Terry A. Rondberg, D.C.

the evolution of CHIROPRACTIC


TerryA.Rondberg,D.C. 2683ViadelaValle SuiteG629 DelMar,CA92014 Copyright2011byTerryA.Rondberg Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookorsitemayberepro ducedorredistributedinanyformorbyanyelectronicor mechanicalmeans,includinginformationstorageandretriev alsystems,withoutpermissioninwritingfromTerryA.Rond berg,D.C.,exceptbyareviewerwhomayquotebriefpassag esinareview. Theauthorofthisbookdoesnotdispensemedicaladviceor suggesttheuseofanytechniqueasaformoftreatmentfor physical,emotional,ormedicalproblemswithouttheadvice ofaqualifiedwellnessprofessional,eitherdirectlyorindirect ly.Intheeventyouuseanyoftheinformationinthisbook, theauthorandthepublisherassumenoresponsibilityfor youractions.Theauthorandpublisherareinnowayliable foranymisuseofthematerial. Firstedition2011 10987654321 ISBN10:0615561330 ISBN13:9780615561332

Abouttheauthor

Fewwellnesspracti tionersandauthors havehadasprofound animpactonthechiro practicprofessionas TerryA.Rondberg,D.C. Duringhis30+years workinginandforthe chiropracticcommunity, hesbeencalledevery thingfromthemodern dayBJPalmertothe mostdangerousmanin chiropractic. Respectedbysupportersandfearedbyopponents, hislifehasbeendedicatedtosafeguardingevery personsrighttochoosenonmedicalwellnessap proachesfortheirhealthcare.Throughacommu nicationnetworkthathasreachedtoallcornersof theworld,hehascommunicated,withpassion,the fundamentalpreceptsofchiropracticasadrug free,noninvasive,andvitalisticwellnessdiscipline.

Dr.Rondberghaswrittenandfoughtagainstthose criticswhoveattemptedeithertocategorizechi ropracticasatherapyforbackpainortoeliminate italtogetherasaseparateanddistinctprofession. Hesseenchiropracticevolvefromanenergybased systemfocusedonimprovingtotalneurological functiontoamedicalizedsubsetofphysicalthera pyandbackagaintoitsrootsasanart,science, andphilosophyofbeingthattranscendsthelim itsoftraditionalideasofdiseasecare.Morethana passivespectator,hesbeenadrivingforceforthe returnofchiropractictothoseroots,andisnow leadingthewaytoevengreaterexpansionofthe professionbypositioningitasthekeyelementina wellnessparadigmthatembracesphysical,mental, emotional,environmental,andevenspiritualwell being. AfterhisgraduationfromLoganCollegeofChiro practic,Dr.Rondbergbuiltsuccessfulprivateprac ticesinSt.LouisandPhoenix.Hewasnotedforhis emphasisonpublicandpatienteducationaswell ashisinnovativebusinessprocedures.

In1986,Dr.Rondbergbeganpublishingwhathas becomeoneoftheleadingmonthlychiropractic newspapersTheChiropracticJournalwitha worldwidereadershipofmorethan70,000.Inan nouncingitslaunch,hestated:TheJournalwas bornoutofabeliefthatmembersofthechiroprac ticprofessionneed,wantanddeserveareliable, crediblesourceofnewsandinformationrelatingto ourprofession.Wewantanewspaperthatwillre spectourintelligencebybringingusthefactsrelat ingtoimportanteventsgoingonintheassocia tions,courts,legislativehalls,collegesandother placeswhereourfutureandthefutureofourpro fessionisbeingdetermined. Hewentontosay:Chiropracticisawonderful professionpracticedbymanyfinemenandwom en.Wehopetobringanabundanceofgoodnews ofitsaccomplishmentsandthoseofindividual doctors.Wetrustinuniversalprinciples.Webe lievethemembersofthisprofession,ofwhatever schoolofthought,possessmuchwisdom,honesty anddedication,butdonothaveacorneronthose orothervirtues.

Today,TheChiropracticJournalremainstheprima rysourceofinformationonaffirmativeactivities withintheprofession,includingglobalhumanita rianefforts,individualachievements,andpositive mediacoverage. Dr.RondbergalsofoundedandpublishedtheJour nalofVertebralSubluxationResearch(nowthe JournalofSubluxationResearch),apeerreviewed scientificjournalpublishingoriginalresearchonthe impactofsubluxationonhumanneurologicfunc tion. In1989,Dr.RondbergestablishedtheWorldChi ropracticAllianceasaninternationalprofessional organization,creatingaglobalnetworkofcontacts andresources.Usinghighlyrefinedmotivational methods,athoroughknowledgeofelectronic communication,andexceptionalorganizational talents,heguidedthegroupfromitsearlieststages throughitspresentstatusasamajorassociation recognizedasanNGO(NonGovernmentalOrgani zation)withthePublicInformationOfficeofthe UnitedNations,withmembersonfivecontinents.

Duringthecourseofhiscareer,atcriticaljunctures Dr.Rondberghasbeenintenselyinvolvedinthe politicalprocessonboththestateandnationalle vels.ThroughhisworkinWashington,D.C.,he formedproductiverelationshipswithnumerous Senators,Representatives,andothergovernment officials,aswellastoplobbyists.Demonstratinga keenunderstandingofthepoliticalprocess,hewas instrumentalinthepassageofamajorpieceofleg islationthatwassignedbyPresidentGeorgeW. Bushin2001,aswellasseveralotherbillsandgov ernmentactions.HealsoservedontheDepart mentofDefenseChiropracticAdvisoryCommittee tohelpestablishtheprotocolformakingchiroprac ticservicesavailabletoactivedutymilitaryperson nel. Overthepastdecade,Dr.Rondberghaswritten andpublishedthreehighlyacclaimedbooksthat havesoldmorethanhalfamillioncopiesthrough outtheworld,generatingwidespreadpublicity alongwithareliablesourceofrevenue.Asought afterspeakeratchiropracticevents,healsoau thorsseveralblogsandwebsites,takingfulladvan

tageofelectronicmediatocommunicatehismes sagetotheprofessionandthepublic. Dr.Rondbergslatesteffortshavebeendirectedto providingseveralvitaltoolsforwellnesspractition ersandtheirclientsandpatients,includingIntegra tiveOutcomeMeasurements,ascientifichealth relatedqualityoflife(HRQOL)assessmenttool, whichprovidesasubjectiveevaluationofvarious componentsofwellness. Inthisvolume,Dr.Rondbergreviewstheevolution ofchiropracticfromhisuniqueperspectiveasa chiropracticleader,supporter,andpractitionerand explainsthestagesofitsgrowth.Additionally,he considersitsultimatedestinyasatruevitalisticap proachtowellbeingthatcanhelpallpeoplelead healthier,happier,andlongerlives. OtherbooksbyTerryA.Rondberg,D.C.
ChiropracticFirst UndertheInfluenceofModernMedicine Chiropractic:CompassionandExpectation ThePhilosophyofChiropractic(Greenbooklets) ChiropracticMalpracticePreventionProgram(co authoredwithTimothyFeuling)

TableofContents
Chapter1...TheBeginnings Chapter2...HistoricalFoundations Chapter3...MedicalizingofChiropractic Chapter4...TheFinalStep:EnergyHealing Chapter5...TheNewChiropracticandScience

CHAPTER1 TheBeginnings
In 1895, there were fewer than two billion people on the planet. Yet, one of them, David Da niel(DD)Palmer,foundedaprofessionthatwould change the face of health care forever. The achieve ment can never be over stated, especially consi dering that his creation (chiropractic) became the first and only alternative approach to loosen the medical industrys iron griponhealthcare. In his book The Chi ropractor,DDPalmerwasopenandhonestabout how he came to discover chiropractic. The me thodbywhichIobtainedanexplanationofcertain physicalphenomena,fromintelligenceinthespiri tual world, is known in biblical language as inspi ration,hewrote.

 Never restricted by known physical sciences, Palmerestablishedasthebasisofhisentireconcept theexistenceofaUniversalIntelligencethatmani festsitselfinlivingbeingsasInnateIntelligence. He further proposed that health is the expres sionofthisInnateIntelligencethroughInnateMat ter,viaInnateEnergy. As a magnetic healer, he understood the work of magnetic and energy forces in play throughout the environment and in our own bo dies.Hisapplicationofchiropracticwashisunique wayofinfluencingthosesubtleenergyfields. Palmers son, Bar tlett Joshua (BJ) Pal mer, later took up the work his father had begun and developed chiropracticintoafield thatinafewshortdec ades became so in fluential it posed a threat to the domina tion of allopathic med icine. These two men

 the founder and developer of chiropractic were intelligent, farsighted, dedicated and determined individuals. The profession, and the entire world, owesthemagreatdebtofgratitude. They werent, however, infallible, which doesntmakethemanylessgreat.Itsimplymeans weneedtoviewtheminthecontextoftheirtimes totrulyunderstandtheirconceptsandgoals. The same is true of so many other great indi vidualsinhistory.GeorgeWashingtonandThomas Jefferson, for example, were true political and so cialgeniuseswhoovercamegreatodds to found a new nation based on ethical and moral principles. Yet, both owned slaves, a situation we now natu rally find abhorrent. Would they, if they lived to day,ownslaves?Ofcoursenot.Thetimesandatti tudeshavechangedradically. No doubt if DD Palmer were alive today, he would alter some of his concepts and conclusions inlightofadvancedscientificfindingsandourun derstandingoftheinterconnectednessofallenergy forcesonearth.Hewasneverreluctant,eveninhis own lifetime, to change his ideas and conclusions. Hewrotehisbooksonpaper;hedidntchiselthem instone.

 Inhisbook,The Glory ofGoingOn, BJ Pal mer told his fellow chiropractors: You HAVE in YOUR possession a SACRED TRUST. Guard it well.Headmonishedthemtokeepthisprinciple andpracticeunadulteratedandunmixed.Still, BJ was an openminded teacher, who encouraged his studentstousetheirownreasoningpowertoarrive atsolutionstoproblems. And BJ loved new technology. He owned the first automobile in the Davenport, Iowa area. In 1922,whenthemedium wasstill inits infancy,he purchasedalocalradiostationtospreadthechiro practicmessage.Headaptedexistingtechnologyto the Palmer School of Chiropractic, and built new instrumentation and research tools. He was un afraid of trying new things and of advancing the scienceofchiropractictokeepupwiththesciences ofphysics,biology,chemistry,andmedicine. Yet,heneverforgotthemainprinciplespassed downbyhisfather,DDPalmer,thattheessenceof chiropractic was the elimination of interference to the vital energy forces governed by Innate Intelli gence. In rethinking chiropractic for the 21st century, its important to maintain our strong admiration

 for the Palmers and all those who worked with themintheopeningdecadesoftheprofession.We need to remind ourselves of the pioneering and courageous work they did and the remarkable achievementstheymade. Itsalsoessentialtokeepthebasicchiropractic principlesattheheart ofour understanding ofthe discipline the bottom line premises about the existence of Universal and Innate intelligence, as well as a grasp of how that intelligence works throughmatterviaenergy. Thanks to advances in quantum physics, an abiding respect for the Palmers is NOT incompat iblewithastrongscientificgrounding.Asthisbook will explore, their original views on chiropractic meshes perfectly with todays awareness of bio energy fields, cellular biology, and bodymind connection.

CHAPTER2 HistoricalFoundations
Throughouttheirlivesandcareers,DDandBJ Palmerrefinedtheirideasabouttheprocessofchi ropractic, subluxations, nerve interference, and otheraspectsoftheprofession.Theytried,adapted, anddiscardednewtechnologies.Yet,thebasicchi ropracticfoundationneverchanged. The major underlying precepts were (and re main): ThereexistsaUniversalIntelligence,which bringsorganizationtoallmatterand main tainsitsexistence; All living things have inborn, or Innate Intelligence which adapts universal forces andmatterforuseinthebody; EverylivingthinghasALLtheInnateIntel ligence it requires to maintain its life and optimalhealth; HealthistheexpressionoftheInnateIntelli gence through Innate Matter, via Innate Energy;

 When theres interference with the trans missionofInnateEnergy,theresultisade crease in the expression of Innate Intel ligence, which chiropractors call disease (nottobeconfusedwithdisease!). A review of these basic precepts is always helpful.

UniversalIntelligence
Our existence isnt mere luck as nothing in thenaturalorderoftheuniverseisrandom. Sincechiropracticisadeductivescience,itbe gins with a major premise upon which all other conclusionsarebased.Thatprimaryassumptionis that a Universal Intelligence is in all matter and continuallygivestoitallitspropertiesandactions, thusmaintainingitinexistence. Blind faith or religious fervor had nothing to dowiththeadoptionofthispremise.Thisisacon clusion based upon observation of physical evi dence. Just look around you. Is it logical to think thateverythingintheuniverseistheresultofran dom selection or mere chance? Is it luck that a birds wing is perfectly designed for flight, right down to the tiniest pinfeather? Is it just accidental

 that a plants roots travel downward into the groundwhereitwillfindwaterandminerals,and itsleavesgrowupwardwhereitwillfindsunand air?Ifwelivedinatrulyrandomuniverse,atleast some plants would send their roots straight up ward,andburytheirleavesinthesoil.Itsunlikely anyonehaseverreportedseeingsuchaplant. Believing the universe is devoid of intelligent organization is like thinking that the Great Pyra midsofGizaweretheresultofarockslide.Could any random action have possibly created them? The Empire State Building? A birds wings? The rootsandleavesofaplant? Intelligenceisclearlybehindthenaturalwon ders that surround us, just as architectural won dersowetheirexistencetohumanintelligence.Ob viously,humanintelligenceisntresponsibleforthe complexorderoftheuniverseithasntyetbegun to understand even a tiny part of it! It had to be somethingmuchgreater.Thatsomethingiswhat wecallUniversalIntelligence.Whilewearentsure what it is,where it came from, what its intent is orevenifthereisanintentinvolvedwedoknow thatitmustexist,ornothingelsewould.

