Premise 1: Chiropractic represents a distinct natural, holistic, vitalistic, conservative, and rational health care paradigm that is both philosophically logical and scientifically valid.
Welcome the first premise that is presented in our series of diving into Dr. James L. Chestnut’s work of “The 14 Foundational Premises for the Scientific and Philosophical Validation of the Chiropractic Wellness Paradigm.” Dr. James Chestnut is one of the leading philosophical and scientific doctors in the chiropractic profession. Our review of his concepts will hopefully give you all a deeper understanding of what chiropractic is and why your choice in chiropractic is not only a valid choice for your foundational health care but is the wisest decision.
What do we mean by foundational health care? We mean the choices and activities that you do on a regular basis to promote good health, not merely trying to remedy an illness. These things include consistent good nutritional habits, regular exercise, good hygiene, good spiritual and emotional connection, great sleeping habits, and yes… consistent wellness chiropractic care. Most of these suggestions are almost common since, but lets dive into why chiropractic is a philosophically logical and scientifically valid form of actual HEALTH care option for you!
Coulter, 1. The Chiropractic Paradigm. JMPT 1990; 13 (5)
“In the area of health, chiropractors begin with a different set of assumptions, use different theoretical explanations, embrace a different philosophy, pose different questions and use different language and different therapeutic solutions than medicine.” “Therefore chiropractic does not, in a strict sense, treat diseases, it treats the patient with the purpose of returning the body to a normal (homeostatic) state.”
This is great news that a profession like chiropractic exists in our community as it is uniquely positioned to solve the “problem” of what can we do preventatively, or help to restore ourself back health. Chiropractic modality is very different than that the medical interventions of medicine, and in truth, inferior to medical interventions when it comes to helping pathology (when you are already very, very sick). However, many people find that chiropractic is almost superior in a way at helping a person in dis-ease or imbalance that medical doctors just scratch their heads at. This is because chiropractors ask different questions based on the philosophic principles that we will discuss in a minute. In fact, the medical profession has not gotten one patient ever, well. There is no drug or surgical procedure in the world that can make you healthy! Does this mean that the medical profession is a sham? Absolutely not! What the medical model has excelled at is preventing disease from overtaking a person and has helped patients not die from disease. However, once a person is out of the “danger zone” medicine can no longer take you further into health. Their tools are biologically incompatible to health. They are powerful and are useful tools when “limitations of matter” are in play and can tip the scales to survival; but it will not make you well. Example: you have high blood pressure, so your medical doctor gives you a “water pill”. This lowers your blood pressure and therefore decreases your chance of stroke. But, this is important to know, it will never solve the problem of why you have high blood pressure.
Philosophies of Chiropractic
Vitalism: “Biological forces are directed by a non-mechanical, supernatural, or vitalistic force.” Physics and chemistry are under the law of entropy. This is that all matter in the universe will become more disorganized over time. All organisms (life) operates outside of this bio-physical force that we do not completely understand yet. All life has an innate intelligence and vital force (life force) to heal and to organize itself. “Health comes from inside-out.”
Holism: “The whole is bigger than the sum of its parts”. Every cell in our body works independently and co-dependently. One system in our body does not work on its own and affects other systems in return. “The neuromusculoskeletal system is the means through which we experience and express our humanity and individuality, our intellect, every feeling, belief, hope, and fear and every ethical, moral, and even scientific principle” - (Korr)
Naturalism: The body is built upon nature’s order. This is seen through the body’s interaction with our environment. The body is also able to heal itself with what nature provides. If it can be helped, it should not be tampered with, with drugs and surgery.
Conservatism: “Intervention should be restricted whenever possible to those things that facilitate the body’s own healing/health capacity.” If you ever wondered why our doctors say lets see how you respond even though “your pain” is still there. Trusting the process, and letting your body heal after removing the most influential thing holding it back, will almost always produce a better and longer lasting result. :)
Critical Rationalism: “Reason and logic provide the best intellectual tools for organizing the data collected by the senses.” Asking the right questions based on the prior principles will lead to the correct answer in finding health.
Chiropractic is Scientifically Valid
Association of Chiropractic Colleges Position Paper #1 1996
“The practice of chiropractic focuses on the relationship between structure (primary the spine) and function (as coordinated by the nervous system) and how that relationship affects the preservation and restoration of health.”
Kent, Christopher Models of vertebral subluxation: A review. JVSR 1996 1 (1)
“Although stimulation of articular mechanoreceptors may exert an analgesic effect, use of manipulation for the episodic, symptomatic treatment of pain is not chiropractic.”
There is a lot of research published in chiropractic literature in how chiropractic is a good method of “treatment” in neck pain, low back pain, headaches and migraines, costochondritis, and other overall decreasing the need of pain management drugs. However, most of these studies operate in the allopathic (or medical) philosophical model. Person with pain (diagnosis) gets treatment (chiropractic in this example), person statistically improves symptoms. According to medical providers this is about all that chiropractic is good for. But as mentioned above, this is not chiropractic! Chiropractic is the study of structure and how it affects the function (through the nervous system) of the human body. To fully measure the benefit of chiropractic in it’s true sense we need to look at studies that look at scientifically significant health improvements, not merely making a problem go away.
One example of this is studies called PBRN’s. This is a study that can measure quality of life questions to a massive sample size (over a 1000 participants). For example, in a PBRN titled “The Use of the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System and the RAND VSQ9 to Measure the Quality of Life and Visit-Specific Satisfaction of Pregnant Patients Under Chiropractic Care Utilizing the Webster Technique” this study was able to conclude that “A PBRN study was successfully implemented among chiropractors to find pregnant patients highly satisfied and their quality of life scores improving with care beyond chance.”
J Altern Complement Med. 2018 Jan;24(1):90-98.doi: 10.1089/acm.2017.0162.Epub 2017 Dec 20.
One other example is “Improvements in quality of life of patients under chiropractic care in a practice-based research network.” This study looked at may ages and concluded “Patients under chiropractic care improve in their quality of life as measured by the PROMIS Global Health survey. Both Global Physical Health and Global Mental Health were determined to increase beyond chance.”
Presented at ACC-RAC 2019: Baltimore, MD 14-16, 2019
There are many more studies of PBRN’s that the International Pediatric Chiropractic Association have already published and continue to create more studies; you can check them out here.
What does this mean for you and your family in choosing chiropractic care as a means to help improve your overall health? Chiropractic care is uniquely different in its philosophy and approach when it comes to health care. It is also scientifically valid beyond chance that there is evidence it can help your family’s physical and mental wellbeing. Chiropractic works! Chiropractic can be a tool for you and your family to support your innate healing ability.
Don’t “fire” the fire department! We still need medical doctors and allopathy to help preserve life when toxic stress exceeds our body’s natural ability to repair itself. However, do not look to allopathy to build health upon. Chiropractic is your carpenter! Let’s get building!
