Spinal Tarter

What chiropractors can do for you is not magic or woo-woo. The 100 or so joints in the spine (including the rib heads) , get stuck , or to use the dental image, covered in tarter. The adjustment/treatment given by a chiropractor aids in freeing up those segments that are fixated/ hypo mobile/ stuck/ subluxated, call it what you will. If the spinal joints (as well as the other joints of the body) are restricted for long enough then problems will arise in time. What usually sends a person to a doctor is pain. Often enough, pain shows up after the body has done everything it can to compensate for the situation . That's when the problem, whether it's your teeth,spine,heart or whatever demands attention. When in the throes of the pain people can make drastic choices in an effort to get relief. This is one time I can appreciate drugs which allow a person to get some relief. If ice ,bromelain , DMSO and, of course ,rest don't offer relief, then it may be time for a pain killer ( I would not suggest a muscle relaxer or anti-inflammatory as those tend to inhibit healing). In an ideal world people would be able to get preventative care in an affordable and convenient way. Even more important , people would realize that their health is up to them and would actively seek to be healthy (stretching for the spine/ flossing for the teeth/good nutrition from food and supplements ).
As it is set up now ,our medical system is geared for trauma and problems which have been ignored for a long time. Prevention is indeed the best solution , but people have to choose it. Even then ,the amount of info that has to be sorted through is enormous. To often in natural medicine there is one magic pill or herb or acupuncture point that is the cure for a myriad of problems or else there is a whole gang of things to use for each "disease"(try googling one of your health situations on the computer ). My advice is to start on a basic program of a good diet ( more egg/ less biscuit ) and a good multiple with enough minerals. From there add nutrients and treatments as need ed to your life. Good health does not have to be a mystery or expensive. It does require common sense and a personal responsibility.
Thanx for reading. Next time I'd like to talk about cancer and the options from natural medicine. Remember your body wants to heal , give it a helping hand and get the tarter cleaned from your spine.
Ezra Edgerton, DC

PS Vote for Ron Paul

Chiropractic and the Future of Medicine

Chiropractic and old style Osteopathy have been around officially in the states since the late 1800's. There are records of bonesetters in Europe and spinal treatments in China for thousands of years. Allowing for the skills / knowledge needed to diagnosis and treat the joints of the body (especially the spine ), the basic premise of chiropractic is that stuck/fixated/hypomobile joints result in soft tissue (muscles/ligaments/tissue ) problems which ultimately results in some form of nerve complaint (pain/ numbness/ weakness ) which is what usually brings patients for their first chiropractic visit. Although much more important than the teeth ( which are very important ), the spine is often overlooked for regular care until pain forces the person to deal with it (the teeth and spine ).
In the world tomorrow , people will have their spines checked at least as often as they get their hair cut or oil changed in their vehicle. There will be more consistent agreement on what is and what is not good for you (diet for example and the need for surgery ). I feature that people will be more educated to what their responsibilities are to aid and abet their own healing. But until then ya'll have to seek harder to make sense out of what is available.
Find a chiropractor you can work with. There are different ways to get more motion in a stuck spine. Some Chiropractors use hand held devices which deliver multiple thrusts in the fixated area. Most all chiropractors learned how to use their hands (chiro means "hand" ). Each adjustment is suited to the patient at the time. As a rule most chiropractors know how to use low force treatments as needed when an area is inflamed or the patient is elderly, young or fragile. The deal with chiropractors is that each one has a range of styles that is unique to them. Some chiropractors only treat the spine (like dentist only treat the teeth ), other chiropractors are more like general practitioners in natural medicine and would be aware of alternatives to drugs and surgeries. Depending on what you are looking for, seek out a DC that meet your needs. I am of the second category and try to figure out the story about how the patient came to have the problem/s in the first place. It's there I want to apply the treatment .
Thanx for reading this and as always eat more eggs and less biscuit

Ezra Edgerton, DC

Don't Let A Magic Bullet Shoot You In The Foot

I also wish there was a single pill I could take that would solve all my problems ( although I could make the case that an egg is a perfect "pill" ). The truth of the matter is that all prescription drugs have multiple effects, some desired , some not. Unless your talking about trauma that happened at a particular time and place, all health problems are the result of many things over time. What we call disease is mostly the body trying ( often against great self created obstacles) to heal itself. Often enough inflammation is considered the enemy, whereas this is how the body heals itself. If you are satisfied with the results you are getting from the choices you are making, then by all means continue , if you think the body is meant to be self healing and would like to know how to aid and abet it then seek to educate yourself about natural medicine.
Although I love natural medicine and am knowledgeable about it, I realize that there is a lot of malarkey out there. My advice is start with some basic things which can only help. There are loads of websites ( my favorite is MERCOLA.com ). Learn how to breathe deeply, be aware of what's going on around you and realize you have choices. Find a health coach who can give some pointers on where to start and how to get going. Realize that eggs are GOD's magic bullet and eat more of them. Margarine , high fructose corn syrup, food boiled in oil and soybean anything is bad for you.
Finally , here's some advice on returning to health: Be patient, Look inside for the cure, Take responsibility, Be systematic, Expect some frustration, Stay with the plan. You have to want to/choose to/ try to in order to change anything, especially your health. Thanx for reading. Next time I want to talk about chiropractic. Ezra Edgerton, DC