 Is this Universal Intelligence God? No one knows. Theres no way to prove the existence of God,ordescribeGodscharacteristics.Noristhere a way to prove the existence of Universal Intelli gence,ordescribeitscharacteristics.How,thencan anyonesaywhethertheymeanthesamething? Some people believe God is the source of that Universal Intelligence. Others can accept the con ceptofaUniversalIntelligencewithoutbelievingin aGod.Eitherway,throughobservationanddeduc tive reasoning we know that such an intelligence has to exist in order to prevent all matter from passingintochaos. During the Age of Technology such notions were often criticized as being unscientific. What critics really meant was that the premise couldnt beproved,andwasntarrivedatthroughinductive reasoning.Ofcourse,neitherwastheideaAllmen are created equal, or that there were vacuum cleaners called black holes (a theory, by the way, alsoscoffedatwhenfirstannounced).Yet,thefirst axiom doesnt require proof, and the second was valid even before proof was found. And so it is withthepremiseofUniversalIntelligence.It,too,is

 atruthsobasicthatittranscendsscienceandcan bearrivedatonlythroughdeductivelogic. Today, a broader view is being accepted as science expands in the areas of new physics and quantum mechanics. New ideas are cultivated, with deductive reasoning recognized as a valid formoflogic.Atlast,therealizationthataUniver sal Intelligence must exist is being taken for granted. Chiropractorssmileatthenotionthatscience is only now discovering that idea. After all, the entireprofessionisbuiltaroundthatprofoundyet simple truth. Doctors of chiropractic understand theres order and intelligence to the whole uni verse.Bydeductivereasoning,theyalsoknowthis order and intelligence applies to every part of the universe,includingthehumanbody. Thatconclusionleadsdirectlytoanotherofthe principal premises of chiropractic philosophy: A living thing has an inborn intelligence within its body,calledInnateIntelligence. Nowordinchiropracticphilosophyisasfilled withmeaningasthewordInnate,foritreferstothe soleelementthatsetslivingbeingsapartfromnon

 living things, and is the reason that chiropractic exists.

InnateIntelligence
Innate Intelligence is in every living thing guidingitonthepathtohealth. IndiscussingInnateIntelligence,itsnecessary toclarifytheconceptofintelligence.Itsimportant tounderstandwerenottalkingabouteducationor the ability to learn things. Human beings can at tend school and learn computer programming, or pickupseveralforeignlanguageswhentheytra vel.Butthisisntwhatsmeantwhenwesayintel ligence. The intelligence were talking about is the knowledge that every living entity is born with, andwhichallowsittoadapttotheenvironmentin ordertosurvive.Ifyouputaplantonthewindow sill,inadayorsoitllhavepositioneditsleavesto facethelight.Turntheplantaroundandinanother dayorso,itagainwillhaveturneditsleavestore ceivethelightitneedstomaintainitsnormalfunc tions.

 Theplantdoesntuselogictofigureoutthatit needs light, or decide to turn its leaves around to face the window. It isnt selfaware, and while it doesnt think, the intelligence it possesses allows it to go from a tiny seed to a lush plant; to send roots into the soil to find water and nutrients; to search out and utilize light and air; to transform those elements into additional leaves, roots, sprouts, and even more seeds, which will be car riedonthewindtostarttheprocessalloveragain somewhere else. Not random action, but intelli gence. Not education, but inborn knowledge. In nateIntelligence. But what is this intelligence? Where does it comefrom?Howdoesitwork?Nobodyhasdefin itive answers to these questions. Living things arent chance collections of molecules and atoms. Theyre all organized into functioning entities that adapttotheirenvironment.Therefore,weacceptas a basic principle that theres an order to the body, whichwevechosentocallInnateIntelligence.Like UniversalIntelligence,wedonthavetheabilityto understandexactlywhatthisintelligenceisorhow itworks.Weonlyknowitexists.

 Its the Innate Intelligence that regulates the numberofheartbeatsperminuteinanewbornba by.Ittellsthebabyhowtoingestanddigestnu trients and eliminate waste, how to develop and utilizewhiteblood cellsto fight infections,how to communicate its need for outside assistance. No onehastoteachaninfantthesethings. Yet, Innate Intelligence can only guide the childs internal functioning. It cant enable her to manipulate her environment or do more than her body will permit. Anymore than a plant can turn onalampifitneedsmorelight,thebabycant,for instance, walk over to the refrigerator and get a snackifsheshungry.Thatactionwilltaketraining and education rather than inborn (Innate) intelli gence. Its remarkable that every living thing pos sesses 100% of the Innate Intelligence it needs. Youllneverseeaplantthatknowsitsrootsneed to grow into the soil, but doesnt also know its leavesneedtogrowupwardtowardthelight.Can you imagine the poor plant pushing both its roots and its leaves downward because it only had 50% ofitsInnateIntelligence?

 Byitsverydefinition,InnateIntelligenceisal ways normal, and its function is always normal. This means our bodies know exactly what they needandhowtoadapttotheenvironmentinorder tofunctionbest. Ifourphysicalandemotionalhealthreliedex clusively on our Innate Intelligence, wed all be perfectly healthy. But there are other factors at work. A master carpenter might be an expert in buildingatable,butwithhisarminacasthecant apply force to his hammer, or without the proper tools its unlikely the table hes working on will comeoutverywell. Your Innate Intelligence runs your body ex pertly, unless its hampered by the lack of force (Innate Energy) or proper tools (Innate Matter). Withoutthese,theresultwillbealessthannormal functioning. Since Innate Intelligence has the expertise to properly maintain the human organism, chiro practors dont address that area. Neither do they concentrateuponthetoolsthebodyandinter nalorgans.Instead,theyreconcernedwiththeIn nate Energy (or force) providing the link between theInnateIntelligenceandInnateMatter.

UniversalForces...InnateEnergy
TamealightningboltandyouhavetheInnate Forceinthehumanbrain. The universe is filled with natural forms of energy. In fact, astronomers say the universe was created by a burst of energy, which predated all matter. The big bang theory is still debated, but we need no theories to witness energy at work all around us. Wind rushes through the trees, water cascades down a mountain, lightning streaks throughthesky,solarradiationheatsourearth. For the most part, these environmental forces coexist peacefully with all life forms. At times, however,theydemonstratetheirmagnificentpow eranddestructivepotential.Thewindincreasesto hurricanevelocityandripsroofsoffhouses;flood waterscarrybuildingsaway;lightningsetsoffrag ingfires. Suchdestructioncanseemmeaningless,sowe often talk about Mother Nature going crazy. But scientistsandenvironmentalistsnowacknowledge that the devastation has its purpose in the natural schemeofthings.

 A fire started by lightning, for example, is an efficientwaytothinastandoftrees.Whenaforest becomes overgrown, the lush vegetation cuts sun light off at the ground level, making it impossible for new seedlings to grow. The destruction of a fire provides the new generation of trees the light andcompostitwillneediftheforestistosurvive. When that same forest is managed by hu mans,thenaturallysetfiresareoftenextinguished. Then,thesesamecaretakersdeliberatelysetfiresto do the job the extinguished fire would have done. Theresapurposetothefires,andtothehurricanes andfloods. Theres an order to their appearance, and an intelligence in their functioning. The Universal In telligence knows that forests need thinning, and uses the Universal Matter available to it to accom plish this. The link that enables the intelligence to use the matter is natural energy, or Universal Forces. Formostofhumanhistory,themostwecould dowastryandstayoutofthewayoftheseforces. In modern times, our educated minds have devel opedmeansofadaptingthemforconstructivepur poses.Webuildwindpoweredgenerators,hydroe

 lectric plants, irrigation canals, dams, and solar heating panels to harness these energy sources. Weve even learned to adapt for our purposes the electricityshowcasedinalightningbolt. Living things are like microcosms of the un iverse.Weveseenhowtheyreeachendowedwith a portion of the Universal Intelligence, called the Innate Intelligence. They also possess the specia lizedversionofUniversalForces,whichchiroprac tors call Innate Energy. Our Innate Intelligence takestheUniversalForceofelectricityandadaptsit for constructive use, just as our educated minds haveadaptednaturalforces. Its well documented that the human body runs on electricity. Many medical testing instru ments record and measure the electrical impulses generated(or,somesay,convertedfromsomeoth er source) by the brain for use in the body. There mayalsobeother innateforces atwork in our bo diesthatwehaventyetidentified,butelectricityis theoneweveproventoexist. BecauseInnateEnergyisbeingadaptedinthe body bytheInnateIntelligence, itcan never be de structiveascanwildUniversalForces.And,since InnateEnergyiscreatedanddirectedbytheInnate

 Intelligence,100%ofwhatsneededbyeachpartic ularlivingthingisavailable.Theenergyisrequired toimpelthecellstofunctionaccordingtothewish esoftheintelligence.Innature,matterremainsin ert until energy is applied. Air and water remain stagnant, and the internal molecular structure of the tree stays stable until energys applied. Only then do changes occur in the matter to cause mo tionandfunction. Its the same process in the body. The Innate Intelligence cant manipulate matter without ener gy. Muscles are unable to expand or contract ac cording to the instructions of Innate Intelligence unless energy is present. In fact, in the absence of InnateEnergy,thebodyceasestofunctionceases tolive. Innate Energy, then, serves as the vital link that enables the intelligence to express itself through matter. Taken together, these three ele mentsInnateIntelligence,InnateEnergy,andIn nateMattermakeup theTriuneofLife,oneof themostimportantconceptsinchiropracticphilos ophy. In some respects, the energy component of chiropractic is the key concept. Today, we apply

 more scientific terms to it, such as neurological functioningorbioelectricalcurrent,andthefieldof energy medicine is growing in acceptance even amongthemostempiricalscientificresearchers. Theimportanceoftheneurologicalcomponent ofthesubluxation,andofchiropractic,cantbeun derestimated. Time and again, DD and BJ Palmer spoke of this concept and it was an absolutely es sentialfactor. We Chiropractors work with the subtle sub stanceofthesoul,saidBJPalmer.Wereleasethe imprisoned impulse, the tiny rivulet of force that emanatesfromthemindandflowsoverthenerves tothecellandstirsthemintolife.Wedealwiththe magic power that transforms common food into living, loving, thinking clay; that robes the earth withbeauty,andhuesandscentstheflowerswith thegloryoftheair.

TheTriune
The Triune of Life = Innate Intelligence + In nateEnergy+InnateMatter. According to the precepts of chiropractic phi losophy,everyliving thing has100%oftheInnate

 IntelligenceitneedsAND100%oftheInnateForce itneeds.Italsohasagivenphysicalform,tomake upthethirdelementoftheTriune. In order to have perfect health, there must be 100% of intelligence, 100% of force, and 100% of matter. In other words, all three elements must be present in optimum quantity and quality. Weve alreadyseenthatthisisalwaystrueofthefirsttwo elements. Nevertheless, the structure of our mat terourphysicalbodiesissometimes lessthan 100%. There may be flaws in them or their ability (temporary or permanent) to allow expression of theintelligence. That means that perfect health is a relative term for human beings. Each of us can only be as healthy as the limits of our physical matter. Those born with a congenital heart defect, for instance, can only be as healthy as their structures will per mit. People whove undergone amputation of an arm cant regrow the limb, even when theres 100%intelligenceand100%energy.Therearelimi tations inherent in the human body that cant be transcendedbyInnateIntelligence.

 However, within the limits imposed by our particular physical structure, our Innate Intelli genceandInnateEnergywillstrivetomaintainthe highest level of health possible. Sometimes, that effort is thwarted by interferences to the normal transmissionoftheenergy. To see what kind of interference a body may be experiencing, we need to understand how the Innate Intelligence directs the body parts through InnateEnergy. Asnoted,the braingenerates,orconverts, the electricalimpulses,whichspurtheindividualcells andtellthemwhattheyhavetodotoadapttothe bodysneeds.Thoseimpulsesarepropelledalonga complex system of nerves connecting the brain to theorgans,tissues,glands,andcellsofthebody. Think of the nerve system as a thick rope, made of numerous individual strands bundled to gether. When this nerve rope exits the brain, it travelsdownthespine,protectedbyaflexiblebony structure. As it progresses downward, sections of theropeseparateandpassthroughsmallopenings between the spinal bones (vertebrae). Later, they separate further until each individual strand con nectswithitsdesignatedtarget.

 Occasionally,thevertebraebecomesubluxated (outoftheirproperalignment),andcloseoffpartof the opening. This can impinge on the nerve and decreaseordistortthenormalflowofInnateEner gy through the body. The result is similar to putting a kink in a water hose the water still flowsthroughthehose,butnotatfullstrength. When there are subluxations, they interfere with the 100% expression of intelligence through 100% energy and the body is said to be in dis ease.Thisshouldntbeconfusedwiththetermdis ease, which refers to specific conditions medical doctorsname,diagnose,andtreat. Thechiropractictermdiseasereferstoasitua tionwherethereslessthan100%expressionofIn nateIntelligence.Sinceeveryonesbodyisdifferent and every bodily change can have many different ramifications,chiropractorsdontbecomeinvolved inthefutileexerciseoflabelingacondition or try ing to administer drugs or therapy to treat its symptoms. Chiropractic goes to the root of the problem and works to restore the bodys ability to reach 100% expression of its Innate Intelligence. It does thisbyfindingandremovinganysubluxationsthat

 might interfere with the flow of Innate Energy. Oncethatflowisrestored,thebodywillresumeits naturalstrivingforoptimumhealth. TheworkingoftheTriuneofLife Innate In telligence,InnateEnergy,andInnateMatteristhe supremeaccomplishmentofUniversalIntelligence. Itwouldbeignorantaswellasarroganttothinkits designcouldbeimprovedupon. Chiropractors dont attempt such a task. In stead, they focus their efforts on permitting that designtofunctionasitwasmeanttowithoutin terference.

