Westside Chiropractic

Dr. James Aungst

3807 SW Garden Home Rd

City, State, Zip

Portland, OR 97219

 

Information About Chiropractic

About Chiropractic
History of Chiropractic
Chiropractic Philosophy
Chiropractic Care
Frequently Asked Questions

Chiropractic: A Brief History

The word "chiropractic" is derived from two Latin and Greek words meaning "done by hand". The first recorded chiropractic treatment was performed on September 18, 1895, by Dr. Daniel David Palmer, a Canadian-born teacher and healer. At the time, Dr. Palmer was researching the cause and effect of disease and came to feel that the nerves of the body could be adversely affected as they exited the spine. His patient was Harvey Lillard, a janitor working in the same building where Dr. Palmer had his office in Davenport, Iowa. Harvey, who had complained of deafness for over 17 years, allowed Dr. Palmer to examine his spine. Dr. Palmer discovered a "lump" on Harvey's back and suspected that a vertebra might be out of place, which he then repositioned with his hands. Within a few minutes there was a noticeable improvement in Harvey's hearing and after several such treatments, much of his hearing was restored.

Since Dr. Palmer's first treatment (now termed a chiropractic adjustment), the art and science of chiropractic has progressed significantly. Today, advanced diagnostic procedures, sophisticated equipment, scientific research and the growing acceptance among other health care professionals makes chiropractic a popular health care choice. We treat patients of all ages and backgrounds.

Chiropractic Philosophy

The chiropractic perspective on health and disease emphasizes four fundamental concepts:

  1. The normal state of the body is health, not disease.
  2. The brain and nervous system control and coordinate all body functions.
  3. The abnormal position and/or movement of the joints of the spine (vertebrae) can adversely influence nerve function as the nerves exit the spine, and thereby how the body functions.
  4. If all of the body parts are present and intact, and any interferences to the normal function of them have been removed, the body can heal itself.

 Although chiropractic shares much with other health professions, its emphasis on and application of philosophy distinguishes it from conventional medicine. Chiropractic philosophy gravitates toward a holistic ("total person") approach to healing which combines elements of the physical, chemical and emotional. It maintains that optimum health depends on obedience to natural laws and that deviation from such laws can result in illness. The longer the deviation, the more involved the problem(s).

Widespread Use of Chiropractic Care

The increasing interest in alternative forms of health care has caught the attention of numerous health associations and government agencies. These approaches have certainly caught the attention of the consuming public, weary of a blind focus by mainstream "conventional medicine" on drugs and surgery that, often enough, does more harm than good. A 1993 study in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that "The estimated number of visits made in 1990 to providers of unconventional therapy was greater than the number of visits to all primary care medical providers nationwide," and that chiropractic was among the most frequently used of these non-medical therapies.

A follow-up report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1998 found that the use of non-medical treatments had increased significantly since the 1990 survey, with "overall prevalence of use increased by 25%, total visits by an estimated 47%, and expenditures on services provided by practitioners of alternative therapies by an estimated 45%." Of the survey respondents, one in nine (11%) had used chiropractic care within the previous year... and much of this without the benefit of insurance coverage.

The simple truth is, if medicine had all the answers, other approaches would not be needed. Common sense dictates that one should seek out conservative care first, then drugs if needed, and surgery only as a last resort. In a more proper perspective, the less invasive and potentially damaging the procedure, the more mainstream it should be... and the more drastic the procedure, the more "alternative" it should be.