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This information is intended as a health service to you and your entire family. Chiropractic Health Service Chiropractic specializes in restoring normal function to the nervous system by opening disrupted nerve channels. Chiropractic is a health service available for the entire family throughout the full span of life. For the healthy individual, a periodic chiropractic check-up can ensure early correction of potential nerve interference. For the ailing individual, chiropractic care is a means of health restoration used to improve performance of the body's natural healing mechanisms. The Nervous System The nervous system is the master control of all the systems of the body. Although a complete inventory of the nervous system is beyond the knowledge of science, it is projected that the number of nerve circuits could be as many as the number one followed by fifteen million zeros. It is estimated that each nerve cell could interconnect with as many as 60,000 other nerves. Despite this incomprehensible complexity, the nervous system works efficiently, barring interference. Only when the nervous system is functioning efficiently -correlating and integrating the various bodily processes and the reactions and adjustments of the organism to its environment - is the body able to maintain a state of health. The Brain, Brain Stem, and Spinal Cord The neck and spinal column protect the spinal cord - the important two-way neural connection between the brain and the rest of the body. The Central Nervous System that is the brain, brain stem, and spinal cord taken together - contains 12 to 15 billion nerve cells, all of which are present at birth. The brain interprets the state of the body, millisecond by millisecond, 24 hours a day. It is directly connected to every cell or group of cells in the body. The brain not only can routinely make a perfect diagnosis, it can also consistently order the necessary response to sustain life and promote health. Communication and control messages between the brain and the rest of the body are carried by the brain stem and spinal cord. A single healthy nerve is capable of carrying 1,000 separate impulses per second. Twelve pairs of nerves pass through openings in the base of the skull and thirty-one pairs pass out through openings in the spinal column called foramina. If the nerve channels are kept open, the brain will normally diagnose the body's needs and also direct the response to those needs. All the chemicals necessary for life and health are normally made by the body and prescribed by the brain in the most exacting manner. The Spinal Column The spinal column houses and protects the spinal cord and also supports the weight of the head. It is composed of 24 movable vertebrae plus the sacrum, and the coccyx. The nerves that pass out of the spinal column through the foramina (which are small canals between the vertebrae) provide the body its means of communication with the spinal cord and the brain. The spinal column is designed for flexibility, strength, and protection of the nervous tissue. As long as the vertebrae of the spine remain in normal alignment, they serve their purpose well. Nerve Interference The forces to which the spine is exposed can cause vertebral misalignments. When these misalignments cause interference to the nerves and the impulse signals the nerves transmit, it becomes a cause of malfunction, or disease. The communication between the brain and the body is partially disrupted or distorted, and the response of the body to the demands of its environment is impaired. Chiropractic Treatment A condition called Atlas Subluxation, or misalignment of the atlas vertebra, affects the alignment of the entire spine. If a subluxation exists, three diagnostic techniques - the heat differential reading, leg check, and pelvic caliper check - are employed to determine if there is accompanying nerve interference. If a problem exists the chiropractor will plan a course of treatment to correct the subluxation. The Three Tests of Nerve Interference The chiropractor correlates the results of the three diagnostic tests to determine whether nerve blockage is present. A misalignment with accompanying nerve interference is the only grounds for chiropractic. In the heat differential reading, a graphing instrument records skin heat differentials overlying the spinal column. This reading is related to nerve involvement within the area of subluxation which will manifest itself as a neurovascular disturbance. The leg check and pelvic caliper's determine if the muscle tone is bilaterally equal. An imbalance of muscle tone indicates spinal cord involvement at the level of the atlas vertebra, due to subluxation. This spinal cord involvement and imbalance will appear as a contracted leg or distorted pelvis. If the nerve impulse flow is normal in the spinal cord, the muscle tone will be the same on both sides of the body and the legs and hips will be equal. NOTE: Occasionally a person has a contracted leg due to an improperly set fracture, congenital malformation, or nerve interference early in formative years causing lack of normal growth. Any such possibility should be reported to the doctor. In some cases allowances must be made to establish a norm for measurement. Analysis Chiropractic treatment uses x-ray procedures to precisely measure misalignment of the atlas vertebra in relation to the skull and the axis vertebra, and a post adjustment x-ray procedure or other instruments such as an Anatometer to measure the exact amount of correction accomplished. The Atlas Adjustment improves the alignment of the entire spine and the functioning of the spinal cord nerves.