CHAPTER3 MedicalizingChiropractic
Althoughmanyofthefirststudentstoreceive training in chiropractic were medical doctors, the concept of a drugfree, noninvasive way to allow thebodytohealitselfdidntappealtothemedical establishment. It wasnt long before the medical industryperceivedchiropracticasthecompetition; even as a threat. The attacks on chiropractic (and any other alternative form of health care) were swiftandaggressive.Chiropractorswerethrownin jail, denounced as quacks, and threatened with bodilyharmaswellasprofessionalcensure. Doctorsofchiropracticreactedintwodifferent ways. Somestoodtheirground,defiantlyrefusingto change the original chiropractic principles and purpose.Theycontinuedtodefinechiropracticasa waytoallowthebodytoexperiencenormalnerve function,withoutinterferencebysubluxation.They continued to emphasize the impact of adjustments onneurologicalfunction.

 Yet, others felt the medical industry might be appeasediftheyweretocarveoutasmallerniche forchiropractic.Insteadofaddressinghealthissues ingeneral,theypinpointedbackpainasthemajor targetofchiropracticcare.Theybackedoffthecon ceptofimpactingthewholeneurologicalfunction ingofthebody,andframedchiropracticasamus culoskeletaltherapy.Theyalsoadoptedmedicalor quasimedicalterminologyinordertogainatleast someacceptancebyallopathicmedicine. Applauded by some DCs and condemned by others,theadaptationofmedicalpurpose,vocabu lary, techniques, instrumentation and even dress had a profound effect on the chiropractic profes sion. Slowly,aportionoftheprofessionmovedinto themedicalsphere,forgettingorignoringtheneu rologicalcomponentofsubluxationandredefining chiropracticsolelyasamechanicalmanipulation ofvertebraetorelievemusculoskeletalconditions. At first, this move appeared to reduce the pressureputonchiropracticbythemedicalprofes sion. But, as chiropractic grew in popularity, the resistancewasrenewed.

 Until 1983, the American Medical Association (AMA) had labeled chiropractic an unscientific cultandbarreditsmembersfromevenassociating withDCs.Finally,in1976,agroupofchiropractors headed by Dr. Chester Wilk took the AMA and other medical groups to court, accusing them of violating antitrust laws and conspiring to destroy chiropractic. They introduced evidence showing that the antichiropractic actions were primarily basedoneconomicfactors.TheAMAwasafraidof thelossofincomecausedbymillionsofpeoplemi gratingfrommedicaltochiropracticcare. In1987,afederaljudgeruledagainsttheAMA, finding it and several other aligned organizations guilty of an unlawful conspiracy in restraint of tradetocontainandeliminatethechiropracticpro fession. In her ruling, she noted that the AMA hadenteredintoalonghistoryofillegalbehavior. While the AMA was no longer permitted to openlyforbidmemberstoworkwithchiropractors, the ruling failed to stop the organization from en gaging in more subtle forms of antichiropractic rhetoricandpractices.Itreinforcedtheideaofchi ropractic as a limited therapeutic approach, push ing it into progressively smaller boxes until it was

 designated as a possible alternative, under medical supervision, for the treatment of low back pain in adults.

Medicalalternatives
WhiletheAMAwasworkingtoexposechi ropractic, the scientific community and the press werebecomingmore andmoreopenabout expos ing the risks and faults of medical interventions. Despite efforts to rein in the news media, reports surfaced about dangerous drugs, unnecessary sur geries,conflictsofinterestinresearchjournals,and governmentcomplicitywithdrugmanufacturers. Asstoriesbecamemore frequent,thedrug in dustry stepped up its advertising and marketing campaigns. Billions of dollars were poured into print and broadcast media outlets that were reluc tanttorisklosingincomeby offending their ad vertisers with negative news coverage. Increasing ly,newsstoriesrelatedthelatestsocalledmedical miracle. Still, it was impossible to keep a lid on the growing problems of medical errors and risks. Numerous negative statistics, reports, and articles

 made it into the news during the postWilk vs. AMA case period. And, it would be an unders tatement to say that many if not a majority of theseproblemsincreasedinfrequencyandseverity ashealthcaremovedintothe21stcentury. The following sections provide a glimpse of the risks inherent in medical treatment, as docu mentedbyscientificresearchpapersorreportedby thepress.

Plightoftheelderly
Medicinecreatedtheattitudethatgrowingold isadiseasethatneedstobetreated,practicallyen suring senior citizens would become one of the mostvulnerablesegmentsoftheU.S.population. Forone thing,misdiagnosisis aneverpresent reality,especiallywheretheexpectationexiststhat aparticularconditioncomeswiththeterritoryof being old. Despite better knowledge today about theagingprocess,stereotypesremainevenifsub consciously affecting the way materia medica ap proaches seniors mental and physical health needs.

 Then,therearethosecountlessnumbersof el derlyAmericanstakingmultipledrugsatthesame time (its been estimated as many as 15 different prescriptionsandfrequentlymanymore).Yet,as incredibleasitmayseem,theirdoctorsoftenarent even aware of the potentially dangerous effects of drugcombining.And,aswillbeshown,itsunrea listictoexpectthatpharmacieswillcatchtheomis sionsandmistakesdoctorsmake. Additionally,therearethenotinfrequentinci dents of the elderly being administered inappro priatemedications. This unfortunate situation can be partially ex plained by doctors and hospitals commonly re commending visits, drugs, and tests that will be covered by Medicare or Medicaid. Recommending adietandexerciseprogramproventoreduceprob lemsassociatedwitharthritis,forexample,doesnt generateincome. Ultimately, the sole way the profitdirected medical and pharmaceutical industries can perpe tuate themselves is by making certain people con tinue to see their doctors and fill their prescrip tions.Andtheonlywaytoguaranteethatistoby pass natural and relatively inexpensive therapies

 thatwouldbelikelytomakethemtruly(andsafe ly)healthy.

HalfofallAlzheimers patientsdontreallyhavethedisease
New research shows that Alzheimers disease and other dementiatype illnesses are often mis diagnosed in the elderly, leading to incorrect treatmentandmedications. Thatwastheconclusionofastudyreleasedin 2011 that was to be presented as part of a plenary session at the American Academy of Neurologys 63rdAnnualMeetinginHonolulu. Diagnosingspecificdementiasinpeoplewho areveryoldiscomplex,butwiththelargeincrease indementiacasesexpectedwithinthenext10years in the United States, it will be increasingly impor tant to correctly recognize, diagnose, prevent and treat agerelated cognitive decline, said study au thor Lon White, M.D., M.P.H., with the Kuakini MedicalSysteminHonolulu. Forthestudy,researchersautopsiedthebrains of426JapaneseAmericanmenwhowereresidents of Hawaii, and who died at an average age of 87

 years. Of those, 211 had been diagnosed with a dementia when they were alive, most commonly attributedtoAlzheimersdisease. Thestudyfoundthatabouthalfofthosediag nosedwithAlzheimersdiseasedidnothavesuffi cient numbers of the brain lesions characterizing thatconditiontosupportthediagnosis. Most of those in whom the diagnosis of Alz heimers disease was not confirmed had one or a combination of other brain lesions sufficient to ex plain the dementia. These included microinfarcts, Lewybodies,hippocampalsclerosisorgeneralized brainatrophy.Inmostofthesecases,however,the patienthadbeentreatedincorrectlyforAlzhei mers,basedonthemisdiagnosis. Misdiagnoses increased with older age. They also reflected nonspecific manifestations of de mentia, a very high prevalence of mixed brain le sions, and the ambiguity of most neuroimaging measures. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings and provide insight as to how we may moreaccuratelydiagnoseandpreventAlzheimers disease and other principal dementing disease processesintheelderly,saidDr.White.

 SOURCE: American Academy of Neurology, pressrelease,Feb.23,2011.

Pharmacycomputersdontcatch dangerousdruginteractions
Asof2009,atotalof3.9BILLIONprescriptions for more than 24,000 different drugs were dis pensed. The average number of retail prescriptions perpersonintheUSwas12.6. Given these numbers, its not surprising that many people leave the drug counter of their local pharmacy with pills that, when taken together, have harmful or even deadly side effects. Its esti matedthatatleast2025%ofallpatientsaregiven prescriptionsthatposedangerswhentakentogeth er. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 27,658 unintentional drug deaths occurred in the United States in 2007 alone most of them causedbyprescriptionmedicines. To solve this problem, sophisticated com puterprogramscalledclinicaldecisionsupportsys tem software were developed to alert pharmacists topotentialproblemswithdruginteractions.How ever, a study conducted at the University Of Ari

 zonaCollegeOfPharmacyfoundthatonly28%of pharmacies clinical decisionsupportsoftwaresys tems correctly identified potentially dangerous drugdruginteractions. The study was conducted at 64 pharmacies across Arizona. Members of the research team tested the pharmacy software using a set of pre scription orders for a standardized fictitious pa tient. The prescriptions consisted of 18 different medications that posed 13 clinically significant drugdrug interactions. Of the 64 pharmacies, just 18 correctly identified all of the eligible drugdrug interactionsandnoninteractions. Thesefindingssuggestthatwehaveafunda mentalproblemwiththewayinteractionsareeva luated by drug knowledge databases, said Daniel Malone,Ph.D.,UAprofessorofpharmacyandlead investigator on the study. The weakness of these systemscouldleadtomedicationerrorsthatmight harmpatients.Pharmacistsshouldbecomefamiliar with how their computer system identifies drug interactions. Consumers should always inform their doctor and pharmacist about all medications and other therapies they are using. The risk of harmfromdangerouscombinationscanbereduced

 when patients create and maintain a medication list. A better approach would be to seek drugfree careor,atleast,reducethenumberofprescription andoverthecountermedications. SOURCE:JournalofAmericanMedicalInformat ics,2011;18:3237doi:10.1136/jamia.2010.007609

Study:Millionsofelderly givenwrongdrugs
Astudypublishedin2010revealedthat17%of all elderly patients are given potentially inappro priate medications (PIMs).The study, which ap peared in the March issue of Academic Emergency Medicine journal, reviewed the records of 470,000 patients over 65 who were admitted to an emer gencydepartment(ED)between2000and2006. Approximately19.5millionpatientsofeligi ble ED visits were associated with one or more PIMs,researchersnotedintheirreport. There are certain medications that probably arenotgoodtogivetoolderadultsbecausethepo tential benefits are outweighed by potential prob

 lems, admitted lead author, William J. Meurer, M.D. Examples:Thetwopowerfulsedativesprome thazineandketorolac.Promethazineaccountedfor about 40% of the errors and can cause side effects suchasconfusionandeven,inrarecases,seizures. Ketorolacisanonsteroidalantiinflammatorydrug (NSAID) used as an analgesic, fever reducer, and antiinflammatory. Similarfindingshadbeenpublishedmorethan 15 years ago in a July 1994 Journal of the American Medical Association report, revealing nearly 25% of allelderlypatientsreceivedwrongdrugs. Amongitsfindings: ** 1.8 million seniors were given prescriptions for dipyridamole, a blood thinner that, the re searcherssaid,isuselessforallexceptpeoplewith artificialheartvalves. **Morethan1.3millionolderAmericanswere prescribedpropoxyphene,anaddictivenarcoticno betterthanaspirininrelievingpain. **Morethan1.2millionwereputonthedrug diazepam or chlordiazepoxide, longacting seda tives and sleeping pills that can make patients groggy,dizzy,andpronetofalls.

 Standardpublishedsourcessupporttheview that the 20 drugs in our primary analysis should virtually never be prescribed for the elderly, re searchersstatedatthetime. SOURCE: Academic Emergency Medicine journal(2010;17:231).

Themiracleofantibiotics
When antibiotics were first developed, they were considered a miracle drug because they seemed to be able to aid the body in fighting off infectionsandinvadingbacteria.Thedrugsactual ly were helpful for some people with weakened immunesystemswho neededoutsideintervention to get through immediate and acute health crises. Butevenamiraclecanbeabused. Medical doctors began prescribing the drugs afternearlyeveryofficevisitevenforconditions that couldnt be helped at all by antibiotics. They pumped the drug into our systems and now, dec ades later, were paying the price with antibiotic resistant superbacteria and impaired natural anti body functions. Tragically, despite repeated warn ingsfromtheWorldHealthOrganizationandmore

 progressive health care experts, M.D.s still rely heavilyonthedrugs.

Antibioticscandestroygood bacteriaforyears
AresearcharticlepublishedNov.3,2010inthe journal Microbiology came to the startling conclu sionthatevenashortcourseofantibioticscanleave normal gut bacteria harboring antibiotic resistance genesforuptotwoyearsaftertreatment. What many people forget is that the body is filledwithbothgoodbacteriasuchasthenor mal microbial flora of the human gut as well as bad or pathogenic bacteria. Antibiotics can alter thecompositionofmicrobialpopulationsandallow microorganisms that are naturally resistant to the antibiotictoflourish.Thisreducestheabilityofthe bodytoreacttothepathogenicentities,potentially leadingtootherillnesses. Theimpactofantibioticsonthenormalgutflo ra had previously been thought to be shortterm, withanydisturbancesbeingrestoredseveralweeks after treatment. However, the review of the long termimpactsofantibiotictherapyrevealsthisisnt

 always the case. Studies have shown that high le vels of resistance genes can be detected in gut mi crobes after just seven days of antibiotic treatment and that these genes remain present for up to two yearseveniftheindividualhastakennofurther antibiotics. The consequences of this could be potentially lifethreatening, explained Dr. Cecilia Jernberg, of the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Con trol, who conducted the review. The longterm presenceofresistancegenesinhumangutbacteria dramatically increases the probability of them be ing transferred to and exploited by harmful bacte riathatpassthroughthegut.Thiscouldreducethe success of future antibiotic treatments and poten tiallyleadtonewstrainsofantibioticresistantbac teria. The review highlights the necessity of using antibioticsprudently.Antibioticresistanceisnota new problem and there is a growing battle with multidrug resistant strains of pathogenic bacteria. Thedevelopmentofnewantibioticsisslowandso we must use the effective drugs we have left with care, stated Dr. Jernberg. This new information about the longterm impacts of antibiotics is of

 great importance to allow rational antibiotic ad ministration guidelines to be put in place, she said. SOURCE: Microbiology 156 (2010), 32163223; DOI10.1099.

