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Frequently Asked
Questions

Chiropractic is a science, art and philosophy that restores communication between the nervous system and the entire body. Removing the interference in this communication allows the body to heal itself and do what it is naturally designed to do. Subluxation is the cause of this interference. A subluxation is an incomplete or partial misalignment due to physical, nutritional/chemical and mental/emotional stress or trauma. Chiropractic removes subluxations to restore order and communication.

The philosophy of Chiropractic is based on the understanding that the human body does not make mistakes. Everything the body does is an effect of what the person does, eats and thinks. The primary desire of the human body is to survive. In order to survive, the human body will respond perfectly to what it is given by the person controlling that body. The universal logo for the health care profession of Chiropractic is the angel.

A Doctor of Chiropractic is a person that has satisfactorily completed all of the requirements of education and examinations necessary to be honored with the diploma for the degree Doctor of Chiropractic, which includes a “pre-medical” education equal to that of a Medical Doctor. Following the undergraduate “pre-medical” education, the student must complete a specialized chiropractic education provided by a nationally qualified and recognized chiropractic higher educational institution.

In America, where the Chiropractic profession originated, the average amount of training to achieve the degree of Doctor of Chiropractic is eight years. If a specialization is desired in the Chiropractic field, additional years are required. The term “Doctor”, in the Latin language, means “one who teaches”. It is the responsibility of a doctor to educate students and/or patients. A doctorate degree indicates the higher level of education in a given field of expertise. So, yes a Doctor of Chiropractic is a real doctor and also different than a Medical Doctor.
A medical doctor is trained to be a specialist in first aid/crisis management emergency care. Their primary focus is to save the life of the patient or prolong the departing of the patient's life. There is no medication or operation that makes a patient more healthy. Medication and operations are for providing a means to exist with a health problem in a more comfortable fashion. A chiropractic doctor is educated and trained to identify the cause as to why the body is behaving the way it is at the moment. Chiropractic philosophy is based on the understanding that the human body creates the problem, therefore if the cause or interference creating the problem is adjusted to restore the neurological communication to its normal balance, the body will heal itself. This ability to heal itself is the same power that created the body initially.

See additional comparisons and paradigms in the links “CHIROPRACTIC EDUCATION VS. MEDICAL EDUCATION” and “SCIENTIFIC PARADIGM OF MEDICINE AND CHIROPRACTIC”.
A Chiropractor is traditionally trained to search and identify any interference to the nervous system that is not allowing the body to communicate and function. A Chiropractor uses an “adjustment” to remove interference. An adjustment is a “short-lever” movement to realign, with precision, any body part to allow normal healthy function of the body.

This precision reduces the risk of moving vertebrae, joints or other body parts that do not need to be moved or are presently in their correct position. A Chiropractor may use many other techniques and methods to remove this interference of the nervous system. The main difference with Chiropractic is that it is the first primary healthcare profession to search for the root cause of any illness.

An Osteopath is traditionally trained to correct and maintain the circulation of the CSF (Cerebral Spinal Fluid). The CSF is the fluid that flows throughout the spinal cord and around the brain in a “pump” like manner. An Osteopath is also trained in “manipulation” of vertebrae. Manipulation is regarded as a “long-lever” movement that releases many articulations at once. Osteopathy is a well known system of naturally removing symptoms, but not the root cause. It must be mentioned that in many countries, both Chiropractic and Osteopathy have practitioners that will study methods of both professions on their own accord to learn more. This information is a very basic explanation of two very complex sciences.
Chiropractic sessions will vary depending on each unique Doctor of Chiropractic and their training. The initial chiropractic consultation and treatment using the Quantum Alignement Technique will, on average, last one and a half to two hours long for an adult. For a newborn, infant or child up to 11 years the session will last on an average of one hour.

All following visits for adults, are on average an hour long, and 30 minutes for children under 11 years of age. Sessions will vary based on the severity of the ailment and the need of supplementary information such as nutritional counseling.
A Chiropractic Doctor will ask questions concerning the reason for your visit. The goal is to identify the cause as to why your body is producing your signs or symptoms. Once this subjective evaluation is noted, your Doctor of Chiropractic will take an objective viewpoint to search for any underlying problems that may have gone unnoticed up to the time of the appointment. An assessment by your Chiropractor will be established as to how to treat your condition.