All subluxations are different so the adjustment must be "tailor-made" for each individual. To adjust without adequate time to analyze the x-rays would not be in the best interest of the patient's present and future health. The exact direction of force necessary to correct the subluxated vertebra is determined by the x-ray analysis. The adjustment is a very gentle movement of the vertebra back to the normal position. Regular Chiropractic Follow-up Care The chiropractic goal is to correct the subluxation and keep it corrected. When the graph instrument and leg check indicate no interference, the vertebra is holding its new adjusted position and the nerve pathways are beginning to heal. A vertebra that is holding its corrected position cannot be adjusted nor should it be manipulated. Any manipulation of the vertebra might return it to a subluxated position. Again, the established rule is: Adjust only when there is evidence of nerve interference. Restorative Process We all recognize that when the body is injured it takes time for the injury to heal. Each patient must go through a recovery or healing cycle. The restoration process takes time and requires patience by the patient. After correction of the bone structure to the normal position by the adjustment, the patient does not recover steadily; he or she experiences relapses. It has been observed that these relapses occur at intervals of approximately 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days following the first adjustment. Changes must take place in the size of the nerve fibers before perfect performance can take place in the nervous system. Post-Adjustment Healing Cycle - Initial Nerve Tissue Repair As a general rule, the longer the patient has neglected the correction of the subluxation and allowed the condition to progress, the longer it will take to get well. Other factors unique to the patient may slow progress, but changes resulting from the adjustment are normally apparent. There may be immediate relief of symptoms, or there may be other seemingly unrelated symptoms. Increased sensitivity of the nervous system in some cases results in a feeling of euphoria; in other cases there may be a vague temporary feeling of uneasiness or discomfort. These changes are typically restorative and are positive signs of the increased functionality of the central nervous system. Symptoms recede in proportion to the corrections made and the favorable response of the nervous system to those corrections.
IMPORTANT: When to adjust must be the decision of your chiropractor. Adjustment is indicated only if a vertebra is out of place causing nerve interference. If you are checking clear of nerve interference, your condition is stable regarding chiropractic care. It is possible in such a case to experience symptoms related to periodic relapses. The Chiropractic Check-Up Because the nervous system regulates the body functions, the chiropractic doctor looks to the spine for the nerve interference that causes disease and impedes healing. This nerve interference can be detected regardless of whether there are symptoms or no symptoms at all. Regular spinal check-ups and adjustments when necessary are excellent health insurance. Early correction of cause for disease is a most valuable service offered by chiropractic care and good reason why the whole family should be checked regularly. Questions and Answers Q. How long will it take me to get well under adjustments? A. The length of time will depend upon how long the vertebrae (spinal bones) have been displaced, how successful the adjustment is in reducing the displacements, how much damage has been done to the nerve tracts and fibers, the vitality of the patient, and the rate of response of the nerve fibers to the adjustment. Q. What brings about healing under adjustments? A. The function of the adjustment is to restore misplaced bone structures to their normal positions and reestablish the normal pathways for the nerve tracts and fibers so that performance of the nervous system can improve, thus promoting healing. Q. How can the chiropractor determine if the patient is making progress? A. Patient progress is determined by the degree of the presence or absence of the objective and physical signs of imperfect performance of the nervous system: leg length checks, mobility checks, thermographic pattern measurements, spinal column distortion measurements, evaluation of symptoms as compared to the objective signs, and other methods such as the Anatometer used by some doctors. Q. Why is an adjustment not given on the basis of how I feel? A. If correction made by the adjustment is still holding, the sensitivity of the nervous system may increase, making the patient more aware of his distress. This is important to the recovery of the patient, and is usually temporary. Adjusting the patient on the basis of increased sensitivity or in reaction to his previous adjustment, will retard his progress. Adjustments are given only on the basis of lack of proper performance of the nervous system. Q. Why is time required to obtain results? A. Most subluxations have existed for years, causing harm to the nervous system and its control of the bodily functions. When the subluxation is removed by the adjustment, repair of the damage caused must take place before the patient can recover. Repair of tissue takes time. Q. Does the chiropractor treat every case alike? A. No two subluxations are identical; therefore every adjustment is different. Q. My am I adjusted in the neck when my pain is in my back and legs? A. The neck (cervical) vertebrae, when interfering with the nervous system, cause problems throughout the body and the pain from a subluxation is most Q. Why do / notice differences in my body after the adjustment which don't seem related to the reasons consulted the chiropractor? A. Many benefits accrue to the chiropractic patient other than those for which he sought chiropractic care. Some of these are: Better performance of the nervous system resulting in improvement in respiration, cardiac rate control, circulatory improvement, better functioning of the digestive tract, better elimination; Q. Do I get an adjustment each visit? A. If the nervous system is steadily improving in its performance no adjustment will be given. Q. If I get adjusted more frequently will it speed