Antibioticuseincreaseswhen insurancepaysforit
Theseriousproblemofantibioticoveruseisal ready well documented and medical doctors have been warned not to yield to patient demands for thedrug.M.D.sdontseemtobelistening,howev er. AssoonasMedicarePartDdrugcoveragewas expanded to pay for more antibiotics, doctors be gan writing more prescriptions. In a report pub lishedintheAugust9,2010issueofArchivesofIn ternalMedicine,researchersnotedthatantibioticuse appears to have increased among older people since the coverage was added, with the largest in creases occurring for broadspectrum, newer, and moreexpensivedrugs. Overuse of antibiotics is a common and im portant problem, potentially leading to unneces

 sary spending for prescription drugs, increased risks of adverse effects with no associated benefit and the development of antimicrobial resistance, theauthorsnotedinthearticle.Multipleprograms have aimed to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use in inpatient and ambulatory care settings. Al though many of these interventions have helped curb antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory tractinfectionsandotherconditions,theremaystill besubstantialroomforadditionalreductions. Severalstudieshaveshownthatasmedication costs increase, patients are less likely to fill pre scriptionsortakedrugsprescribedfortheirchronic conditions.Thesameappearstobetrueofantibio tics, concluded Yuting Zhang, Ph.D., and col leagues at the University of Pittsburgh. They looked at the records of 35,102 older adults before andafterimplementationofMedicarePartD.This expansion of prescription drug coverage was esti mated to reduce outofpocket spending between 13%and23%. Participants fell into one of four groups, three ofwhichhadnoorlimiteddrugcoveragebetween 2004and2006;thefourthhadstabledrugcoverage

 without caps through their employer throughout thefouryearstudy. In Jan. 2006, the three groups with no or li mitedcoverageenrolledinMedicarePartD,which greatly decreased the outofpocket costs for anti biotics. We found that the use of antibiotics in creased in response to reductions in outofpocket price after Part D implementation, the authors found.Relativetothecomparisongroup,antibiotic use increased the most among participants who transitioned from no drug coverage to Medicare Part D. These individuals were more likely to fill prescriptions for nearly every class of antibiotic, once Part D Medicare began paying for them. In addition, the two groups with previously limited drugcoverageweremorelikelytofillprescriptions for broadspectrum antibiotics after enrolling in PartD. For the medical researchers, this increase was considered beneficial in a few cases. For pneumo nia, for instance, Part D implementation was asso ciated with triple the rate of antibiotic treatment amongthosewhopreviouslylackeddrugcoverage. Giventhehighmortalityassociatedwith commu nityacquired pneumonia among the elderly, the

 findingthatchangesindrugcoverageimprovethe likelihoodoftreatmentisencouraging,theauthors commented. However,wealsofoundincreasesinantibiot ic use for other acute respiratory tract infections (sinusitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis and nonspecific upperrespiratorytractinfection)forwhichantibio tics are generally not indicated, the authors con clude. Our study suggests that reimbursement mayplayaroleinaddressingthesubstantialroleof inappropriateantibioticprescribinganduse. SOURCE: Ambulatory Antibiotic Use and PrescriptionDrugCoverageinOlderAdults,Arch InternMed.2010;170[15]:13081314.

Forthesakeofthechildren
Nexttotheelderly,childrenareinthegreatest danger from the medical mindset so prevalent in thiscountry.Weallwantwhatsbestforourkids, and weve been brainwashed to believe that this meanspumpingdrugsintothemfromthemoment theyreborn.Thebeliefthatmedicineisneededto ensure health in children is so strong that parents have actually been accused of child abuse because

 theyrefusedtoallowtheirchildrentobesubjected to the risks of vaccines, medications, and other in vasivemedicalprocedures. Most children are born into this world with perfectly healthy bodies, which innately know how to maintain the highest level of health possi ble. They have the right chemicals, in the right amounts, to function properly in this world. Yet, medicalsciencebelievesitcanimproveontheorig inal design and immediately bombards that body with dangerous sometimes potentially deadly chemicals.Impaired,not improved, function is the result. That tiny body not only has to adapt to its environment, but now has to assimilate foreign chemicalsinitssystem. Infants,toddlers,adolescents,andteensareall subjected to the same treatment with the obvious result that childhood health problems are soaring. Chronicearinfections,asthma,childhooddiabetes, and new diseases like attention deficit disorder (ADD),areallatepidemicproportionsandgetting worse. The reliance on medical treatment hasnt helpedatall,yetparentsarereluctanttorejectitfor a better way and the medical and drug industries continuetohidethetruthfromthem.

 While the key phrase of the medical doctors Hippocratic Oath is Do No Harm, its obvious that the overuse and abuse of prescription drugs continues despite the harm it does to our nations children. Then, the pharmaceutical industry relen tlesslypumpsoutdrugsmarketeddirectlyatchild ren,oftenusingmarketingtechniquesthatexploita parentssenseofguiltorhelplessness. Theres no question this must stop before we further impair the present and future health of an entiregeneration. Yet, it seems unlikely the change will come from the medical community, and it definitely wont be championed by the drug makers. That meansparentsmustlearntojustsaynotounne cessaryoverthecounterandprescriptiondrugs.If theyarenttheonestodoit,theirchildrenwillre main unprotected from those who apparently are willing to let them become ill and even die rather thansacrificeprofit.

70,000kidshospitalized foraccidentaldrugpoisoning
A study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found that twothirds (68.9%) of the 100,340 emergency department(ED)visitsmadein2008foraccidental ingestion of drugs were made by children five yearsofageoryounger. Twofifths (42.3%) of the visits involved two year olds, and almost one third (29.5%) involved oneyearold patients. The report showed that malesaccountedforslightlymorethanhalf(55.7%) of the ED visits for accidental drug ingestion amongchildrenfiveorunder. The survey also indicated the incidents in cludeddrugsthatactonthecentralnervoussystem (CNS)(40.8%),withthetwomainCNSdrugsbeing painrelievers(21.1%),anddrugsforinsomniaand anxiety(11.6%).Thestudyalsofoundthat15.7%of theEDvisitsinvolveddrugsfortreatingheartdis ease,followedbyrespiratorysystemdrugs(10.3%). Poisoning is one of the most common child hood injuries. Most of the time it happens right at home, said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S.

 Hyde,J.D.Lockingupdrugsandproperlydispos ingleftoverorexpireddrugscansavelives.Studies likethisonethatmeasuretheimpactonthehealth care system of accidental ingestion of drugs also providesusanopportunitytogetthemessageout to parents and caregivers that there are simple steps they can take to prevent accidental drug in gestion. Thestudyalsolookedatwhethertheseyoung patientsneededadditionalcareandtreatment,fol lowing their initial treatment at the hospital emer gency department. Most of the children who were takentoanemergencydepartmentbecauseofacci dental drug ingestion were treated and released followingthevisit(85.3%).Yet,about1in10(8.7%) were admitted for inpatient care and 5% were transferredtootherhealthcarefacilities. The study was developed as part of SAMH SAs strategic initiative on data, outcomes, and qualityanefforttoinformpolicymakersandser vice providers on the nature and scope of beha vioralhealthissues. SOURCE:SubstanceAbuseandMentalHealth ServicesAdministration,OfficeofAppliedStudies. (September 14, 2010). The DAWN Report: Emer

 gency Department Visits Involving Accidental In gestionofDrugsbyChildrenAged5orYounger. Rockville,MD.

Hospitalizedchildrenincreasingly dyingfrominfectionsAntibiotic overusemaybemajorfactor

Hospitalized children in the United States are becoming infected with the bacteria Clostridium difficilemorefrequently,andchildrenwhoacquire the infection are more likely to die or require sur gery,accordingtoresearchersfromtheUniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) andCincinnatiChildrensHospitalMedicalCenter. ThefindingsappearedintheArchivesofPediatrics& AdolescentMedicine. Cdifficile,whichcancolonizethegastrointes tinal tract and lead to infection, may show no symptomsin infectedpatients,whileothersdevel op diarrhea, toxic megacolon (extreme inflamma tion and distention of the large intestine), perfo rated bowels or other potentially fatal complica tions. In recent years, the incidence of C difficile infection, number of hospitalizations, associated

 deaths and severity in adults have been increas ing,theauthorswrote. Somechildrenappearedmorelikelytobecome infected, including those who had other co occurring diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease,organtransplant,orcancer.Theriskofin fection was also higher among those who were white, lived in the West or in urban areas, or had privateinsurance. We dont know exactly why we see these populations have an increased risk. However, it likely has much to do with antibiotic exposure, which is a major risk factor for development of C difficile, said study lead author Air Force Maj. (Dr.)CadeNylund,anassistantprofessorofPedia tricsattheUSUandpediatricgastroenterologistat the National Capital Consortium pediatric gastro enterology fellowship at Walter Reed Army and NationalNavyMedicalCenters. AccordingtoDr.Nylund:Whenpediatricpa tientsarefinallyhospitalizedtheytendtobemore complex and more susceptible to infections like C difficile. At the same time, the patients, especially hospitalized children, are less able to fend off the

 serious effects of these infections, making them morelikelytodie. Nylundperformedthisresearchduringhisfel lowshipinpediatricgastroenterologyatCincinnati Childrens in collaboration with Drs. Anthony Goudie, Jose Garza, Gerry Fairbrother, and Mit chellCohen.NylundaddedthatastrainofCdiffi cilefoundinhospitals,knownastheNorthAmeri canPulseFieldtype1(NAP1),maybeapartiallyto blame for the increasing trend of C difficile infec tions in children. There may also be increasing awarenessamonghealthcareproviders,leadingto increasedtestinginsymptomaticpatients,hesaid. Basedonnationalhospitaldischargedatafrom 1997, 2000, 2003 and 2006 collected by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the research ers reviewed records representative of more than 10.5 million patients, of whom 21,274 (0.2 percent) hadCdifficile.Theyfoundthenumberofcasesin creased by 15% each year from 3,565 in 1997 to 7,779in2006. Additionally,childrenwithCdifficileinfection had an increased risk of death or colectomy (sur gerytoremoveallofpartofthecolon),longerhos pitalstays,andhigherhospitalizationcharges.

 SOURCE:Clostridium difficileInfection in Hos pitalized Children in the United States. CM Ny lund,MD;AGoudie, PhD;JMGarza,MD;GFair brother,PhD;MBCohen,MD.ArchPediatrAdolesc Med.Published online January 3, 2011. doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2010.282

Thehouseofdeath
Hospitalsaresupposedtobeplaceswheresick peoplegotogetwell.Instead,alltoooften,theyre places where sick people get worse and very sick people die in pain and despair. And, they make hundreds of millions of dollars for medical and pharmaceuticalcompanies. Of course, there are wellmeaning and caring individuals who work in hospitals, but the main purpose of most hospitals today is to be a profit centerforhugehealthcareconglomerates.Admin istrativeandmedicaldecisionsarefrequentlymade on the basis of economic advantage, with little at tention paid to theneeds of patients or their fami lies. Worseyetisthefactthatmanyhospitals,par ticularly those in rural areas, have become the re

 pository of careless or illtrained medical person nel. Death rates at some of these hospitals have beensohightheyvepromptedgovernmentinves tigations. Still, Americans continue to flock to hospitals in record numbers, expecting to find humane and properhealthcare.Weshould,instead,beheeding theadviceofmosthealthcareadvocateswhowarn ustostayoutofthehospitalatallcosts!

Medicalerrorshurt18%of hospitalpatients
AreportpublishedintheNewEnglandJournal ofMedicinerevealedsometroublingstatistics.Near ly one fifth (18%) of all patients were injured by medical mistakes during their stay in a hospital. Our findings validate concern raised by patient safetyexpertsintheUnitedStatesandEuropethat harm resulting from medical care remains very common,researchersadmitted. In almost 3% of the cases in the study, the in jury resulted in or contributed to the death of the patient.Another3%resultedinapermanentinjury, and 8.5% were lifethreatening. Nearly 43% of the

 injuriesorharmsastheresearcherscalledthem required some intervention by doctors or nurses andresultedinanextendedstayinthehospital. To reach their conclusions, the researchers randomly selected and reviewed nearly 2,400 recordsofadultpatientsfrom10hospitalsinNorth Carolina.NorthCarolinawasselectedforthestudy because it has been noted as one of the leaders in patientsafetyreform. The report was particularly disturbing since it indicates little progress has been made since the 1999InstituteofMedicinestudyshowingthatmed icalmistakeswereresponsibleformorethan98,000 deaths and more than one million injuries each year.Thatreportwasconsideredawakeupcall to hospitals, which were supposed to take greater steps in preventing such errors. The Institute of Medicinehadsetagoalofa50%reductionduring afiveyearperiod. SOURCE: Christopher P Landrigan, MD, MPH; Gareth J Parry, PhD; Catherine B Bones, MSW; Andrew D Hackbarth, MPhil; Donald A Goldmann, MD; and Paul J Sharek, MD, MPH. N EnglJMed2010;363:21242134November25,2010.

