Understanding the body
Chiropractic – Nervous System and Energy System
In 1895, when D.D. Palmer developed chiropractic care, the nervous system was considered a mysterious and largely uncharted network. His initial goal was to realign misaligned vertebrae. However, he soon discovered that applying pressure on the spine could positively influence distant body parts, leading to his patients feeling more comfortable, flexible, and overall healthier.
Conventional Western medicine struggled to explain the evident benefits of chiropractic practices, prompting D.D. Palmer and his son to seek answers within Eastern medical traditions.
The profound impact of chiropractic care emerges from the synthesis of two philosophical and medical traditions, offering a complementary understanding of the human body.
Two Ways of Understanding the Body
The approach to the body within Far Eastern medicine and philosophy diverges significantly from the basic assumptions underlying the Western perspective. It is less centred around anatomical studies and instead focuses more on an individual’s self-awareness of their body and the introspective observations of effects produced by practices like yoga, meditation and herbs––among many others––as well as their interconnection with body, mind, and consciousness. Phenomena are commonly described based on their effect or outcome. Consequently, detail-focused comprehension of the exact anatomical structures that cause a specific effect is not always deemed as essential in this philosophy.
D.D. Palmer was likely fascinated by the yogic concept of the body’s energy system, which could be understood as an energetic counterpart to the nervous system. Millennia before Western medicine acknowledged the brain and spinal cord as central to our physiology, yogis had recognized the significance of energy flow along the spine, linking so-called chakras, or energy centres, believed to be vital for our overall sense of wellbeing.
Palmer attributed the success of chiropractic care to the inherent energy within every living being. Health, he proposed, is ensured by the unobstructed flow of this energy. Conversely, blockages, especially along the spine, disrupt this flow and lead to disease. This also explains why chiropractic care places a considerable emphasis on this specific region.
Energy System and Modern Medicine
Today, we know that the nervous system communicates through electrical signals. Given the large number of signals that are passing through the brain and spinal cord every second, we can therefore now say that energy flows through the spine, even from a conventional medical standpoint.
Numerous seasoned chiropractors contend that the benefits of chiropractic care extend beyond muscle, nerve, and joint interactions.
The profound impact of chiropractic care emerges from the synthesis of two philosophical and medical traditions, offering a complementary understanding of the human body.
Thus, chiropractic treatment employs mechanical manipulations that deeply affect both the physical structures and the energy system of the body. This holistic approach fosters comprehensive and enduring improvements to human health on all levels.
