Guest post by Keith Wassung, Chiropractic Patient Advocate
Picture a man on trial for a serious crime. The police have various pieces of evidence- motive, forensics, and witnesses, none of which by themselves will convict the man or else they could have gotten him to confess.
Bear in mind that the jury is not coming into the trial with a neutral open mind—not a chance—he is presumed innocent and it is up to the District Attorney to prove the case.
When the prosecutor presents the case—they do not simply recite a laundry list of evidence……they very carefully tell a story consisting of all of the evidence in logical sequential manner. They began with indisputable truths (“Mr. Defendant, are you in fact employed as a truck driver”?) and then slowly add other truths to that foundation, and then they add the evidence, all of it tied together and bit by bit, the jury begins to see the truth and at the end of the day. He is found guilty (well in most cases).
Presenting the Chiropractic story to your family and friends is very similar. You cannot assume they have a neutral mind. You prove your case by telling a logical orderly story beginning with known truths as your foundation. This is why Chiropractic cannot be told in “bits and pieces” or with clichés. It is why we offer our New Member Orientation to the public, so they can actually learn about Chiropractic.
One of the most important aspects of the healing story is the role of symptoms in healing and especially the development of the immune system.
There are over 5,000 known health care systems in the world and virtually all of them have as their primary objective—the relief of symptoms. And virtually all of them accomplish this objective NOT by improving health—but by destroying it—by changing, suppressing, masking, or altering the inherent natural healing systems of the body. (This includes a lot of so called “natural systems”).
Chiropractic (when used correctly) does not seek to inhibit healing, but rather to FACILITATE healing by restoring normal nerve function via the detection and correction of subluxations.
This chart is from a standard anatomy and physiology textbook. You can find a similar chart in ANY A/P textbook in the world. It shows the sequence of events during tissue injury healing. Read the chart carefully, why do the arterioles dilate and why do the capillaries lead protein rich fluid? What is leukocytosis and why is it important?
As this chart clearly shows, symptoms, ALL SYMPTOMS are either a part of or a direct result of the normal, natural healing process.
“Inflammation is one of the most important mechanisms of defense since it marshals the attack on the injurious agent and leads to repair of the affected tissue.” – The Cell Biology of Inflammation
This means you can NEVER improve health or resolve a specific health condition—by chasing and eliminating the symptom. It’s why we do not diagnose or treat any symptom or condition.
Though the chart does not illustrate it, it is the Nerve system which controls and coordinates every aspect of the process and without a proper nerve supply—the process will never be completed (which can often be a contributing factor in chronic “-itis” conditions.)
Think of a saxophone player in a symphony orchestra—it is not enough for them to play their one piece with precision—they must do so in coordination with two-hundred other musicians—in order to achieve perfect harmony.
Multiply that by a complexity of about 10 billion and you will see how the nerve system does not JUST control but also coordinates the timing and sequence of all of the biological events in the human body.
You will find that if you are able to explain the role of symptoms in the healing process—before you discuss subluxation—it will change the way your friends and family look at Chiropractic.
Feel free to offer them more information from us regarding how Chiropractic can help them. There is no obligation. Also, feel free to invite them to our next Orientation, weekdays at 11 AM and 6 PM, and Saturdays at 11 AM.