Hospitalcharges:upto $18,000perday
As though news of the rampant infections, medical mistakes, and dismal effectiveness rates werent enough to convince us to avoid hospitals, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has now reported that hospital stays can cost as much as $18,000 per day for conditions such as heartattacks. According totheanalysisbythefederal agen cy, the average was based on about 2 million pa tient stays for the most expensive cases such as treatmentofsepticemia,orbloodinfection,harden ing of the arteries, and heart attacks. These stays lastedanaverageof19days. Even though these most expensive cases ac count for only 5% of all hospitalizations, the other 95%didntgetoffcheap.Dailyhospitalbillsforthe remaining95%ofpatientstaysaveragedjustunder $7,000 and 4 days, and were most likely for child birth,pneumonia,andheartfailure. The report used data from the 2008 Nation wideInpatientSample,adatabaseofhospitalinpa tient stays in all shortterm, nonfederal hospitals,

 andincludedpatientsregardlessofinsurancetype, aswellastheuninsured. SOURCE: AHRQ News and Numbers, October 13, 2010. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,Rockville,MD.

TheotherdrugprobleminAmerica
Thebiggesthealthriskfacingtheaverageper sontodayisntcancerorheartdisease.Itstheside effects from medication. Prescription drugs can cause more health problems and even death than all the major diseases we worry so much about. Morethan90%ofallofficevisitsendwiththe doctorhandingthepatientatleastoneprescription, evenifthevisitlastedonlyafewminutes.Itsrare for patients to be told about possible dangerous sideeffectsoftheirmedication.Yet,everydrughas sideeffects,andmosthaveafrighteninglylonglist ofthem.Ifasmuchattentionwerepaidtothedan gers of drugs as to their supposed benefits, we wouldtreatthemwiththesameconcern aswedo loadedguns.

Thousandsofpatientsprescribed highriskdrugs
According to research published at BMJ.com, GPs prescribed highrisk medications for thou sands of patients in Scotland who are especially vulnerable to adverse drug events (ADEs), expos ingthemtopotentialharm. A number of medications or scenarios pre viouslyflaggedashighriskincludednonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs for certain patients, pre scribing a new drug to a patient on the blood thinning medication warfarin, prescribing drugs when patients have heart failure, and prescribing antipsychoticdrugsforpatientswithdementia. Prof. Bruce Guthrie from Dundee University and colleagues expanded this list, developing 15 indicators to examine how often patients suscepti ble to ADEs were prescribed highrisk, potentially harmfuldrugs. They used the indicators to review data from 315ScottishGeneralPracticeswith1.76millionpa tients, of which 139,404 (7.9%) were identified as beingparticularlyvulnerabletoADEs.

 The results showed that 19,308 (13.9%) who were in the vulnerable group were prescribed one ormorehighriskmedications. Some prescribing will be appropriate, as pre scribers and patients balance risks and benefits when there may be no clearly correct course of action, but the study also uncovered significant variation in the prescribing practices between the GPs surgeries surveyed. Since the variation couldnt be explained by the patient case mix, the researchers say it suggests theres considerable scopetoimprovethoseprescribingpractices. Led by Prof. Guthrie, the authors pointed out how prior studies showed GP prescribing can causeconsiderableharm,andtheyhighlightedthat adverse drug events (ADEs) account for 6.5% of all hospital admissions, over half of which are judgedtobepreventable. Patientsmightbevulnerabletohighriskdrugs duetotheirage,otherexistingillnesses,orbecause of other prescription medications they may be on. TheauthorscautionedthatGPsneedtobealertto these risk factors, and be careful about the drugs theyprescribetothesepatients.

 SOURCE: High risk prescribing in primary care patients particularly vulnerable to adverse drug events: cross sectional population database analysisinScottishgeneralpracticeBMJ,June22, 2011.

Fewerdrugprescriptionswould savelivesandmoney
Lives and money would be saved if a more cautious approach were taken by medical profes sionals who prescribe drugs, according to a study from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) CollegeofPharmacy. Thestudyappearedintheonlineeditionofthe ArchivesofInternalMedicineaspartofthejournals LessisMoreseries. According to Bruce Lambert, coauthor of the paper and UIC professor of pharmacy administra tion,severalstudiesoverthepastdecadehavecon cluded that the use of many new and frequently prescribed medications was either harmful or not beneficialtopatients. Using the prior research as a guide, 24 prin ciples were developed that can help prescribers

 avoid excessive and harmful prescribing, said Lambert, director of UICs Center for Education andResearchonTherapeutics. Noneoftheseprinciplesareparticularlynov el, nor should they be terribly controversial, he pointed out. But taken together they represent a radical shift in the way clinicians think about and prescribedrugs. The radical shift is known as conservative prescribing, and if adopted by every prescriber, couldsavemanylivesanddollars,Lambertsaid. Physiciansneedtomoveawayfromthemind set that leads them to heavily prescribe the latest andgreatestnewdrugs,tofewerandmoretime tested is best, stated Dr. Gordon Schiff, associate professor of medicine at Harvard University, who coauthored the report. Medical and pharmacy schools should not solely teach the pharmacology of drugs, but principles that would make practi tioners better and more cautious prescribers and usersofdrugs,hesaid. TheUICCenterforEducationandResearchon Therapeuticsisoneof14suchcentersintheUnited Statestostudyhowconsumersandcliniciansmake critical treatment decisions about therapeutic

 productsandinterventions.Theprogramisfunded bytheAgencyforHealthcareResearchandQuality (AHRQ),partoftheUSHealthandHumanServic esdepartment. Other coauthors on the study were Dr. Wil liam Galanter, associate professor of clinical medi cine; Amy Lodolce, clinical pharmacist, pharmacy practice; and Michael Koronkowski, clinical assis tantprofessor,pharmacypractice,allofUIC. SOURCE: Principles of Conservative Pre scribingbyGordonD.Schiff,MD,et.al.Archivesof InternalMedicine.PublishedonlineJune13,2011.

Nosafedrugs
Even people who realize that prescription drugscanbedangerousareoftenluredintothink ing that overthecounter (OTC) drugs are safe. Afterall,wouldtheFDAreallyallowdangerousor ineffective medications to be sold to the American public? They would, and they do. And they fail to regulateanybutthemostextremeabusesby drug companies. A Senate investigation on overthecounter drugs once concluded that the majority of these medications were completely useless, and most

 posed at least some health dangers. But it didnt change the pharmaceutical industry or even the regulations that are supposed to keep the drug companiesinline. Sinceneithertheynorthegovernmentwilldo it,itslefttotheAmericanpeopletoprotectthem selves from unsafe medications. We need to read thefactsandchangethewaywethinkabouthealth care. Wellness wont be found in pill form on any drugstoreshelf.

Commonpainkillerslinked toirregularheartrhythm
Yet another research study has uncovered po tentially fatal side effects of commonly used pain killers. Manypillsusedtotreatinflammation(includ ing nonselective nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs [NSAIDS] as well as new generation anti inflammatorydrugs,knownasselectiveCOX2in hibitors)werelinkedtoanincreasedriskofirregu lar heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation or flutter), con cludedastudypublishedonbmj.comJuly5,2011.

 Thesedrugshadalreadybeenlinkedtoanin creased risk of heart attacks and strokes, but no studyhadexaminedwhethertheyincreasetherisk of atrial fibrillation a condition which is asso ciated with an increased long term risk of stroke, heartfailure,anddeath. Soateamofresearchers, led byProfessorHe nrikToftSrensenatAarhusUniversityHospitalin Denmark,usedtheDanishNationalRegistryofPa tientstoidentify32,602patientswithafirstdiagno sisof atrialfibrillation or flutterbetween1999and 2008. Eachcasewascomparedwith10ageandsex matched control patients randomly selected from theDanishpopulation. Patients were classified as current or recent NSAIDusers.Currentuserswerefurtherclassified asnewusers(firsteverprescriptionwithin60days ofdiagnosisdate)orlongtermusers. The researchers found that use of NSAIDs or COX2inhibitorswasassociatedwithanincreased riskofatrialfibrillationorflutter. Comparedwithnonusers,theassociationwas strongestfornewusers,witharound40%increased riskfornonselectiveNSAIDSandaround70%in

 creasedriskforCOX2inhibitors.Thisisequivalent to approximately four extra cases of atrial fibrilla tion per year per 1,000 new users of nonselective NSAIDS and seven extra cases of atrial fibrillation per1,000newusersofCOX2inhibitors. Theriskappearedhighestinolderpeople,and patientswithchronickidneydiseaseorrheumatoid arthritis were at particular risk when starting treatmentwithCOX2inhibitors. The authors concluded: Our study thus adds evidencethatatrialfibrillationorflutterneedtobe addedtothecardiovascularrisksunderconsidera tionwhenprescribingNSAIDs. This view is supported by an accompanying editorialbyProf.JerryGurwitzfromtheUniversity of Massachusetts Medical School. He believes that NSAIDSshouldcontinuetobeusedverycautious ly in older patients with a history of hypertension orheartfailureregardlessofwhetheranassocia tionbetweenNSAIDsandatrialfibrillationactually exists. SOURCE: Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug use and risk of atrial fibrillation or flutter: population based casecontrol study, BMJ, July 5, 2011.

Capsulesofgold
If medication was given away for free or if there were price limits on drugs the number of prescriptions written in this country would drop tremendously. But in our free market economy, pushingpills(eventhelegalprescriptionandover thecounter type) is one of the most profitable businessesaround. This has led to having dangerous and some times potentially deadly drugs marketed like breakfast cereal or athletic shoes using celebrity endorsements, glitzy television ads, coupons, spe cialpromotions,andfullpagemagazinespreads. Thefactthatthesepromotionscanbemislead ing doesnt seem to deter drug company execu tives, who judge their success solely on their bot tomlinewithoutregardtothehealthandwelfare ofthepeoplewhoareluredintotakingtheirprod ucts.

USspends$233billionperyear onprescriptiondrugs
A report from the Agency for Healthcare Re search and Quality (AHRQ) shows that, in 2008, insurers and consumers spent nearly $233 billion onawidearrayofprescriptiondrugs.Thenumber oneclassofdrugs(accountingfor$52.2billion,22% ofthetotal)wasmetabolicmedicineusedtocontrol diabetesandcholesterol. The next four biggest sellers of outpatient prescriptiondrugsin2008were: Central nervous system drugs, used to re lieve chronic pain and control epileptic seizures andParkinsonsDiseasetremors$35billion. Cardiovascular drugs, including calcium channelblockersanddiuretics$29billion. Antacids, antidiarrheals, and other medi cinesforgastrointestinalconditions$20billion. Antidepressants, antipsychotics, and other psychotherapeuticdrugs$20billion. Overall purchases of these five therapeutic classesofdrugstotalednearly$156billion,ortwo thirds of the almost $233 billion that was spent on

 prescription medicines used in the outpatient treatmentofadults. Mostindustryexpertssaytheprescriptionand spending figures have continued to climb since 2008 and will soon top $300 billion, despite over whelmingevidencethatdietcaneffectivelycontrol bothdiabetesandcholesterolinalmostallcases. AstudypublishedintheSept.1,2009issueof the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that 56% of patientsfollowingwhathasbeencalledtheMedi terranean diet (a diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats, including olive oil, with an emphasis on lean protein sources such as fish, chicken and nuts) were able to control their blood sugar without medication. That same group also showed improvements in triglyceride and HDLcholesterollevels. In addition, there is significant clinical evi dencethatchiropracticcare,includingcorrectionof subluxation,canimpactneurologicfunctionand,as aresult,haveabeneficialeffectonbothbloodsug ar and cholesterol levels. By educating patients aboutalternativestoprescriptiondrugs,chiroprac tors can help reduce the negative effects of these conditions.

 SOURCES: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Medical Expenditure Panel Survey(MEPS),StatisticalBrief#313,Expenditures fortheTopFiveClassesofOutpatientPrescription Drugs, Adult ages 18 and Older, 2008, by Anita Soni,PhD,February2011. Effects of a MediterraneanStyle Diet on the Need for Antihyperglycemic Drug Therapy in Pa tients With Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes, Annual of Internal Medicine, Sept. 1, 2009, vol. 151 no.5306314.