A plan is then decided as to what is the course and methods most effective in resolving the issue as quickly and efficiently as possible while maintaining the highest quality of care. The techniques or methods used by your Doctor of Chiropractic can be varied and unique to your Chiropractor's training.

It may involve one single type of technique or a mixture of multiple methods. The techniques may range from soft tissue work, gentle enough for a newborn baby, all the way up to traditional adjusting methods that are often desired and more beneficial for those physically dynamic patients.

Yes. Doctors of Chiropractic have been treating babies since chiropractic began. Many Doctors of Chiropractic are asked to be present at the birth of a child in order to immediately restore any
misalignments or stresses that may accompany birth trauma. A baby will usually respond much more quickly due to not being exposed to numerous health problems or traumatic experiences accumulated
over time, as with adults.

It has been well known throughout chiropractic history, the benefits to pregnant women with chiropractic care. A woman's body is very sensitive and responsive during pregnancy, and this is why
chiropractic is very beneficial with the most subtle of efforts. It is well known that pregnant women that use chiropractic care throughout the entire pregnancy have little to no complications with the pregnancy or birth of the baby. The reduction in the duration of labor is one of the most obvious, and satisfactorily, benefits with chiropractic care during pregnancy.

There comes a point toward the later part of our lives when the body's vitality has diminished with time. Other than massive amounts of medication, there are very few things that can be done to help elderly people. A Doctor of Chiropractic is one of the few primary healthcare professions that can provide help. A skilled Doctor of Chiropractic can help maintain the healing capacity of a person's body by identifying and eliminating interference to the nervous system. By doing this with precise methods, the body with its multiple organs, hormones, and regeneration abilities can continue to produce positive results. 

The number of visits to your Doctor of Chiropractic depends on how serious the problem is, how long it has existed, the age of the patient and most importantly.....the participation of the patient with the treatment process. Each patient is unique with their life experience and how it was interpreted by the body. The is where the skill of your Doctor of Chiropractic will be most obvious, due to their ability to identify and assess the cause of the problem and present an effective treatment plan.

In most cases, Doctors of Chiropractic do not prescribe medication, nor do they want to. There are a few states in America that do allow Doctors of Chiropractic to prescribe “class C” medications. The general philosophy of Doctors of Chiropractic is that medication does not address the cause of the problem. It treats only the symptoms. Medication helps the patient feel more comfortable with the symptoms, but it does not heal the body. Life is what created the body and only life can heal the body. If a patient chooses to use medication, it is important that they also make efforts to bring more life to the body to correct the cause so the body can restore health while taking the medication. 

WHAT ILLNESSES DO DOCTORS OF CHIROPRACTIC TREAT?

Doctors of Chiropractic do not treat illnesses, they treat the person. The illness is the effect of the root problem, the symptom. All diseases are, in reality, a consequence to an underlying problem. Every illness is produced by lifestyle choices. What people eat, do, say and think create a unique effect to their body and their life. Doctors of Chiropractic have the job of identifying what these conflicts are in the choices made, and make the necessary adjustments to remove this interference so the body recreates
a healthy balance with life.

It is very popular to simply take a pain reliever to “mask” the pain of the headache. Doctors of Chiropractic do not want to hide the problem or create another problem so this one goes unnoticed,
such as with secondary side effects. Headaches can be cause from many things from physical, chemical, nutritional, dehydration or a cervical vertebral subluxation. A Doctor of Chiropractic is trained to identify what is the cause and provide professional advice and treatment to eliminate the cause of the headache.

Doctors of Chiropractic are taught, during their education, the most current information on nutritional issues. Many Doctors of Chiropractic seek further nutritional education during and after their degree. Medical Doctors receive anywhere from zero to three credited hours of nutritional education in medical school. If a Medical Doctor has increased nutritional training, it was obtained outside the medical curriculum. 

Fertility and sterility problems has become epidemic throughout the western world. Doctors of
Chiropractic will search for the cause as to why one or both people of the couple are unable to
reproduce. Some of the more common causes involve hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies,
insufficient nerve supply to reproductive organs and/or trauma related stress. Dr. Plaster has a great
amount of success in this subject matter.

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