Chiropractic can be an effective component of wellness care. Also known as preventive care, wellness care refers to treatment or measures designed not to cure a disease or reduce pain, but prevent them from occurring or re-occurring. Wellness care is getting a lot of attention in the media these days due to the failures of modern medicine to stem the rate of chronic degenerative diseases such as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes. People are finally realizing the benefits of wellness care and are taking responsibility for their own health.

Nestled inside your spine is your spinal cord, which is actually an extension of your brain. It is a bundle of millions of nerves that regulate your body's functions (see figure to the right). Nerve signals flow from organ to brain, and brain to organ providing control and feedback. Nerve cells are highly specialized and are very sensitive to pressure. Studies show that the mere weight of a penny is enough pressure to cause nerves to malfunction.

Now, imagine one or several spinal bones (vertebra) rotated or deviating from the rest (imagine this while looking at the diagram above). This can occur from previous trauma like a fall, sports injury or car accident. It can also develop overtime from sitting hunched in front of a computer all day and getting no exercise. These spinal misalignments, sometimes referred to as subluxations can stretch the spinal cord and cause the nerves to "misfire". A less responsive nervous system can then lead to injury and possibly organic conditions like headaches (if the misalignment is in the neck) or stomach distress.

Chiropractic treatment is one way to help prevent spinal misalignments from interfering with your spinal cord and nervous system. We offer Wellness Care programs centered on periodic spinal exams and adjustments. Dietary supplements are also prescribed, based on the patient's health history, as well as specific, targeted spinal exercises.

The benefits of Chiropractic Wellness Care include:

• helps keep your spine flexible and your joints moveable and healthy

• helps improve posture, and thus energy levels

• helps remove pressure to your spinal cord allowing your nerves to work properly

• helps foster a more responsive nervous system, reducing chances of "throwing your back out" due to poor muscular coordination.

When do you know if you need Chiropractic Wellness Care?

• if you engage in activities that involve trauma/ stress to the spine, such as long hours sitting at a desk, heavy lifting, or playing contact sports.

• if you have a history of the above, especially sports injuries. You most likely already have areas in your spine that may be placing pressure on your cord.

• if you have bad posture, such as uneven hips, uneven shoulders, a head tilt, or hunched back. It's best to check yourself in the mirror for these things or ask a friend to observe you because the brain tends to register poor posture as normal, over time.

• if you find yourself frequently low on energy. This can be caused by abnormal breathing patterns and excessive muscle exertion due to spinal misalignments.

• if you suffer from recurring headaches, or get sick (cold, flu, virus) more than once a year. You may have stress to your spinal cord coming from misaligned vertebrae.

For more information on Chiropractic Wellness Care, call us at (415) 627-9077.