CHIROPRACTIC

ABOUT CHIROPRACTIC  

Chiropractic is the world's largest non-surgical, non-drug prescribing, primary contact health care profession. It is a natural approach to health, based on the scientific premise that the body is a self-regulating, self-healing organism. The relationship between structure, especially of the spine, and musculoskeletal system, and function, especially as coordinated by the nervous system, and how that relationship affects the preservation and restoration of health is central to the profession's approach to care, health and well being.

Your nervous system controls the function of every cell, tissue, organ and system of your body. Your nervous system consists of your brain, spinal cord and millions of nerves. The skull protects the delicate tissues of the brain. The 24 moving bones of the spine protect the intricate communication pathways of the spinal cord and nerve roots. Common interferences to the nervous system occur between some of the twenty four moving bones of the spinal column. A loss of normal motion or position of these bones can irritate or impair the function of the nervous system. This can disrupt the transmission of controlling nerve impulses. With improved spinal function people often report improved organ and system function. Your chiropractor can help remove any interference that may be impairing normal health.

Chiropractic is the science of locating problems in the spine, the art of reducing their impact to the nervous system, and a philosophy of natural health care based on your inborn potential to be healthy. When under proper control of your nervous system, all the cells, tissue, and organs of your body are designed to resist disease and ill health. The chiropractic approach to better health is to locate and help reduce interferences to your natural state of being healthy. It focuses on prevention of problems and maximisation of peak health potential by living a healthy lifestyle.

Philosophically there is an emphasis on the mind/body relationship in health and the natural healing powers of the body. This represents a biopsychosocial philosophy of health, rather than a biomedical one.

The word Chiropractic is derived from the Greek language and means 'done by hand'. In Chiropractic there is an emphasis on manual techniques (using our hands to work with the body) , including joint adjustment (specific manipulation), with a particular focus on joint subluxation (dysfunction) especially of the spine. Chiropractic also places an emphasis on nutrition and exercise, wellness and healthy lifestyle modifications. Using this complete approach to health and guiding you towards a healthy lifestyle, your chiropractor can help maximise your true potential.

Through offering expert drug-free spinal health care and lifestyle advice, chiropractors help people to lead and maintain healthy lives. Ideally, you should have regular chiropractic checkups and lifestyle consultation to ensure long-term spinal health. Maintaining a healthy spine will lead to enjoying a healthier life.

Chiropractors are spinal health care experts in the health care system.

• Chiropractors have the ability to improve function in the neuromusculoskeletal system, and overall health, wellbeing and quality of life.
• Chiropractors have specialised approaches to examination, diagnosis and care, based on best available research and clinical evidence with particular emphasis on the relationship between the spine and the nervous system
• Chiropractors enjoy a tradition of effectiveness and patient satisfaction without use of drugs and surgery, enabling patients to avoid these where possible.
• Chiropractors are expertly qualified providers of spinal adjustment, manipulation and other manual treatments, exercise instruction and patient education.
• Chiropractors collaborate with other health professionals in the interest of best care and outcomes for the client
• Chiropractors have a client-centered and biopsychosocial approach, emphasizing the mind/body relationship in health, the self-healing powers of the individual, and individual responsibility for health and encouraging client independence

At  Wellness For Life Chiropractic many clients who want to optimise health and well-being choose to include chiropractic care as part of an overall wellness approach to health. Research demonstrates that the primary reasons clients consult chiropractors are back pain (approximately 60 %), other musculoskeletal pain such as pain in the neck, shoulder, extremities and arthritic pain (20%) and headaches including migraines (10%). About 1 in 10 (10%) present with a wide variety of conditions caused, aggravated or mimicked by neuromusculoskeletal disorders (e.g.  pseudo angina, dysmennhorea, respiratory and digestive dysfunctions). Even parents of babies with colic commonly consult chiropractors to provide care for the infant.

