Advantages of Chiropractic Care: An Interview with Dr. Swarthout

Q: What is chiropractic?

A: There are numerous paradigms in chiropractic. Most basically, the concept is that the body knows how to heal itself. However, accidents, injuries, stress, and lack of proper nutrition can hinder the body's innate healing process. Chiropractic adjustments, which release subluxations in the joints, aim to re-open the body's own healing capacities, release tension and restore motion. In chiropractic a "subluxation" refers to a joint that has abnormal motion or a lack of motion. One way this might be experienced is as a stiff neck.

Where there is a lack of motion in a region, there is a decreased function of the joint. This inhibits stimulation of specific receptors known as "mechanoreceptors." Mechanoreceptors are important communicators in our nervous systems. They reside within joints, muscles, blood vessels and body fascia, but they are most prevalent in the region of the spinal column. Through chiropractic we can change the frequency of stimulation of the mechanoreceptors. So, by stimulating these in specific ways, we can send a quantum signal to the brain, which causes specific reactions in the body. For example, we can inhibit pain, increase muscle strength as well as improve balance, vision, digestion and blood pressure.

Q: How is a visit to your office unique from most chiropractors?

A: Many chiropractors stop at the point of releasing spinal subluxations, practicing primarily from a structural paradigm. Their typical office visits are very brief and are comprised of spinal and sometimes extremity adjustments.

While I do perform a full range of chiropractic adjustments, I assess a patient's needs and follow a protocol that considers his or her neurological, nutritional and emotional condition in addition to any structural imbalance.

For instance, injuries, stress and insufficient sleep can cause one's adrenal glands to function inadequately. The adrenals aid in the synthesis of collagen and inhibit the breakdown of protein, elements essential to the healing of muscle tissue. Through nutrition we can support proper functioning of the adrenal glands and thus aid and speed the healing process.

Q: What can I expect from an initial exam?

A: I perform a very thorough initial exam that can take up to one hour. This is all about gathering information. Using a variety of diagnostics, I scan for structural and neurological, digestive and other irregularities. For instance, one series of diagnostics includes evaluating the equivocalness of the left and right sides of the body in everything from nerve sensitivity to taste, hearing, vision, balance and gait. This aspect of the examination provides me with objective information that the body itself displays.

The other aspect of the examination is more subjective. It involves listening to patients' history and the nature of their symptoms. During this time patients often describe the onset and nature of an injury or pain; share past experiences in attempting to treat the condition; or share any environmental or emotional factors that they believe may be playing a role in their present state of health.

Q: What is the "art" of chiropractic?

A: Chiropractic is a modern science, but it taps into ancient healing paradigms. In this sense it is holistic and requires a doctor to be attentive and attune to the body's language.

The art of chiropractic, in my opinion, is learning to read the body's language. It speaks to us via symptoms that point to imbalances within its systems. In the best case scenario, one listens and attends to these signals before they reach a disease state and require drastic intervention such as surgery or drugs, which are normally accompanied by undesirable side effects.