Deductive Thinking

We chiropractic people just do not think the same as other people. While there are comparatively few who think the way we do, it is significant because it makes a dramatic difference in the way we live. And while it is different, I am confident it is right because logical reasoning says it is.

Chiropractic and chiropractic philosophy are based upon what is known as "deductive reasoning." Without providing a lengthy discussion as to what that is exactly, we can define this type of reasoning generally as "any set of logical reasoning that moves from a self-evident, true generality to a specific particular." For example, organization requires intelligence and the body is organized (both self-evident, true generalities), therefore the body must have an innate or inborn intelligence (more specific truth). It should be noted that this is in opposition to medical thinking that uses "inductive reasoning", which moves from a specific or part to a generality. For example, it has been noted that some smokers develop cancer (specific truth) and hence, the conclusion that smoking causes cancer (not necessarily a true generality). In fact, smoking in and of itself does not cause cancer. We know that because there are many smokers who never develop cancer and many more people who never smoked that have developed cancer. As you may know, part of the truth is not necessarily the truth. Let's look at some other examples, all of which were taken from a single issue of a popular "health" magazine.

One short news clip discussed the effects of ultraviolet B rays--the type that have been identified as causing sunburn--on the immune system. Findings of the only noted study showed that volunteers who were tested with an allergy-triggering chemical when sunburned and again three weeks later did not develop as much redness or swelling at the 2nd testing (specific). The author suggests that sun exposure weakens immune response (generality). Isn't it possible that the decreased redness and swelling at the second testing was a sign that the body was better able to adapt to the induced "stress?" It may be that the body had a way to recognize the chemical and so it responded in a less dramatic way. See how the conclusion is not necessarily true!?!

Another clip suggested that exercise could prevent the development of diabetes (a generality drawn from the following specifics). The article noted a study that showed that exercising once a week reduced the risk of developing diabetes by 23%, 2-4 times a week cut the risk by 38% and 5 or more times cut the risk by 42%. These numbers would suggest that indeed the conclusion is true but how do they determine risk? If a person does not have a disease and does not get a disease how do you know that they would not have developed the disease no matter what they did. The fact of the matter is that exercise is good for everyone and should be done in some manner regardless of your age, sex weight, or predisposition to any disease (self-evident truth).

You see, deductive thinking focuses on the entity--in these cases--health, while inductive thinking focuses on the absence of that entity--disease. So the next time you are reading a health magazine, remember there are two sides to every story. Try to think deductively and see if it makes more sense.

You've Got STRESS!!!

Your boss is getting on your nerves; you have to get a project finished but the phone keeps ringing; you still have not met the right person to marry to have the children you want so badly or you have children that are so bad you hardly want them; your car breaks down; your involved in a car accident; your bills are piling up; your in-laws are coming to dinner; your mother says she never sees you anymore; you are overwhelmed by your cholesterol count, your sodium intake, your sugar intake and your fat intake; you or someone you know has cancer or AIDS and YOU'VE GOT STRESS!!!

There is simply no escaping it. Our lives and the world we live in are loaded with stress. More than 66% of all visits to a primary-care physician are for stress-related disorders. The highest level of stress measured in the U.S. was in mothers with children under the age of 6 who also work outside the home. Every week 112 million people take medication for stress related disorders. Job stress costs American industry more than 150 billion dollars yearly in absenteeism, lost productivity, accidents and medical insurance. It is worth noting that some stress may be good. Many people are more alert, more productive and consequently happier and healthier with a certain amount of stress. Beyond that, however, it stops contributing to your ability to function and starts inhibiting it.

Stress is a double-edged sword. Things going wrong produce stress and it causes things to go wrong. Stress over an extended period of time can make you quit your job, can lead you to depression or to drugs and alcohol. All of these can and will certainly affect your ability to perform, your ability to earn money and your quality of life.

We all need to do more to combat stress, we have to learn to find a balance in our work and personal lives. Certainly there are some things that you simply can not do anything about, for example, the unexpected death of a loved one, natural disasters and accidents. However, everyone can and should carefully examine their lives and make an honest attempt to reduce the stress-producing circumstances that make unnecessary demands upon them. Determine which things you can do something about, concentrate your time and energy on them and try to avoid the obvious ones. We should emphasize wellness, focus on the positive and relax, whatever the circumstance.

Upper cervical care should also play an important role in your stress management. When a stress-inducing event occurs, muscles contract, breathing becomes faster and more shallow, heartbeat increases and digestion is halted. This all occurs as a response to a nervous impulse. Continually contracted muscles will cause subluxation or nerve damage and nerve damage will lower your ability to deal with stress. Of course, just as different situations produce varying amounts of stress for different people, different stress management techniques will have varying degrees of effectiveness. Some may benefit from exercise while others respond to meditation, deep breathing or spending time on an enjoyable hobby. Upper cervical care, however, can assist everyone because it removes nerve damage and and interrupts the contracted muscle/increased stress cycle.

Upper cervical care coupled with positive thinking, yoga and other stress management techniques can create a sense of well-being and a zest for life thereby leading to a longer, more productive, healthier life.