THE HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY  OF CHIROPRACTIC 

Chiropractic is a science, a philosophy and an art that has developed, evolved and advanced over the past 115 years, since the 18th of September 1895, when the first adjustment was made by D.D.Palmer, in Davenport, Iowa, USA. Chiropractic principles were way ahead of their time, and have the potential to lead the way in health care for the future.

Chiropractic arose as a separate profession in the United States in the 1890s. Until the 1960s the profession was in its early developmental stages and largely North American. In the 1960s and 1970s the foundations were laid for broader more mainstream acceptance of the profession-improved educational and licensing standards, significant research texts and scientific journals, and legal recognition and regulation in all US states and other countries including states in Australia.

Today, more than 115 years after its birth, chiropractic is taught and practiced throughout the world and the profession has earned broad acceptance from the public and in the national health care systems for its services. It is widely regarded as the leading example of a complementary health care discipline reaching its maturity and mainstream acceptance, and WHO (World Health Organisation) has now published guidelines recommending the educational standards required for regulation of chiropractic services within national health care systems world wide.

Chiropractic is based on the philosophy that the body is a self healing mechanism, which is able to regulate itself and respond to environmental stresses in a dynamic way. Chiropractors understand that health comes from within the body and is influenced from the outside. Chiropractors realize that if the body is out of balance with its calibration then it is unable to respond appropriately to the external worlds' outside stresses and that it will start dysfunctioning (dis-ease) and will start to give subtle signs and symptoms that it is not in dynamic balance.

These subtle sign and symptoms in our busy lives in modern society will often go unnoticed by an individual, and then bodies will continue to develop layers of different compensation patterns, as the body makes 'the best choice that it can' to keep 'surviving', whilst gradually over time more and more systems (that the body considers not as vital) of body function are 'shut-down' as the body keeps 'compensating'.

CHIROPRACTOR'S ARE HIGHLY EDUCATED 

Today’s chiropractor is a highly educated professional .Chiropractors are required to adhere to strict and extensive educational requirements and standards to become registered health professionals in Australia. Australian chiropractors are five year university trained, and are government registered and government regulated health professionals.These university degrees are of similar length and depth as medical courses, but focus on promoting healthier lifestyles via better body function, rather than on drugs and surgery.

At university Chiropractors are trained and educated to be primary health care practitioners, as are general medical practitioners. As such a Chiropractor's education entails a similar number of hours and subject loads, as does the education of a general medical practitioner. Examples of subjects covered are Anatomy & Physiology, Spinal Anatomy, Neurology, Neurophysiology, Biomechanics, Biochemistry, Diagnosis and Management, Microbiology and Pathology, Clinical Chiropractic Practice, Radiography and Xray Physics, Pharmacology, Public Health and many other clinical, medical and sociological subjects.

This means chiropractors not only help you get to the cause of your pain, but help you look after your spine through expert care and lifestyle advice

Up until the 1950's most chiropractors graduated from North American colleges. There are now colleges in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain and the United Kingdom as well as the United States. Depending on the country chiropractic education is either within  the university system(most countries) or in private colleges. Several other countries have plans to open colleges soon(e.g. Argentina, Chile, China, Italy, Switzerland and Thailand).

Common international standards of education have been achieved through a network of accrediting agencies that began with the US Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE), recognised by the US Office of Education since 1974 and are now represented by the Councils on Chiropractic Education International (CCEI).

For further information with regard to chiropractic education and training in Australia refer to the external professional accreditation body the CCEA (www.ccea.com.au). This body accredits and regularly inspects the institutions training chiropractors to ensure high standards of competencies and capabilities.

INTERESTED IN STUDYING CHIROPRACTIC? 