CHAPTER4 TheFinalStep: EnergyHealing

Tothereliefofmany,amovementbeganinthe 1980s to restore the vitalistic nature to the chiro practic profession, and reinforce its identity as a drugfree wellness approach separate from the medicalsphere. Afterveeringoffintoastrictlymusculoskeletal paradigm, in keeping with the popularity of the bodyasmachineview,chiropractorsbegantore discovertheoriginalwritingsofDDandBJPalmer thatemphasizedvitalisticprinciplesandtheneuro logicalcomponentofsubluxation.And,atleastfor aportionoftheprofession,chiropracticoncemore becameaboutsomethingfarmorethanthemoving ofspinalbonestoreducesymptoms. The vitalistic principle was enunciated in the very earliest of DD Palmers writings on the new field of chiropractic. The words Founded on Toneareinscribedontheopeningpageofhis1910

 text, Book of the Science, Art and Philosophy of Chiropractic. Inthatvolume,DDPalmerstated:Lifeisthe expression of tone... In that sentence is the basic principleofChiropractic.Toneisthenormaldegree of nerve tension consequently; the cause of dis ease is any variation of tone nerves too tense or tooslack. Amongotherwritingsthatreinforcedtheneu rologicalbasisofchiropracticwasBJPalmers1931 essay,TheHourHasArrived,whichfocusedat tentiononthenerveinterferencecausedbythesub luxation, and noted that it was the chiropractors jobtoremoveinterference,notstraightenspines.BJ further stated that the misalignment is but an os seous symptom of a subluxation, and any attempt at realignment would be a treatment upon effect, andnotanadjustmentofcause. He wrote: it is generally believed that you couldlocateasubluxationbypalpation;withanx ray;bythelocationoftendernerves,tautfibers,or contractured muscles. None of these can locate a subluxation. Any or all of these will locate misa lignments. The majority of Chiropractors work withtheconceptthattheyaretheallimportantfea

 ture of adjusting subluxations; that it is what they do that replaces a subluxation; and it is with thisthoughttheyproceedtopushvertebraintopo sitionstheythinktheyneedtobepushedinto.Ad justing in their minds means pushing bones into adjustedpositions. BJcontinued:Ineverhavesuchaconcept.To meadjustingavertebraiswhathappenswhenmy handsleavetheback;itisthatreactionthatoccurs when innate recoils in the body of the patient, which resets the bone into normal position. My workisanenticementtogetINNATEtomakethe adjustment. Invariably, when Innate adjusts the subluxationitstayslongerandthe(NCM)reading remains absent much longer and the patient gets wellmuchquicker,andIcantakemoredangerous casesandgetthemwell,whereotherwiseanything Ididwouldhavefailed. BJ Palmer also said; A shove and push ad justment,wherewewanttofeelsomethingmove and hear something crack, think we know where itoughttobeput,andproceedtoputitthere.This Chiropractorwonderswhyhiscasegetsbetter,gets worse, and might get well by accident; but leaves himupintheairastowhatactuallyhappened.He

 knowsChiropracticisrightbecauseitoccasionally works. Inshort,itwastheoriginalpremisethatthere is a critical difference between a subluxation that causes neural interference and a misalignment of thevertebralbones. Whiletheterminologyhasbeenupdated,such understandingmeshesperfectlywiththeemerging fields of energy healing based on discoveries of quantummechanicsandcellularbiology.Thebasic premise is that the body is, in essence, a complex energyfieldandimbalancesinthatfieldcanresult in illness. By rebalancing the bodys energy field healthcanberestored. Theultimateprogressioninthescience,artand philosophy of chiropractic is, in some ways, the completion of a circle in that it returns us to DD Palmersrootsasamagnetichealer. Magnetismisoneformofenergyandthework done in the late 19th and early 20th century in magnetichealingwasaforerunneroftodaysener gymedicine. The advantages we, as 21st century wellness providers have, are the incredible advances in scienceandtechnologythathaveallowedustoun

 derstandandevenmeasuretheenergyinherentin thesmallestparticleofmatter.Theseadvances,par ticularly in quantum physics and cellular biology, haveprovenbeyondadoubtthatwhatchiropractic pioneers theorized was correct: the universe con sistsofenergyandintelligence. Thediscoverythatastoundednearlyeveryone was that even the particles themselves at a sub atomicorquantumlevelareactuallyamanifesta tion of energy. This energy is present even in an absolutevacuum,wherenophysicalparticlesexist. Matter, when deconstructed to its absolute smallestunits,isenergyorganizedinanintelligent matter. This applies to all matter throughout the universe.Therearenotrulydistinctbitssince,on a quantumlevel,thereis aninterchange of energy within particles and even the space between par ticlesisfilledwithenergy. ThiswashintedatbyEinsteininhisfamousE = mc2 equation: energy is mass vibrating at the speedoflightsquared.Speedupthevibrationsuf ficiently, and mass turns into energy (an oversim plifiedbutfundamentallyaccurateexplanation). What distinguishes various particles of matter fromeachotheristhespeedatwhichthemolecules

 vibrate. All matter vibrates to a precise frequency andscientistshaveevenbeguntoassignvibration al quantum numbers to various energy levels. When particles vibrate at a very slow energy fre quency,weviewitasphysicalmatter.Particlesthat vibrate at speeds which exceed light velocity are knownassubtlematter. Recentresearchhasextendedthisnotionofvi brational signatures to nonphysical phenomena such as thoughts. Each thought pattern vibrates ataspecificfrequency,makingitpossibletoliteral lyreadanindividualsthoughts.Thisknowledgeis being put to work in the development of brain machineinterfacestoallowdisabledpeopletoma nipulate wheelchairs and other devices via their brainwavesalone. It has also been shown that the normal har monic resonance or vibrational frequency can bedisruptedinahumanbeingthroughstress,diet, trauma, subluxation, environment, and other fac tors. Althoughrediscoveredbychiropractorsand other wellness professionals in the past two dec ades,energyhealingisancient,datingbackfurther thananytypeofallopathictreatment.

 Botheasternandwesterncultureshavealong historyofperceivingalllivingthingswithadualis tic nature: physical and nonphysical. The latter was understood by many ancients to be a form of energy. In Chinese (especially early Daoist philos ophy),itwastermedqiorchi,indicatingvital force. Sanskrit labeled it prana, meaning vital life. In Hebrew, the term was ruach, or spirit, breath. Ancient Greece called it pneuma, vital spiritorcreativeenergy.TheLatinequivalentwas spiritus. The glowing auras and halos found in Christian religious paintings are thought to depict thespiritsurroundingJesusandtheSaints. Throughout the ancient world, healers knew that this invisible something energy, spirit, breath,lifeforce,etc.wasanessentialelementof lifeandhealth. For todays wellness professions, the concept of the body as an energetic being is vitally impor tant and a critical departure from the traditional medical paradigm of the human body as a closed physicalandchemicalsystem. Byfocusingonanindividualsenergysystem, wecanallowthebodytofindandmaintainitsown vibratory signature. This is the ultimate healing

 approach and has the potential to eliminate the needforalmostallmedicalinterventions. Ironical ly,themedicalindustryisdiscoveringthisaswell, althoughittendstoputadistinctlymedicalspinon theapproach. Anumberofmainstreamhospitalsinclud ing Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut (a major academic affiliate of Yale University School of Medicine and a member of the YaleNew Haven HealthSystem)havebegunusingaformofener gy therapy known as Healing Touch. Trained vo lunteersplacetheirhandsonorabovetheenergy centers of a persons body to strengthen the bodysabilitytohealitselfbyrestoringbalanceand harmonytothebodysenergysystem. Energy healing therapy involves the channe lingofhealingenergythroughthehandsofaprac titioner into the patients body to restore normal energybalance and,therefore,health, asdescribed bytheNationalInstitutesofHealthsNationalCen terforComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine, statedtheGreenwichhospitalinapressrelease. Itwillbealongtimebeforethemedicalindus trytrulyembracesthisadvancedapproach(ifitev er does). That gives chiropractors a distinct edge

 since we have been at the forefront of the energy healingmovementfromthestart.Wepioneeredthe modern field of handson healing and have spent more than a century facilitating the flow of vital energythroughthebody. The next advance for chiropractic and other wellness approaches will be a total recognition of the human body as a network of complex energy fields interacting with the greater field of energy surroundingit.

Spiritualimplications
Despite the ridicule heaped on the early lead ers of the New Thought movement, DD Palmer neverhidthefactthathewasaspiritualseekerand openlystatedhereceivedhisinspirationforchiro practic from the nonphysical realm. In fact, at the beginning,hereportedlyexploredthereligiousand spiritual ramifications of his discovery and consi deredputtingchiropracticforthasaspiritualprac ticeratherthanasahealthcareregime.Thisiswhat other teachers of the time did. Religious Science (today primarily known as Centers for Spiritual Living),UnitySchoolofPracticalChristianity(now

 referredtoasUnity),theChurchofDivineScience, andothersallhavestronghealthapplications. Inretrospect,wecanseethattheNewThought teachingsofthelate19thcenturyweretouchingon conceptsthatwouldbevalidatedlaterbyquantum physics, and interpreting them in a way that was consistentwiththeirspiritualandreligiousbeliefs. DD Palmers references to Universal Intelli gence and Innate Energy are what we, today, call the information and energy found in the quan tumlevelthroughouttheuniverse.Heunderstood thattheinnateenergywithinthehumanbodyis the same energy as within the stars in the further galaxies, what Alan T. Williams calls the funda mental, irreducible primordial energy and what otherscallthezeropointfieldthatseaofener gy, which by logical deductive reasoning, had to preexistmatter. This energy, as Williams puts it exists in the absenceofmatter,butmatterisentirelydependent upon nonmaterial primordial energy and cannot existintheabsenceofprimordialenergy. Since this energy is the ultimate source of all matter,itisalsoknownasthecreativesourceener gy,orsimpletheSource.

 Asnotedbefore,allmatterismadeupandex istsaspartofthisenergy,althoughouruniquevi brational frequency (or rate of vibration) gives us thesensoryillusionofseparateentities. Author Wayne Dyer aptly described the rela tionshipbetweentheindividualandtheSourceus ingthemetaphoroftheocean.Ifyouwatchawave crested toward the shore, that wave is an indivi dualized entity. You can see it, photograph it, measureit,andsurfonit.Buttheappearanceofa wave as separate from the ocean is quickly dis pelled when it hits the shoreline and merges back intotheocean.Itwasnevertrulyseparatefromthe ocean, despite the evidence of our physical senses. Humansexistasabundleofenergywithinthe vastoceanofenergy,constantlyexchangingenergy with the Source at gross and subtle levels. While wecanneverbetotallyseparatedfromtheSource, our health and well being (on all levels, including mental,emotionalandphysical)dependonourat tunement to the Source and on the free flow of energybetweenthetwo. Butletsnotforgettheothercomponentofthe equation: Intelligence or information. The way

 energy is organized and behaves, even at a sub atomiclevel,isntrandom.AsEinstein put it, God doesnt play dice with the Universe (the actual quote, in a letter to Max Born, was I, at any rate, am convinced that He does not throw dice.). All thestoredwisdomofcreationexistswithinandas partoftheSource,whichisbothSourceEnergyand UniversalIntelligence. DD Palmer emphasized this point in his 1910 book, The Chiropractors Adjuster when he stated: ... the Intelligent Energy that operates the humanmachineisderivedfromanInfiniteSource, theUniversalIntelligence,andis,therefore,limited only by the capacity of the brain to transform and individualizeit... Another underlying precept is that this Uni versalIntelligenceislovingtoputitinhuman terms.Thatis,toensurethesurvivalofallcreation, its always directed toward preservation, expan sion,andgrowth.Toputitinmorespiritualterms, weliveinabeneficentUniverse. This omnipresent (everywhere present), om niscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful) and beneficent (all loving) Source Energy is what humankind has always thought of and called the

 Divine, or when imbued with a more personal natureGod. Discussing it in these terms takes the entire topicoutofthestrictlyscientificrealmandintothat gray area between science and spirituality or reli gion.Butwhen weshedtheproblematicterminol ogy, we see there is common ground between the two camps. In fact, science and religion both dis cussthesamething,butindifferentways. While most (mainly western) religions have traditionally seen the desire for evidence as a lack of faith and therefore required of their adherents beliefwithoutproof,sciencehaslonglimiteditself to the world of physical phenomena. It has re mained concerned with what can be seen and measuredoratleast(at boththemacro and quan tumlevels)theorizedthroughdeductivereasoning based on existing evidence anything beyond the physicalbeingconsideredtooairyfairyforscien tificscrutiny. Today,many scientistsare acknowledging the existenceofunseenenergyfieldsandofanunder lying Universal Intelligence. At the same time, deeply spiritual believers are embracing quantum theory as a way to substantiate the existence of a

 divinepresence.Thetwocampsaredrawingcloser andchiropracticispoisedattheintersectionofthe two. Its impossible to ignore the spiritual implica tions of chiropractics ability to help the body re store its innate energy balance and achieve reson ancewiththesurroundingenergyfield. Byembracingthatremarkableabilityandfully comprehending the immensity of the impact we can have, well be taking chiropractic to the next andpossiblyultimatestageofdevelopment.

CHAPTER5 TheNewChiropractic andScience

Jeff Rockwell, D.C., a 1986 graduate of Life University, and a prac ticingD.C.inCalifornia, is a longtime teacher of chiropractic philosophy and technique. He has become one of the lead ing proponents of chiro practic as a bastion of vitalism,naturalism,and holism.Heexplainsinremarkabledetailandclarity howtheunderstandingofchiropracticasatypeof energy healing is both revolutionary and a return toitsorigins. The following are selected articles by Dr. Rockwell, reprinted especially for this volume, withhispermission.

Closingthegapbetweenwhatweare andwhatwecouldbe
byDr.JeffRockwell,D.C.
Several months prior to matriculating to Life University in Marietta, Georgia (then Life College of Chiropractic) I had the privilege of spending a day alone with the late R. Buckminster Fuller. I could write a book about that day and maybe someday will, but I want to invoke his ever evolving spirit as I begin this article and share a pieceofwhatIlearnedfromhimthatday. I made thetrip to Venice Beach, California to visit him at the rather ramshackle motel he was staying in, my head brimming with many ques tions. One question I asked him was what he con sideredtobeourgreatestchallengesintheyearsto come.Hequicklyresponded,Therearethree,asI see it: the first is disbelief in science, where we choose to ignore the scientific findings that may challenge our assumptions and turn our long cherishedtheoriesontheirhead.ThenextIreferto as escapee mysticism, where people stick their heads in the sand and refuse to see what is going

 on in the world around them. The last challenge facingusiswhatIrefertoasradicalrelativism,in which the truth can be made into whatever you want it to be. I see these three challenges as being intimatelyconnected. Science is not our enemy and, in the field of chiropractic, is coaxing us to allow a new, ex panded description of the subluxation to emerge. Some choose to ignore current trends in the new sciences,likethepersonwithhisheadinthesand. Others cling to what the forefathers of the profes sion said as if it was religious doctrine. And still others, in spite of the mounting evidence, revel in notmovingforward,muchliketheoldhippiedec laring that the summer of love is still going on to day. The chiropractic profession currently attracts intoitsvariousofficesbetween612%ofthepopu lation. Even if we still saw 20% of the population, however, I would not declare this a success not for a profession that has been in existence since 1895.Thepurposeofthisarticleistoconsidereven the possibility of a more contemporary, expanded viewofthevertebralsubluxation.

