Chiropractic Care is Based on
Vitalistic Philosophy
Ancient Egyptians and Greeks knew of the body’s continual striving to
heal itself. During the Renaissance, learned men theorized of "vital forces" within
the body that helped it resist disease. The "vital force" they spoke
of is what chiropractors refer to as the body’s innate intelligence.
Chiropractic is based on a vitalistic philosophy that recognizes that there
is an innate intelligence that uses the brain and nerve system to control and
maintain the body in health. Interference to the nerve system can lead to a
change in health most easily seen as disease or loss of function. But more than
that, this interference can affect performance on multiple levels, some easily
observed and others more subtle.
The arrows in the Sherman College of Chiropractic logo visually illustrate the idea that health comes from above-down, inside-out (ADIO), which is key to the vitalistic philosophy of chiropractic.
Why Chiropractic focuses on the Role of the Spine
The body’s functions are controlled through the brain and nerve system
by thousands of messages sent every second to each organ, tissue and cell within
the body. The spinal cord is the road over which these messages travel.
D. D. Palmer discovered that the bones of the spine (vertebrae) can, if misaligned, put pressure on the cord and small spinal nerves. This pressure distorts and blocks information coming from the brain. Ultimately, these misalignments, or vertebral subluxations, that disrupt nervous system communication lessen the body’s ability to function and heal itself.
