The Back Bone's Connected to ... Everything

Perhaps one of the most dangerous developments in modern health care is to look at parts of the body or individual body systems without the context of the whole body.  Too often when a patient has a symptom it is viewed as an isolated element.  The reality of the matter is that the body was created as a single whole unit.  No part can function effectively without the other parts functioning.  The implication is also true that when one part is not functioning the whole cannot function either.

A headache is a good example of this.  A pill may reduce the pain, but it won't fix the cause.  Does a headache mean there is a problem in the head?  It can, but it can also mean there are problems elsewhere in the body or even outside the body.  Food allergies produce headaches.  So if the digestive system is ignored the real cause of the headache won't be determined.  As far removed from the head as the feet are, chronic foot pronation can cause headaches.  Altered gait produces a chain of events during walking that causes abnormal muscle pull on the head and headaches.  Vertebral subluxations in the neck and upper back have been shown to frequently cause headaches.  It is common knowledge that stress, allergens, and sleep disturbances can also cause headaches.  These things are all originate outside the body and if the focus is limited to the head, the cause of the headache will never be determined.  Consequently, there can be no prevention or proper management of the headache.

Headaches provide a ready example of how the body functions as a unit, but the same is true for every symptom.  Stomach aches are not necessarily the result of a sick stomach.  They are simply a sign that the body is not working properly.  A cold indicates that a virus is stressing the body, but why isn't the body strong enough to fight that virus?  Pain in the hip can be the caused by a vertebral subluxation in the back.  These examples are just a smattering of the many possibilities.

When a person has symptoms, it is simply a case of the body not functioning properly.  The body must be looked at as a whole to determine the root problem.  One part cannot be separated from the other parts if the body is to be truly healthy. That's why chiropractors look at the body as a whole unit.   Everything's connected to everything else.  This is particularly true of the spine.  Nerves exiting the spine go directly to every part of the body.  A healthy spine is a key component to a healthy body.