What is Chiropractic Care?

Chiropractors are primary care health providers that you do not need another doctor’s referral to see. They use non-invasive techniques and procedures to correct spinal misalignments. Chiropractic care is effective, safe and can help with myriad of medical issues. Chiropractors do not use drugs or surgery, but they do utilize safe and gentle procedures to correct subluxations, or spinal misalignments.

How do spinal misalignments occur?

The #1 cause of spinal misalignments is the birthing process. Just think about what a woman’s body goes through during that joyous occasion. The baby is transferred from a non-gravity environment inside the womb to the gravity outside. Whether the child is born “naturally,” via underwater birthing, or through Caesarean birth (C-section) it still goes through this same process. What’s worse is that some children are brought into this world through the use of forceps or suction delivery. Their skulls or bodies are pushed to the limit just to come out of the birth canal. This birthing experience impacts both mother and child.

Spinal misalignments can also occur from sports, work-related stress, and auto injuries as well as sitting, sleeping, and work habits.

The biggest issue is that spinal misalignments may not cause obvious pain, so you could go on through your daily routine not knowing that damage has occurred. This is where the Central Nervous System comes into play. Our nerves allow us to feel sensations such as pain. If the bones of the spine become misaligned, vital nerve flow is blocked. The sensations from the nerves will not get where they are supposed to go, blocking the feeling of pain. Numbness and tingling are also potential results of spinal misalignments. Think of a cavity, it could be there for some time, but might not feel any pain until that particular nerve is jarred.

A spinal misalignment is also referred to as a “subluxation.” Dr. Gilenson’s role, as your health provider, is to analyze, detect, and correct these subluxations. In order to accomplish this, he will take a thorough history of your previous conditions and injuries, and then perform a chiropractic examination. This includes a thorough assessment of the specific spinal alignment, range of motion tests, postural assessment, and a review of previous x-rays, if available. Other diagnostic studies and X-rays may be ordered at that team if necessary.

Dr. Gilenson will address your specific symptoms and your overall health, but based on the nervous system’s control of the physiology, his approach is to determine the integrity of the nervous system and get to the root of any interference that is contributing to or causing the problem. This may involve a referral to another care provider at times if necessary. The health of our patients is our priority and Dr. Gilenson requires that all avenues are addressed when it comes to the health of our patients.

The Central Nervous System

The human body must always be in balance. Chemicals are made and distributed throughout so that you can fall asleep, digest food, recover from illness, heal a wound, nurse an infant, control your blood pressure, control your blood sugar, regulate your thyroid hormones, think, walk, talk, concentrate, remember… basically, all of the body’s functions!

These chemical changes occur in the body at an astounding rate. It is when these chemical changes do not occur at the proper time, place or amount needed that sickness can occur. It can result in low resistance to disease, lack of healing, or minimal or no response to traditional treatments for your condition. A patient may still be able to perform regular work and maintain some activity despite these symptoms appearing. Think of it this way, your body is like a computer. It keeps track of everything that occurs inside it. Any illness creates a physiological imprint in your body until it is dealt with.

The human body can also work like its own internal pharmacy. Everything needed to regulate the functions of the body are actually made right there within the body! When the body creates the right chemicals at the right time and in the right area of the body, chemical balance and peak performance is possible.

The Central Nervous System is the “Master Conductor” of the human body’s orchestra. It controls and coordinates the physiology throughout your system. Like members of an orchestra, each gland in the body must work in harmony with the others. Imagine how an orchestra would play if there was no conductor. The music would not make sense and the harmony would be out of balance. If the nervous system is not able to harmonize the chemistry, illness and poor health can occur.

The nervous system also controls the immune system. The nerves that exit the spinal bones go to the glands of the body that produce the body chemistry. When the spinal bones become misaligned, abnormal body chemistry and physiology can result. The immune system becomes weakened producing pain and disease. This is where chiropractic care comes in. Dr. Gilsenson can help keep the bones of your spine aligned, and thus your nervous system in proper balance.

If you have any questions about our services, please contact us today at (770) 232-9483.