Children and Alignment

How often have you heard people say, "One day I felt fine, and then the next day I was just..."? Probably enough that you don't even recognize the absolute absurdity of that statement. Except for severe traumas, such as car accidents, major falls, gunshot wounds, poisoning, etc., people do not suddenly become ill. Disease does not occur spontaneously. Small traumas, long-term abuse and negligence, though unnoticeable at first, take their toll on the body over a period of time. By the time the first symptoms appear, the body has already been malfunctioning for some period of time, often years.
This is the primary reason to have children under regular upper cervical care. Studies have shown that 80% of children receive their first subluxation or nerve damage during the birthing process. Many of them will go 20, 30, or 40 years or possibly the rest of their lives with that interference in their brain, spinal cord and nerves. Even those who are not subluxated upon birth will have a variety of stresses put upon their spines as they grow. How many times does a child fall while he or she is just learning to walk? And after they learn to walk, don't they run, skip, stomp, jump and hop? Don't they fall out of bed, fall out of trees, off their bikes, fight with their siblings, stand on their heads, play football, basketball, baseball, soccer, gymnastics and dance?
Any one of these things is enough to cause nerve damage or subluxation. Left uncorrected, these will also begin to take their toll on the body. Lowering the ability of the body to be well will make them less able to concentrate, fight off disease, coordinate and balance, make the food that they eat into usable forms, clean the blood of toxins, and distribute the chemicals in the body that coordinate organ function. In short, they will be less able to be healthy, strong and flexible.

It is important to note that the mechanism that originally brought two cells together and created the miracle that is you is still at work in you as it is in every other living being. It continually creates new tissue and maintains you in existence. The very mechanism by which we are able to be well is the same mechanism at work in a child. It is no less effective in a child than it is in an adult. Therefore, if it is important for you to be aligned, isn't it equally or more important to have your children checked for the same interference or damage?
Many people are concerned about the forcefulness of an alignment for a growing child. That would be a legitimate concern if all patients received the same alignment. Thankfully, they do not. Each person is aligned according to their age, their size, the condition of their health and the specific way their body was made. Men may not be aligned the same as women, the same as children the same as elderly people, the same as tall, short or pregnant people. No two alignments are the same, let alone on two different people. Children, on the whole, require far less force than adults, mostly because time and stress have not yet taken their toll. Who better than children to be under regular upper cervical care? Who could profit more than those who have not yet developed health problems?


*some information reprinted with permission from the Foundation for the Advancement of Chiropractic Education*

Do you really want to be Healthy?

There is an old saying: “Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die to get there.” A similar statement could be made concerning health. In almost any survey taken asking people what they wanted most out of life, good health is one of the top three things on the list. The only two things that ever top it are happiness and good family relationships. Yet how many of us allow other less important things to keep us from attaining maximum health? Like happiness, health does not come by luck. It is true that hereditary factors are important to good health but most people can be healthy in spite of hereditary weakness. Conversely, hereditary strengths will not overcome a failure to take care of yourself.

Most people who come into a chiropractic office indicate a desire to be healthy. Unfortunately, they often do not realize that it will take some effort on their part. The average person’s experience with medicine has led them to believe that they will be made healthy by what the doctor does to them or what he gives them. They can just sit back, do nothing or at most, remember to take their medication every four hours. While this approach may be relatively effective in the treatment of disease, it has virtually nothing to do with health. For the most part, disease treatment is a passive activity. Health maintenance or health restoration is largely an active endeavor. Therein lies the problem. Sitting back and doing nothing will not promote or maintain health. Hoping or wishing for it will not make it happen. It must be actively pursued. A choice must be made. Good, nutritious, health-promoting food is available, but then so is junk food. You must make the decision as to what kind you are going to eat and then make the extra effort to get it. Exercise is not a passive activity. You cannot get fit by simply watching pilates videos.

Chiropractic is not a passive activity either. While it is true the patient lies on the table and relaxes, it is the body that makes the adjustment. The chiropractor introduces a force into the spine and the body’s muscles actively move the bone to exactly where it belongs. Further, the benefits of chiropractic care occur after the adjustment. Like exercise and eating, they are far-reaching and unlike treatments, they are not designed for short-term, immediate effects. It is true you may feel good after eating a good meal or after a good work out. You may also feel good right after a chiropractic adjustment, but the real benefits are the long-term ones. When the body is working better it can actively promote health and well-being and add years to your life.

There is another aspect that makes chiropractic care an active approach. The patient must make the commitment to care. The chiropractor cannot give you a bottle of adjustments and say: “Take one every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next six weeks.” The patient must make the willful decision to come in regularly and follow the program. The chiropractor cannot follow you around or take you by the hand.

Do you really want to be healthy? Sadly, too many people do not want to pay the price which is time, money and effort. Happiness does not come by accident. Fame and fortune are not a matter of luck. Similarly, you cannot expect to have good health unless you do those things necessary to attain it. Every individual has to establish his or her priorities. Is watching television more important than exercising for your health? Is saving money by eating poor quality food more important to you than spending the few dollars for good food? Is doing whatever you do that interferes with regular adjustments more important than your health?

Only you can answer these questions and how you decide on these and other relative questions could very well determine your health, your happiness and your life.

Do you really want to be healthy? I think you do. But even more important, will you take the steps necessary to ensure health?