 BJPalmer,thesonofthefounderofchiroprac tic,saidin1909,thatChiropractorshavefoundin every disease that is supposed to be contagious a cause that lies in the spine. There is no doubt in thisauthorsmindthatwhateverthevertebralsub luxation may or not be, it can adversely affect the healthofanindividualbyinterferingwithcommu nication between the central nervous system and theorgans,muscles,andglandsofthebody.There has been a good deal of research on this, much of which was done under the auspices of the late os teopathic researcher Irwin Korr, Ph.D. Much less hasbeendonebyourownprofession,perhapsbe causeDr.Korrwastakingalesslinearapproachto the spine, namely a functional one, while the ma jorityofchiropracticresearchhaslongfocusedona linear, Newtonian view of the spine as a stack of buildingblocksneedingtobeinperfectalignment. Itisremarkablethatin2011,theprofessionstill referstothevertebralsubluxationasaboneoutof place, or, worse, the silent killer. It seems we havetakenasymptom,asmuchsoasarunnynose orthefluorheartdisease,andhavesoughttoera dicateitthroughthechiropracticadjustment.

 Some more enlightened chiropractors today viewthesubluxationnot asthecauseofanything, butasamanifestationofanother,evenmorecausa tivefactor.Theapplicationofcontemporaryscience to this issue sheds new light and offers an empo weringperspectiveonchiropractictheory. Traditionally,wehaveusedthetermsubluxa tionstrictlyintermsofthespineandnervoussys tem.Weareenteringintoanewerera,whichifwe continue to grow as we should, will someday be supplanted by yet another, even morepartially correctideaofthesubluxation. Forstarters,itmaybeworthwhileto drop the wordvertebralfromhowwedescribetheclinical entitythatweaddress.Thesubluxationismoreofa nervoussystemthing,andlessofaspinalthing. Additionally, to define the subluxation in such terms limiting the scope of chiropractic to the spine and nervous system while it made sense baseduponthescienceavailableatthetimeofthe discovery and development of chiropractic, makes little sense today. I seriously doubt that Dr. DD Palmer, the founder and intender of the profes sion, would still choose to use mechanistic, reduc tionisttermstodescribehisclinicalintent.

 Itisnowknownbyeveryonenotlivingunder a rock that the nervous system is not the only communication system utilized by living systems. Dr. Candace Pert has shown, for three decades now,thatthenervous systemisnot theonly com municationsysteminthebody.Shehaseloquently detailedtherolethatthebiochemical/neuropeptide system plays in functioning as a circulating com munication system outside the jurisdiction of the centralnervoussystem. Neurocardiologistshavedescribedtheheartas another brain, and the good people at the Heart Math Institute in Boulder Creek, California have createdmanyelegantwaysofenhancingitand,by doingso,thewholebodymind. Europeanresearchers suchasL.Stecco and R. Schleiphavedemonstrated howtheentireconnec tivetissuesystemfunctionsasaconnectivetissue nervous system, one which through its piezoelec tric properties helps the central nervous system to healitself,somethingtheCNSistooslowtodoon itsown.Thelistgoeson. Wewerenevermeanttosimplyfeellumpsand bumps and misalignments. We have sufficient in formation on the bodys basic inherent rhythms

 and interconnectivity to understand, and work fromtheknowledgeof,howthelinkedsystemsof thebodyacttogether.Thiswouldbeaverydiffer entuseofthehandsthanisdoneinanyothertype ofmanual,nottomentionmedical,care. The ways in which sensory impressions come toourhandscould,ifweweresettledenoughwith inourselvesandtookthetimetodeveloptheskills, telluswhatmighthistoricallyhavebeenhealthfor thatpersonorwhatmightbecomehealthsomeday. Puttingthisintowordsis,admittedly,asdiffi cult as describing exactly what we hear and feel when we listen to great music. However, as doc tors, if we can sense what a state of health would actually physically feel like in a particular patient, wecouldworkwiththat individual without inter feringintheirongoingprocessofhealth. We need to work not only with the relation ship between structure and function, body and mind, and parts to whole, but individual to envi ronment,personaltotranspersonal.Ourgoalmight be I hesitate to say should be to carefully, yet effectively, encourage the body, via its own phys ics, into a remembrance and reinvention of its health. How and where to adjust will be dictated

 by the bodys own purposeful direction and ex pressionofitsinherentdesign. Thismayseemlikerathernebulousspeechbut Idontthinkittobeanylesspracticalandspecific thanbelovedtermssuchasmentalforceandin nate intelligence. Speaking of which, embryolo gistsinGermanyhave,sincethe1940s,beenableto detect a rhythm that pulsates through the embryo andfetusandcanevenbetaughttobeperceived inanadultevery100seconds,apulsewhichthey believetobeamanifestationofwhatwewouldcall innateintelligence. Through clinical experience, I have noted reli ablypositivechanges,someofwhichhaveseemed miraculous, when I allow that rhythm within my selftosynchronizewith that ofthe patients.Even if, as doctors, we simply learn how to sit each morning consciously engaging or perceiving this rhythm, we would go a long way toward being able to find the health both within ourselves and thepatientsweseektoserve.Tonotdoso,inlight of what has long been known by those outside of ourprofession,is,inmyopinion,chiropracticmal practice.

 If you went to chiropractic college in the last decade you receive an education that hopefully was much richer than you might have received in the 1930s. Depending on the school you went to, youmight havebeenable tousealittle, or even a lot,morechiropractictraining,butthescientificin formation available to us now assuming it is be ing presented in chiropractic colleges is breath taking. Therearemanyareas withinthenewsciences thatservetodeepentheirunderstandingoftheon going, evolving chiropractic principle. One such areaisthefieldofembryology.Ihavelongfeltthat the best textbook on innate intelligence is an em bryology text. Embryology particularly the branch of it referred to as biodynamic is the science of a process; it details the universal guide linesofthephysicalhistoryofahumanbeing.Ifwe understand how the body develops, we can get a better picture of its history and how its inherent planforhealthisdealingwithit.Wecanconscious lyworkalongwiththevastmemoryofaverypro found process that takes a long time to etch itself intothehumanform.

 Lets say, for example, you have a valuable machine and it breaks. The parts are all there, but the problem seems to be with some essential inte ractions.Youdontknowwhichonestorepair.You can bring in a repair service to make adjustments, zap it with chemicals, or replace some parts. Or youcancallonanengineerwhoknowsthedesign. Thewaythemachinewasmateriallycreatedoffers insightintohowitmightberetunedfortheexpres sionofgreaterhealth. The engineer is not just the chiropractor. The engineer is the patient. The chiropractor exists to heighten, with receptive attention and informed action, the health universally inherent in the pa tients design. The result isnt just an increase of health,butalsoanincreaseinawarenessandother psychosocialqualities. At the foundation of the philosophy of chiro practic, of course, are the major premise and the Triuneoflife.Themajorpremisestates:Universal intelligenceisinallmatterandcontinuallygivesto itallitspropertiesandactions.Thisisabeautiful statement and one which can be consciously per ceived. It is also not singular to chiropractic. DD Palmer studied the metaphysics of his day both

 with and apart from Dr. A. T. Still, the founder of osteopathy. For decades, chiropractors have been reluctanttoadmittheconnectionbetween thetwo men, especially reluctant to acknowledge that Pal merwasastudentofStillsattheKirklandCollege of Osteopathy. To do so does not diminish chiro practic one iota. Instead, it reconnects us with a very important piece of our history, our lineage, even.Ithelpsustorecognizethatjustasthebody isalivingsystemofinteractingrelationships,sois chiropractic. I,forone,valuethesometimesovertlyspiritual qualityofDDswritingsandfeelthatwehaveim poverished ourselves as a profession by hiding fromthem.Idraw greatinspiration daily fromhis saying that The purpose of chiropractic is to reu nite God the spiritual with man the physical. In vestigating the new field of neurophysiology and integratingthebestithastoofferwiththebestthat bothofthePalmershadtosayonthesubjectofspi ritualityandhealthwouldonlyempowerthedirec tionourprofessionmovesin. So, how many research articles do you read daily? The day I met Buckminster Fuller he asked me how many books I read in a year. He was not

 pleasedwithmyanswer,replying,Ifyoutoldme thatyousleptmorethantwohoursadayandread lessthanonebookadayIwouldfireyoufromthe universe forever. Hopefully he was using some hyperbolehere.IlikemysleepandIdonotreada book every day, but I dig into the scientific litera turedailyandfeelthatitgreatlyenrichesbothmy clinicalpracticeandmyunderstanding of my pro fession.Theresnoneedtofearthescientificlitera ture it will not bite you and if it does it will not killyou. We have a responsibility to allow our profes sion,asalivingsystem,tobewhatitwantstobe,to bealiveandevolving.Wealso,concurrently, have theresponsibilitytobebothpractitionersandscho lars.Could youexplain, for example: theprinciple oftensegrityandhowitrelatestochiropracticcare; the work of Dr. Bruce Lipton and the nuances of thementalsubluxation; Dr.Candace Pertswork ontheneurochemistryofemotion;thecellularme chanicsoftouchanditsrelationtothereflexiveef fectsofpreparingtogiveandgivinganadjustment; the relation of autonomic balance to both sympto maticandnonsymptomaticsubluxations;howthe patients body instinctively moves towards correc

 tion,normalfunctionandpainrelief,andhownot tointerferewiththat;whatneuraltensionfeelslike and how, both in the central and peripheral nerv ous systems tissues, it poses an impediment to oneshealth;biofeedback,EMDR,andPTSDresolu tion and the role it can play in your practice; the Eat Well, Move Well, Think Well model of Dr. JamesChestnut;theBrainRewardCascadeSystem and Brain Reward Deficiency Syndrome; even the rudiments of Dr. Ted Carricks Functional Neurol ogy;and,especially,somaticreeducation? A note on the latter: if innate intelligence is real, and science knows that it is, do you really think it is so insubstantial or weak that it always requiresanoutsidepartytoremoveinterferenceto it? In my opinion, adjusting a patient without so maticallyreeducatingthemissimplymanipulating them. Interestingly, the nonmedical disciplines shown to be most helpful with Parkinsons, MS, and Alzheimers have been Somatic: Feldenkrais andAlexanderTechniquetobespecific. I hope you scored well regarding the above questions.Ifso,congratulations!Ifnot,youhavea lotofrewardingworktolookforwardto.

 For too long, we have hung our hat, so to speak, on a particular version of vitalism, namely, that if we remove interference to the central nerv oussystemthroughavertebraladjustmentthevital forcethatwecallinnateintelligencecouldberes tored to normal expression and function. In other words,ifwetookourfootoffthehose,innatecould flow again. In the process, though, we left out the principles of naturalism and holism. Big mistake. Severalofmybestprofessorsinchiropracticcollege trueleadinglightsinourprofessionrefusedto change their health habits, eating whatever they wantedto,smokinganddrinking,butalwaysfaith fully getting their weekly adjustment. And they either dropped dead or died a slow, painful death intheirmid50s. How has your study of and practice of chiro practic changed you? For me, chiropractic has re quiredmetokeepgrowing.Ithasalsorequiredme to live my life in a congruent manner. One cannot practice at their best if their entire life is not con gruent. There are a lot of things in life one can do wellenoughbyjustgoingthroughthemotions,but chiropracticisnotoneofthem.

 Canwearewewillingtoallowourbeliefs to be stretched to new, more expansive horizons? Are we willing to practice in congruence with the new sciences, to transcend and include the Green Books,toserveasadults,andnotchildrenorado lescents, of the chiropractic profession? Are we willing to allow chiropractic to be what it is a magnificent,dynamic,livingsystem?

Thelifethatawaitsus
byJeffRockwell,DC
Maybethepatronsaintofchiropracticshould beCuriousGeorge.Ivealwaysbeencuriousabout how things work, including and especially chiro practic. As a child my parents sometimes admo nished me for this trait. My mother would say, Curiositykilledthecat.IguessIwassupposedto file that valuable information along with other lines of wisdom such as money doesnt grow on trees.Itwasntuntilyearslater,whenIwasliving in the South, that someone told me the rest of the oldclich:Curiositykilledthecat,butsatisfaction broughtitback.

 In recent years, we saw the explosive success ofthebookandfilmTheSecret.Formanyofusit wasespeciallygratifyingasitfeaturedaprominent chiropractor. Many peoples lives were, and con tinue to be, impacted in a positive way by such books and movies. But often the results dont last long.Theresapiecemissingthatshortcircuitsthe process unless its incorporated into the changing ofonesmind.Ibelievethatmissingpieceischiro practiccare. Most of us were raised in families, churches, and other social communities where we were taughtwhatandevenhowtothink.Ratherthan exposing us to their values, people imposed them on us. No ones to blame here. This is how things are done in a subluxated world. In the first seven years of life, were all like Little Buddhas, effor tlesslyslippinginto alteredstates,seeingenergy, talkingwithimaginaryfriends,andsoakingupour worldandsensoryexperienceslikethirstysponges. But not every belief we were exposed to was healthyforournervoussystems. Some experts in child development consider the typical indoctrination process to be a form of child abuse, a violation of the human spirit. Dr.