up my recovery? A. No, it will retard your recovery. Recovery is speeded up by the degree of correction obtained through the adjustment, by the care that the patient takes of the adjustment, by good living habits, and by the length of time the adjustment holds. Q. Is it possible to feel fine yet have a subluxation interfering with my nervous system? A. Yes, sensation of any kind is conveyed from the sense organs in the body to the spinal cord and brain over those nerves referred to as sensory. If the subluxation decreases the ability of these sensory nerves to convey messages to the central nervous system, the patient may feel quite well yet be very ill. This is somewhat like certain drugs given to relieve symptoms and which act by lowering or blocking the sensory input to the central nervous system. Q. If I become subluxated again after holding my adjustment for a period of time, will the same symptoms return? A. Yes, if the same subluxation recur's and to the same degree. The intensity of the symptoms agrees rather closely with the severity of the subluxation. However, if the adjustment has held for a considerable period of time, it will require time for the symptoms to recur. Just as it takes time to get well, it takes time to get sick. This is the reason you should check after a fall, not wait for symptoms to appear again. Q. Does it always require an injury to produce a subluxation? A. No, we are subject to our environment and must continually adjust to it. Within that environment are disease-producing organisms, pollutants, poisons, and other irritants to which the body is subject and must adapt. It the body cannot adapt through the nervous system mechanisms, a subluxation can be produced. Q. How can I tell if I need an adjustment? A. The only sure way is to have your chiropractor check you for the physical signs. Q. What does it indicate if the physical signs change, such as the contracting of an opposite leg? A. It indicates strongly and positively that a major change has taken place in the subluxation factors. The area should be x-rayed again. Q. Can my subluxation correct itself? A. Very rarely does this happen and only after injury. Patients who suggest that a correction has occurred are judging by the symptoms. They feel better and believe that the reason for feeling better is that the subluxation has corrected itself. Frequently, an increase in the subluxation factors due to some injury will make the patient symptom-free, but only temporarily; later he/she will become more ill if an adjustment is not given. If the subluxation recurs slowly, the patient will feel exceptionally well for a day or two before subluxation sets in. Q. Do vertebrae "snap" out of place? A. Not unless there has been a rather severe injury. The vertebrae of the cervical (neck) spine have little to hold them, especially the atlas which is held only by ligaments and muscles and must support the weight of the head. It is more vulnerable to injury than are the other vertebral segments. Q. After / have held my adjustment for a period of time, and suddenly require another, what has happened if I have had no injury? A. The nerve fibers have had time to increase in size following the adjustment, and the bony pathways through which the nerve fibers pass must be further enlarged by the adjustment to accommodate them. Q. Should everyone be checked for subluxation? A. Imperfect performance of the nervous system is an integral part of the inception of every disease process. Checking the nervous system's performance to uncover conduction blocks, and removing them, could help prevent many conditions from developing. Q. Should I check for a subluxation after recovery from my condition? A. An occasional check is advisable after the patient has been dismissed from care. There is always the possibility of a recurrence of the subluxation or of a new and different subluxation giving rise to a new condition with different symptoms. Further, keeping a check on the functioning of the nervous system will help prevent many illnesses. Q. What care should I take of my adjustment? A. Following an adjustment, use care in moving the head; avoid sudden movements. Avoid looking up as in reaching above the head; raise eyes rather than the head. Chiropractic Patient Instructions Regarding the leg check: Please wear a pair of dress shoes with good soles and heels. (Ballet Slippers, sneakers, galoshes, and similar footwear present too many variables for an accurate leg check.) Men should remove objects from hip pockets to prevent lying on them during the leg check causing inaccurate reading. When lying down on the table for the leg check, sit on the end of the table, slide back far enough so that your head will reach the head piece, then lay straight back to a straight relaxed position. NOTE: Some cases, in severe pain, will have to lie down on their side and then turn over. They must be straight and relaxed on the table. After an adjustment, when the doctor wants you to lie on your back for the leg check, do not place unnecessary strain on your neck by using your head and neck to turn over. Regarding Heat Differential Reading Please remove necklaces, hair pins or rollers from the hair at the back of the head and neck. It may be necessary to remove some wigs. Regarding X-Rays Please cooperate with the doctor by sifting erect, not moving and not talking while being x-rayed. Regarding placement on the table for the adjustment. Please remove earrings, rollers or barrettes. PLEASE INFORM YOUR CHIROPRACTOR OF ANY MEDICATION BEING TAKEN. REMEMBER: The longer the vertebrae remain in alignment and the interference is off the central nervous system, the greater the benefit to your health. Your chiropractor can adjust the vertebrae, but only you can take the necessary precautions to help maintain the correction. It is our intention to render the finest chiropractic treatment available. Appointments If you find it necessary to change a scheduled appointment we would like a 24 hour notification if possible, so we can use this scheduled time for another patient in need. NOTE: While these things may seem simple, it is important to remember that every time you create a subluxation you also cause injury (trauma) to your nervous system. DR. OTTO E. PORTMANN |
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