Choosing to study chiropractic is a great career choice. Chiropractic is a unique and distinct health care discipline that has been around for over 115 years. Chiropractic is a dynamic profession and you can work just about anywhere in the world. You're always learning -seminars & conferences are held all over the world. Our Universities are proud of the fact that nearly all students who enroll in a chiropractic degree complete it (i.e. there is a very low attrition rate compared to other courses of study)

It is fascinating to learn all about how the body works and to learn how to help others to reach their highest potentials of health and wellness naturally. If you are intelligent, caring, like working with people and want to really make a difference to the health of people on our planet -then a career in chiropractic is a great choice.

To become a registered chiropractor in Australia you must have studied an accredited 5-year chiropractic program conducted at a University within Australia, or have completed an accredited program overseas that satisfies the requirements set by the Australian Chiropractic Regulating authority. Currently there are three universities in Australia that have chiropractic degree programs: 

• RMIT University in Melbourne (VIC) offers a Bachelor of Health Science (Chiropractic), which is a 3 year undergraduate program, followed by a Master of Clinical Chiropractic, a 2 year postgraduate program. (www.rmit.edu.au)
•  Macquarie University in Sydney (NSW) has a three year Bachelor of Chiropractic Science which provides the basis for entry into a two year Master of Chiropractic. (www.chiro.mq.edu.au)
• Murdoch University in Perth (WA) offers a five year Bachelor of Chiropractic.Sydney at Macquarie University, in Melbourne at RMIT University ), (www.murdoch.edu.au/chiropractic/).

There is also the New Zealand College Of Chiropractic (www.chiropractic.ac.nz)

CHIROPRACTORS ARE A GOVERNMENT REGISTERED PROFESSION 

The Chiropractic profession is registered Australiawide  as a unique, primary health care profession. Having professional registration helps to advance the profession of chiropractic and ensures that the public receives safe, effective and ethical chiropractic services performed by knowledgeable, skilled, accountable chiropractors. Registered chiropractors utilise individualised, comprehensive approaches for each client, which recognise the client's needs as the background and his or her right to chose form a range of options.

For further information on the Chiropractors Board of Australia  information is available on their website (www.chiropracticboard.gov.au) 

RESEARCH 

There is substantial evidence supporting the safety and effectiveness of chiropractic care for clients with the health concerns most frequently seen in chiropractic practice and highly prevalent in the population, namely:

Colic: Chiropractic management of newborns with infantile colic is safe and effective. Chiropractic care is significantly more effective than standard medical treatment with dimethicone.

Back Pain: Evidence- based practice guidelines from international and multidisciplinary expert panels endorse chiropractic management for both acute and chronic non-specific low-back pain by recommending spinal manipulation, exercise and early return to activities as the most effective and cost-effective management for most people.  Rest beyond a few days, passive machine therapies, prescription drugs and steroid injections are not recommended on account of ineffectiveness and/or side effects.

Neck Pain: Evidence-based practice guidelines from expert panels recommend similar management for non-specific neck pain, the second largest cause of musculoskeletal disability after back pain in developed countries.

Headache: Chiropractic, medical and dental research during the 1990s identified structures in the cervical spine that cause many headaches previously diagnosed as tension  headache or migraine, and now identified as cervicogenic (coming from the neck) by the International Headache Society. Several clinical trials have now reported that chiropractic care is effective for people with cervicogenic headache.

Even though research for specific conditions exists it is good to remember that the main focus of chiropractic practice is not specific conditions but the functional integrity of the neuro-musculoskeletal system. That is chiropractors don't treat conditions but are primarily treating spinal dysfunctions referred to as Vertebral Subluxation Complex.

THE WORLD FEDERATION OF CHIROPRACTIC (WFC)

The World Federation of Chiropractors is a non-governmental organisation in official relations with the World Health Organisation (WHO) since 1997. As a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in official relations, the WFC is part of the formal structure of the World Health Organisation.

The WFC is a member of the Council of International Organisations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS), and has affiliations with many other national and international organisations.
Its voting members of WFC are national associations of chiropractors in 86 countries world wide. The WFC represents them and the chiropractic profession at WHO and internationally.

For further information on the WFC and its activities, programs and publications, visit www.wfc.org.