 AndrewNewburg,attheUniversityofPennsylva nia,hasconductedstudiesshowingthatdogmatic, separatistthinking,especiallywhenaccentuatedby anger,damagesthebrain.Ifthisisntaformofsub luxationIdontknowwhatis. As we move further into the 21st century, were recognizing that subluxation isnt a spinal phenomenon, but a neurological one. This really shouldnt be news to anyone, as vitalistic chiro practors have always been attempting to engage the nervous system to facilitate the expression of healthintheirpatients. Manyofthebeliefsstirringupthemosttrouble intheworldtodaydatebacktotheIronAge.While some claim believing never hurt anyone, we see many beliefs played out that are not the least bit benign. And as we find ourselves in increasingly sophisticated technological territory, there are po tentially grave consequences to holding onto anti quatedbeliefs. Consider, for example, that without the aid of todays technology, humans killed more than 160 millionotherhumansinwarfarebasedonreligious andnationalisticideologies.In2011,therearemore than 20 religious conflicts going on, according to

 Amnesty International. The destruction that used torequirearmiesofthousandscannowbecreated byasinglebelieverwithasuitcasebomb. In chiropractic, we speak about changing the worldonespineatatime.AdvocatesofTheLaw of Attraction may talk about changing the world onethoughtatatime.Therestruthinbothposi tions,andwecanleveragethosetruths for greater gain if we exercise our curiosity regarding this thingcalledthesubluxation. Subluxation is a disease. That wasnt a typo. I didnt mean to say subluxation is disease. You readitrightthefirsttime.Subluxationisadisease of perception, in which outdated beliefs become and remain somatized as part of our neurology andrealityifleftchiropracticallyunchallenged. Dr. Bruce Lipton has demonstrated that when we repeat the same beliefs over and over, we be come a closed system functioning on autopilot. Hes noted that taking a living system as divinely profoundasthehumanorganism,andrenderingit into a sophisticated sort of automaton, causes the brain to actually shrink in size and atrophy. The hindbrain,withitspropensityforreactiveemotions and dualistic perception of the world, enlarges,

 while the prefrontal cortex, with its capacity for compassionate thinking and unitive awareness, shrinksinsize. Irecallatime,backinthe1980s,whensomeof ourkinderdetractorssaidthingslike,Chiropractic may help those with back pain, or Chiropractic adjustments may, at least, help people to become moreflexible.Ifindthelatterstatementintriguing, if not a little patronizing. To me, one of the healthiest and most loving things we could do for ourselvesistoconsistentlycourtflexibilityofbody through chiropractic care, and flexibility of con sciousnessaswell. FunctionalMRIstudiesarenowrevealingthat strong, inflexible beliefs, especially negative ones, do not make neurological sense to the brain. In response,itbuildsuptensioninitsemotionalcen terswhichmostdefinitelyincludethespinalcord andcausetheproductionofnociceptiveirritants, painproducing chemicals, and keep a person in a sustained fight or flight neurological state. These neurological and chemical changes create nerve tissue atrophy further down the central nervous systemchain.

 Wemayreadoneselfhelpbookafteranother, listen to one positive thinking guru after another, andwechangeforafewdays,afewweeks,evena fewmonths.Thisdoesntmakefor longtermhap piness, but can even become dangerous as evi dencedbythestatisticsmentionedearlier. When asked what makes people think what they believe is true, many respond that they just feelit.Ofcoursetheydo.Thebeliefshavebecome embedded into the emotional neurological centers whichwenowknowincludestheentireposterior portion of the spinal cord causing adverse nerv ous system changes and increasing the likelihood that theyll continue beating up on anyone who doesnt agree with them, regardless of whether or not their beliefs are true. This includes beating up onourselves,aswefightwiththevoicesandcondi tioning of our early past, information thats be come, to the extent were subluxated, cemented in place. Weve all seen this in our patients, and if were honest, in ourselves. Were fighting a losing battle because, in a very real sense, were fighting rather than flowing with our lives. A flexible neu rology and a flexible consciousness, along with a

 flexible spine, allow us to flow with the ever changingmysterythatlifeis. Thatallsoundssweetandpoetic,butwhatdoI reallymean?Mostofusarefamiliarwiththeneu robiologistCandacePert,PhD.TheauthorofMo lecules of Emotion. She nearly won the Nobel Prizeinmedicineintheearly1970sforherworkin identifying the chemical cause of the runners high endorphins. Her later work demonstrated that these type of chemicals, called neuropeptides, were not only produced by the brain but in other parts of the body. It was these chemicals that she namedmoleculesofemotion. Suppose you were to win the lottery tonight. Great thought, right? If that were to happen, a groupofchemicalswouldbeproducedthatwould enable you to experience the elation worthy of a personwhodjustwonalargesumofmoney.If,on theotherhand,youfellmadlyinlovewiththeman or woman of your dreams, your body would pro duce a different array of chemical molecules and you would experience some version of the intox icating,meltingfeelingweassociatewithromance. If, instead, you had a religious conversion expe

 rience you might experience divine ecstasy, if the rightchemicalsgottriggered. Some people have resistance to thinking of love, joy, or ecstasy as chemistry. Obviously, theyre more than mere chemical phenomena. They,youmightsay,transcendandincludechemi stry.But,weveallstruggledatsomepoint,trying tochangeahabit.Perhapsitwasattemptingtostop smokingordrinkingcoffee.Maybeitwastryingto eliminate procrastination or improve selfesteem. Probablyitwasdifficult,ourownpersonalversion of insanity doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. So, whats the deal? The molecules of emotion are like chemical keysthatneedtofindtherightshapedlocksin order to produce a specific feeling. These locks arecalledreceptorsitesand,accordingtoDr.Pert, the keys or emotional molecules, must locate, as they circulate through the body, receptor sites on cellsthatarestructurallysuitedto receive them.If thereceptorsitehashaditsshapealtered,through mechanical or emotional stress for example, the molecules cant bind with them. You can win the lottery, fall in love, and find God all on the same

 day, and what should be a profound experience will be minimized by the inability of these neuro peptidestofindahome.Howoftenhaveweseen patients come into our offices whose ceiling of happinessorceilingofhealthandwellnessisso lowthatitssad. Pert writes: Memories and beliefs are stored not only in the brain, but in the psychosomatic network extending into the body, particularly in the ubiquitous receptors between nerves and bun dles of cell bodies called ganglia, which are distri buted not just in and near the spinal cord, but all the way out along nerve pathways to internal or gansandtheverysurfaceofourskin. An element I think we are skipping in our discussion of practical applications for mindbody health is bodywork: the touch therapies of chiro practic and other modalities that include the body asameansofhealingthemindandemotions.Itis true that we do store some memory in the brain, butbyfar,thedeeper,oldermessagesarestoredin the body and must be accessed through the body. Your body is your subconscious mind, and you cannothealitbytalkalone!

 Ataresearchconference,IonceheardDr.Pert say,Howweexperienceourworldisinlargepart governed by the structure and function of our spine. Remember those receptor sites? The region ofthebodythathasthelargestpopulationofthem is the posterior portion of the spinal cord, specifi cally the dorsal horn. Dr. Pert feels that this is the anatomical location of the subconscious mind and referstoitasanextensionofthebrainslimbicsys tem.Infact,theemotional brainis notconfined to the brain, but extends down the spine and is knowntodayasthemesolimbicsystem. Subluxation alters the function of the spine. Dysfunctionofthespinecausesischemiaorlackof bloodflowtotheassociatedspinalcordandspinal nerveroottissues,inhibitingtheirphysiology.This includes,veryspecifically,thereceptorsitesweare talking about. Subluxation alters their physiology in an adverse manner, making it difficult, at best, forhighqualitymoleculesofemotiontobindthere, thus limiting ones experience, embodiment, and expression of health, happiness, and wholeness. Thisdistortsouremotionalexperienceofourselves and of our world, making it, by necessity, a more stressful one. Molehills become mountains. We

 shiftourphysiologyfromsafetyandtrusttodefen siveness and divisiveness, misperceiving signs of threat where there are none. Thats why, to me, subluxationrepresentsadiseaseofperception. Pert continues: The body becomes the battle field for the wargames of the mind. All the unre solved thoughts and emotions, the negativity we hold onto, shows up in the body and makes us sick. JosephCampbelloncesaid,Wemustbewill ing to get into the life we have planned, so as to havethelifethatisawaitingus.Theoldskinhasto be shed before the new one is to come. This is what happens every day in the greatest of chiro practicofficeshopefullyyours.Growthandtrans formation requires a sacrifice, a shedding of old skin. Practice members commit to chiropractic as partoftheirlifestyle.Theydivefurtherintothelife theyve planned. We adjust their nervous systems and allow their bodies to work together as a dy namic whole. And our practice members meet perhapsforthefirsttimethelifethatawaitsthem. Chiropractic is a holistic science. Today we know that the three classically separated areas of neuroscience, endocrinology, and immunology,

 with their various organs the brain; the glands; and the spleen, bone marrow, and lymph nodes are actually joined to each other in a multidirec tional network of communication, linked by infor mation carriers known as neuropeptides. What wevebeentalkingaboutthroughout thisarticle is information.Idliketospeculatethatmentalforce is the flow of information as it moves among the cells, organs, and systems of the body. The health and integrity of our core, the central nervous sys tem, permits this holistic informationnetwork to flourish.Wecanthensee,rightinfrontofoureyes, that there truly is an intelligence running things, what we as chiropractors are privileged to inti matelyknowasinnateintelligence. Instrumentation One of the major hurdles that had to be over comebychiropractic(andanyotherwellnessfield influencing the bodys neurologic and energy fields) was the lack of instrumentation capable of detecting and measuring those fields. Although some sophistical devices are capable of detecting electromagnetic energy in the minute quantities generated by the human body, quantifying subtle

 energy hasbeen more difficult, particularly in chi ropracticfieldoffices. Instead of measuring the energy emanations themselves, we normally rely on measuring the clinicaloutcomesofchiropractic interventions. Us ingstandardoutcomemeasurementprotocolssuch asHealthRelatedQualityofLife(HRQOL)studies, it ispossibletoquantify theimpact ofchiropractic adjustmentsonthebodysneurologicalsystems. Thishasalready,infact,beendonefrequently althoughprimarily withinthemedical paradigm of disease treatment. Influencing the energy fields throughinterventionssuchaschiropractic,qigong, acupuncture and acupressure, magnetic and light therapy, and healing touch have been shown to have measurable impact on a number of specific healthconditions,aswellasgeneralhealthrelated qualityoflife. HRQOLasmeasurementofwellness The move toward measuring overall wellness and quality of life, as opposed to simply diagnos ing diseases, is a fundamental shift in the health carecultureand onethat is essentialto theunder

 standingofchiropracticasameansofenergyheal ing. On April 7, 1948, the World Health Organiza tionestablisheditsdefinitionofhealthas:...astate ofcompletephysical,mental andsocial wellbeing andnotmerelytheabsenceofdiseaseorinfirmity. The definition, which was considered radical in its time because it took a more holistic view of theterm,isstillinusetoday. A more recent and expanded definition, from theQualityofLifeResearchUnitattheUniversity of Toronto states that quality of life encompasses the goodness and meaning in life, as well as peopleshappinessandwellbeing.Fromourpers pective, the ultimate goal of quality of life study anditssubsequentapplicationsistoenablepeople tolivequalityliveslivesthatarebothmeaningful andenjoyed. In its groundbreaking report, Measuring Healthy Days, the US Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Preventionnotedthat,despitetheWHOdefinition health in the U.S. has traditionally been meas ured narrowly and in the negative. What is meas uredisillhealthinitsseveremanifestations,those

 which are verifiable through physical examination andotherobjectiveproceduresortestsSuchtra ditional measures of morbidity and mortality pro videinformationabout thelowestlevels of health, buttheyreveallittleaboutotherimportantaspects of an individuals or a communitys level of health. Thats why, in recent years, health and well ness professionals have sought new ways to get a morecompletemeasurementofanindividuals to talstateofwellbeing,orqualityoflife. The multidimensional SelfReported Quality ofLifesurvey(suchasthatprovidedbyIntegrative Outcome Measurements) is based in part on two independentsurveys: 1)theSF36HealthSurvey,astandardquality of life test developed by the RAND Corporation andextensivelyadministeredandvalidated.Useof the SF36 in scientific and medical research has beendocumentedinnearly4,000publications,and it has been used to measure healthrelated quality oflifeforsamplesofthegeneralpopulationaswell as groups with specific conditions, ranging from asthmatospinalcordinjury;and

 2)theSelfReportedQualityofLife(SRQOL),a surveydevelopedforuseinspecifichealthypopu lations.TheSRQOLcontains41questionscovering physical, mental/emotional, stress evaluation and life enjoyment domains of health. This instrument has been validated and applied to several other populationsundergoingwellnessinterventions. The National Center for Chronic Disease Pre vention and Health Promotion HealthRelated Quality of Life noted that: Physicians have often used healthrelated quality of life (HRQOL) to measure the effects of chronic illness in their pa tientstobetterunderstandhowanillnessinterferes with a persons daytoday life. Similarly, public health professionals use healthrelated quality of life to measure the effects of numerous disorders, short and longterm disabilities, and diseases in differentpopulations.Trackinghealthrelatedqual ityoflifeindifferentpopulationscanidentifysub groups with poor physical or mental health and canhelpguidepoliciesorinterventionstoimprove theirhealth. Likethefounderanddeveloperofchiropractic, todayschiropractorsdonotlookonlyatthespine or limit their expertise to moving bones to reduce

 misalignments of vertebra. Instead, they see the humanbodyasafullyintegratedenergyfieldthat canbeaffectedbystructuraladjustments.Inshort, weve come full circle and gathered important in formationandunderstandingsalongtheway.

 LearnmoreaboutDr.Rondbergandhisworkat anyofthefollowingwebsites: TheChiropracticJournal IntegrativeOutcomeMeasurements TheWorldChiropracticAlliance WCAHealthNewsUpdate