The first chiropractic adjustment was given on September 27, 1898, by Daniel David Palmer (known to the profession as D.D.). The recipient was a man named Harvey Lillard. On that day, the chiropractic profession was born.

In 1979, a book titled, "Diet and Nutrition; a Holistic Approach" combined ancient wisdom with the latest scientific research in the field of nutrition. Its author, Dr. Rudolph Ballentine, said it was written to give "a holistic and comprehensive overview of the field, to bring together some insights of the East with the science of the West." Dr. Ballentine's work spearheaded a nutritional revolution.

Today, this article comes to you from the Center for Nutrition and  Wellness. However, I often speak about a second wing of my office here on Layfield Road. I'd like to explain why the Center for Nutrition and Wellness is so closely connected to that second office, Upper Perk Chiropractic Center.

CHIROPRACTIC APPROACH

While D.D. Palmer was the discoverer of the chiropractic profession, his son B.J. (Bartlett Joshua) Palmer developed it further, and his son David Palmer advanced its educational aspect.

D.D. administered the first adjustment to correct a malady caused by what is called a “subluxation.” The “vertebral subluxation complex” (VSC), as it has been known since then, is a complex of components. They include a fixation or locking of a joint, specifically in the spine. Along with the resulting immobility, there arises an irritation of various nerve components of that joint.

These nerves may include the intervertebral nerves that exit between the vertebrae as these specific nerves branch off the spinal cord, which is an extension of nerve fibers from the brain. Other nerves, including those in the joint itself, then return information to the brain and give feedback signals about such things as position, balance, and noxious stimuli such as heat, cold and irritation of the skin. These signals may include pain signals as well as balance and positional input to the brain.

Other secondary components to the subluxation complex include inflammation in various individual joints that make up the spinal column joint. You see, each articulation or motion segment in the spinal column contains multiple joints. For example, the disc is just one joint in the complex of a vertebral joint. We also have the gliding joints at the back of the spine, which allow the joints to move smoothly in various planes of motion. These are referred to as “zygapophyseal joints” or “facet joints.”

The subluxation complex, along with the inflammatory component of the nerves and joints, includes a tightening of muscles, known as spasm. This is often a protective process stimulated by the body to restrict our motion and assist in avoiding further damage and irritation to the joint.

But what causes these vertebral subluxation complexes to occur? Well, the common thought is that trauma is the only cause. And while there is truth in this assumption, trauma is not, in fact the only cause.

D.D. noted early on that multiple things caused subluxation. He professed that there were actually three reasons why a person would develop a subluxation. The first was, in fact the physical cause, which would include trauma. The two others were “chemical, and emotional causes.” And this is where the “4 Pillars of Health” I commonly refer to comes in.

The “chemical component” of the VSC includes not only toxicity in the body but also nutritional deficiency (“Eat Right”). The “emotional component” incorporates stress (“Think Right” and "Sleep Right”). Then there is the obvious “trauma component” (“Move Right”). This is how we come to our 4 Pillars of Health paradigm.

Part of the reason I started the nutrition and lifestyle practice here at the Center for Nutrition and Wellness is that I wanted to combat not only the ultimate end product (i.e., the symptom) of these contributors to the subluxation complex, but also to assist patients in their quest to live a longer, healthier life.

NUTRITIONAL APPROACH

So, let’s look at each of these “stressors” on the body individually, and how they impact on the VSC as well as your overall health. My statements about this topic are based on both research and 40 years of personal clinical experience.

The chemical component of the VSC, as I noted, includes the toxic materials that we ingest, inhale, and put on our bodies. An example is not eating correctly and consuming a grain-based, inflammatory diet, which also causes weight gain. The weight causes extra stress on the body’s frame; the inflammation causes irritation of the joints and nerves.

Such a toxic overload can also potentially cause increased inflammation and irritation of internal organ systems like the liver and kidney as well as the joints and nerves, which can alter and impede the function of the joints in the body, particularly the spine.

The emotional component of the VSC ultimately comes down to the stress response. As those who have attended our Crave Clinic can attest, the stress response causes many physiological changes such as increased total cholesterol levels, increased blood pressure and heart rate, as well as a reduction in sex hormone production. However, stress also causes problems with sleep and can cause fatigue and muscle contraction and spasm as a result. This too can negatively alter joint mobility and function.

By releasing these “pressures” on the spinal joints and the nervous system, a chiropractic vertebral adjustment can and does reduce vertebral immobility. It also reduces nerve joint receptor irritation, thereby reducing stress on the joints, muscles, and nerves. Further, by correcting some of the other stressors on the system–whether they be nutritional or lifestyle stressors–we can work toward correcting the other causes of the problem.

MY INSPIRATION

After I graduated from undergraduate school with a Bachelor of Science degree in premedicine/biology, through a series of events which I will not get into here, I decided that the medical profession at the time was never going to allow me to incorporate the natural therapies and techniques that interested me in the way that I wanted. I felt then, and continue to believe, that the combined techniques of chiropractic and nutrition would be the best for my patients.

A Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) is able to incorporate the natural techniques and nutritional components that would later develop into the 4 Pillars of Health. These techniques have helped countless individuals through my practice, my writing, and now with even further reach, through our social media posts. 

I trust that this information helps you understand the holistic concept of health and wellness that we profess here at both the Center for Nutrition and Wellness and the Upper Perk Chiropractic Center.

Dr. Pfeiffer