“Chiropractors correct abnormalities of the intellect as well as those of the body.”—D. D. Palmer, Discoverer of Chiropractic.
Shortly after its discovery, chiropractic’s mind-healing (psycho-therapeutic) effects were observed. Many individuals suffering from severe as well as mild conditions such as anxiety, insomnia, excess tension, depression, “mental dullness” and other conditions reported relief of their problems.
Due to chiropractic’s success in this area, chiropractic sanitariums were founded throughout the United States. They reported success rates far better than medical sanitariums and institutions.
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)
Today the new scientific discipline of mind-body relationships (PNI or psychoneuroimmunology) is revealing the many ways that your thoughts and feelings affect your physical health and the many ways your physical health affects your emotional health.
PNI has discovered (actually rediscovered) that many conditions considered “emotional” or “mental” may, in fact, be neurological, due to a malfunctioning nervous system. When nervous system function is improved, many conditions considered “emotional” can resolve. This has been especially obvious following chiropractic care.
How Does Chiropractic Affect Mental Health?
Chiropractic promotes a “sound mind in a sound body” by removing a serious form of nervous system damage, the vertebral subluxation complex (“subluxation”). When the interference of the nervous system’s function is relieved by chiropractic adjustments, psychological health has been observed to improve. Your nervous system appears to be a “bridge” or intermediary between your mind and body. Its proper functioning affects both ends of the “bridge” when you are freed from subluxations.
…almost everyone adjusted [for subluxation] is benefited. Chiropractors should occupy posts in every mental hospital.
–Herbert C. Hender, MD, chief psychiatrist at the Clear View Sanitarium
Clinical Observations
Chiropractic has shown dramatic effects on children diagnosed with emotional and/or learning disorders. Among benefits noticed are improved IQ, improved behavior, better attention span and concentration, and improved vision, hearing and muscular coordination. In many cases, children were able to stop taking Ritalin and other drugs.
All children diagnosed with learning and behavioral problems, including hyperactivity (ADD, ADHD), dyslexia, autism, Asperger’s syndrome, developmental delay and other “nervous system” disorders need to have their spines checked by a chiropractor.
Chiropractic has never been observed to reduce or remove phobias and stress. However, the benefits of subluxation correction are not only for those with observed problems; all children, as well as adults, may get a “brain boost” from chiropractic care.
Decreased Blood To The Brain?
Subluxations appear to decrease blood supply to certain parts of the brain and this may be why whiplash and accident victims exhibit nervousness, stress, concentration, vision and emotional symptoms. It has also been observed that preschool children who have experienced even a mild head injury can have neurological problems years later.
Research studies and clinical observation indicate that one-way chiropractic helps brain function is by increasing blood supply to the brain. There may also be other mechanisms as well.
Since childhood is so full of falls and accidents, a chiropractic spinal checkup should be as much a part of a child’s health care as vision and hearing checkups. How many conditions considered “emotional” in adults may be due to a fall or accident in childhood that has compromised the nervous system? No one knows.
What Outcome Studies Reveal
Outcome studies have revealed the psychological benefits of chiropractic care. In one study of 2,818 chiropractic patients, those under regular chiropractic care reported greater physical health, improved emotional health, less stress in their lives and enhanced life enjoyment.
Other outcome studies have also revealed that chiropractic patients report improved mental health, more vitality, and better overall health status.
Chiropractic…is the last frontier of physical treatment of disorders of the mind…It is not surprising that chiropractic lifts depression…will become an important tool in psychiatric treatment…chiropractic has hardly yet started on a predictable course to its pinnacle as the most used procedure in Medicine.—R.F. Gorman, Australian researcher and physician
Please be aware that chiropractic is not for physical or emotional/mental disorders, it is for people. No matter what condition or disease you or your loved ones may be manifesting, being free of vertebral subluxations is absolutely necessary for complete physical and emotional health and well-being.
Dr. Gonstead’s Clinical Observations on Emotional Health
Dr. Gonstead’s clinical experiences of 7 million people gave him a very deep understanding of the spine and how subluxations will cause emotional health issues. In Dr. Gonstead’s seminars, he mentioned many conditions he has helped such as Depression, Nervousness, Nervous Break Downs, Mental Illness, Emotional Problems, Senility and Loss of Memory, Alcoholism, Amnesia, and Perception problems/Dyslexia. Often times he mentioned the bodies ability to control chemical responses, mostly hormones were out of control from the result of subluxation.
When subluxation scrambles the communication of the brain to the rest of the body, the chemicals such as neurotransmitters/hormones/neuropeptides/etc that comes from the brain and goes out of control. There can be too many chemicals or fewer chemicals produced by the glands, reproductive organs, digestion organs, and many more. An obvious solution was to correct subluxations but many Chiropractors failed to see good results as much as Dr. Gonstead’s clients because the other Chiropractors failed to understand that there is no formula.
There is no formula because everyone has different bodies, people came from different places, grew up with different experiences, ate differently, and has done many different activities. All of these will determine the makeup of the person’s spine and the adaptation of the brain to the environment. Dr. Gonstead understood that fact and always find had a clear mind and look at each person as a unique situation. When other Chiropractors that has failed to look at each individual and stuck with their formula of adjusting certain areas of the spine resulting to seldom results.
Instead of doing formulas, Dr. Gonstead was always understanding the physiology of the organs in the body. For emotional well-being, he often referred to as ‘Problems with the Body Chemistry.’ The body chemistry problems usually consisted of Thyroid, Adrenals, Ovaries/Testes, and Pituitary glands. He looked in the corresponding nerves on spinal segments on the autonomic nervous system. He then would look at the full spine x-ray film and determined what was mechanically going on with the spine. Then he would examine the person and find the subluxation and correct that segment.
Ever since his grand work and experiences noted on “The Notes,” by Dr. Carr and Dr. Donahue, many people were able to understand further his ideas and never took Chiropractic as a formula. His students have further studied his work and progressing to understand the human body and how Chiropractic can change emotional health and well-being.contact our Edina chiropractor today.
The well-adjusted family is a happier family (we really adjust people one at a time).