pictures that measure the temperature on the skin surface to locate inflammation of muscles and soft tissues. This procedure has been used to pinpoint spinal nerve and muscle stress.

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VERTEBRAE - The spinal column consists of twenty-four small bones called vertebrae. Seven are located in the neck, twelve in the mid-back, and five in the lower back. The vertebrae stack one on top of the other and form a straight line when viewed from the front or back. It is rare to find someone with a perfectly aligned spine.

VERTEBRAL SUBLUXATION - Also referred to as nerve interference, or simply subluxation. Vertebral subluxation is a misalignment of one or more of the vertebrae in the spinal column which causes alteration of nerve function and interference to the transmission of mental impulses. This lessens the body's innate ability to express maximum health potential. See additional explanation.

VITALISM - A doctrine teaching that life is caused and sustained by a vital principle distinct from all physical and chemical forces. Vitalism says that life is, at least in part, self-determining and self-evolving.

X-RAY - The common name for Radiograph. It is a picture of the solid parts of the body produced by passing electromagnetic rays through the body positioned against photographic film. The rays pass through the soft tissues and are stopped by solid objects such as metal and bones, including teeth.

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