When most people think about chiropractic care, the first image that comes to mind is the spinal adjustment for treating back or neck pain. While it is certainly true that the spinal adjustment is the basis of chiropractic care, there is much more beyond just addressing neck or back pain with a spinal adjustment. In fact, there is a full spectrum of chiropractic care that can actually help prevent a wide range of diseases.

Dr. Nathen Horst believes that chiropractic care should be seen as preventive, ongoing care to help ward off illness. How can chiropractic care do this, and what can be done beyond just the spinal adjustment to help prevent disease?

The Spinal Adjustment

All chiropractic care starts with the spine. This is because D.D. Palmer, considered to be the father of modern chiropractic, believed that all disease was rooted in misalignment of the vertebrae of the spine. In essence, if the vertebrae became misaligned, they would place pressure on the peripheral nerves leading in and out of the central nervous system housed in the spinal column. This would then interfere with proper signaling between the brain and the various organs and muscles of the body, which could then lead to disease because the organs or muscles may not properly function.

A good example of this is chronic migraine headaches, which would be caused by misaligned vertebrae in the cervical spine (the first seven vertebrae leading out of the skull, labeled C1 – C7) placing pressure on the nerves that transmit pain signals to and from the part of the brain that governs pain sensation in the form of migraines. Dr. Horst would address this with a spinal adjustment to ease the cervical vertebrae back into proper alignment, thereby relieving pressure and reducing or stopping the chronic migraine headaches.

Beyond the Spinal Adjustment

Dr. Horst believes that preventive chiropractic care should go beyond just the spinal adjustment. This type of chiropractic care should include a well rounded package that not only starts his patients on the track to a wellness lifestyle that can prevent disease, but gives them the tools to maintain that lifestyle themselves. Components of this wellness lifestyle should include:

• Proper nutrition: We all know that we should eat better, but what does that really mean? Will a vegan or a paleo diet provide proper nutrition? What supplements should be added to the diet? Dr. Horst can help you figure out how to make sure you are getting the most of what you need nutritionally from your diet.
• Exercise: Proper nutrition is only one part of a disease-prevention wellness lifestyle. The other part includes regular exercise. Numerous studies have shown that regular exercise, even just moderate exercise for 20 to 30 minutes three times a week, can reduce the risk of developing cardiac disease, high blood pressure, or hypertension. It can also offset the pain and stiffness of arthritis in the knee and ankle joints. Dr. Horst specializes in a particular type of joint manipulation called Active Release Technique (ART), which is specifically designed to treat musculoskeletal issues that can be particularly troublesome for athletes.
• Weight loss: If your disease-prevention goals include weight loss, chiropractic care can be an excellent way to help with that. One major part of weight loss includes being able to properly keep a balance between your caloric intake and the calories you burn off by exercising. If you are not losing enough weight, despite exercise and a low-fat diet, your rate of metabolism may be too low. Incorporating spinal adjustments may help improve your metabolic rate, thus helping you reach your weight loss goals that much faster.

While it is true that chiropractic care will always have the spinal adjustment at the core of its philosophy, there are now a myriad of other treatments that it can offer as preventive care against any number of diseases. Dr. Horst can get you started on a wellness lifestyle plan that will benefit you for years to come.