THE SPINAL COLUMN
ALPHA CHIROPRACTIC NEWSLETTER

OCTOBER 2009

Yesterday I was at a CVS pharmacy buying some Band-Aids when I overheard the pharmacist tell a group of customers, "Everyone needs some kind of medicine; the key is to make sure you get exactly what you need!" I responded by telling him that the evidence to back up his claim was questionable at best, and that I considered medical science's certainty that it knows more about how to run our bodies than nature, extremely arrogant. He asked me what education I had that would allow me to make that kind of statement with any authority.

When I told him I am a chiropractor, he reacted with a surprised laugh and said, "Arrogant? You're calling ME arrogant? There isn't a group in the world that's more arrogant than you chiropractors! You ALL believe that everyone needs to see a chiropractor, so how is that different than me saying everyone needs medicine?!"

I replied that medicine is based upon the idea that nature gave us bodies that are inherently weak and defective, prone to illness and injury. This means we require some kind of help from the outside (i.e., medicine) to survive. This is known as "Outside-In" thinking.

I continued by explaining that chiropractic is based upon the vitalistic idea that we are born with everything we need to be strong, healthy, and happy - that health is our natural state, and if we are experiencing anything other than health, it's usually because we have lost something we need to maintain our natural and innate state of balance, harmony and ease. This is the opposite of what medical science says, and is known as "Inside-Out" thinking.

It isn't arrogant to accept, embrace and celebrate your innate health potential, and there is nothing arrogant about stating the truth about how our bodies work, and showing people how to fully allow the well being that is theirs by rite of birth.

"It's really easy to understand why we say everyone needs a chiropractor, I continued, "May I explain?"

"OH, by all MEANS, please enlighten us doctor!" he replied sarcastically.

"It is important to understand that your body never stays the same; every single day it either gets a little stronger or a little weaker. In other words, two processes are always happening in your body; the process of growing and the process of dying. But one of these two processes is always stronger than the other so that your overall movement each day is either toward growing (getting stronger) or dying (getting weaker). If you want to make sure you are getting stronger each day instead of weaker, you need 3 things; a positive focus, a healthy lifestyle and a clear neurological connection between your brain and your body."

"OK," he said, "But where does the chiropractic come in?"

I continued, "Because your spine and your nerve system are so intimately connected, you must have an aligned and fully functioning spine in order to maintain a clear brain-body CONNECTION! So you see, that's why we say everyone needs a chiropractor! Everyone wants to grow stronger and healthier every day, regardless of how healthy they are right now. And chiropractic helps you do that by keeping your spine aligned and functioning, and allowing your brain and body to be fully connected!"

"So why are you here in my pharmacy today?" He asked angrily.

"I needed to get some Band-Aids for my family so that we can keep cuts clean while our bodies heals from the inside out," I said with a smile.

"DON'T YOU HAVE AN OFFICE SOMEWHERE YOU NEED TO GET TO?!" He fumed as he walked away leaving me and the customers smiling.

A scientist was working in his laboratory late one night putting the finishing touches on a project he had been working on for many years. Suddenly he jumped up and yelled, "UREKA!" He ran outside, looked up to the heavens and yelled, "I've finally done it, God; you're no longer necessary!"

God was curious about what the man was saying, so he answered, "What do you mean?"

The scientist was shocked that God would answer him, but he replied, "Do you remember how you took the clay of the Earth, formed it into the shape of a man, and breathed life into it?"

"Yes," God answered, "I remember that."

"Well," the scientist continued, "I've finally figured out how to do that same thing! I don't mean any disrespect, but like I said, you're just not going to be needed anymore."

God was amused at this scientist's claim that he could create life from nothing, so He asked him if he would mind demonstrating what he could do. The scientist said that he would be happy to. He walked over to a patch of dirt, knelt down and began scooping up the dirt to form it into the shape of a man when God interrupted him saying,

"Wait a minute, just wait a minute...get your own dirt!"

Medical science can be very arrogant at times. It tells us it knows what we need, when we need it, and how we need it, rarely (if ever) considering the INDIVIDUAL PERSON being addressed. Rather, it follows a formula that it believes will bring about a desired change in most of the people following it. But, every day we listen to commercials and news reports that tell us all about the unpredictable and harmful "side effects" we should watch out for, and the terrible and unfortunate "accidents" that have occurred in people who were simply following their doctors' advice.

The basic belief of medical science is that your body is weak, defective, and prone to illness and injury. It believes you are nothing more than an imperfectly designed and built machine. It tells you from before birth that you need lots of pills, shots, potions and lotions from the outside just to make it through this terrible and threatening thing called life.

Chiropractic on the other hand is very humble.

What do I mean by this? The Major Premise of chiropractic states that a universal intelligence is in all matter and continually gives to it all its properties and actions, thus maintaining it in existence. Principle #2 goes on to say that the expression of this intelligence through matter is the Chiropractic meaning of life. In living organisms universal intelligence is expressed differently than non-living this and is called innate intelligence. Innate intelligence is described as the principle of organization that results in the ability of a living organism to organize and reorganize its physiology in order to adapt and survive in an ever-changing environment.

Very simply, chiropractic knows that a universal intelligence set up all of life, including YOU, in an organized and meaningful way. It endowed you with a vehicle (your body) that has an amazing capacity to not only handle all of the stresses you face each day, but to actually GROW from them. But, accomplishing this goal of continuous unfolding and expansion requires three things;

1) A Deliberate and Positive Focus that creates positive emotions and healing biochemistry

2) A Healthy Lifestyle that supplies your body with everything it needs to adapt, heal and grow

3) A Clear Neurological Connection between your brain and all of the parts of your body

Maintaining a clear brain-body connection requires an aligned and functioning spine because of the intimate connections between your spine and your nerve system. That is why chiropractic is so effective in helping so many people move consistently toward health, wellness and wholeness, regardless of their current level of sickness or health. By helping restore normal alignment and function to your spine, we help you re-establish your brain-body CONNECTION, so that your Intelligent and Organizing Life Energy can flow normally and do its job of helping you continually move toward being your best!

You see, there is one more thing that sets chiropractic aside from the arrogance of medical science. We not only know that universal intelligence set this whole thing up; we also know...IT'S STILL ON THE JOB!