So, What are Symptoms?
Symptoms have usually been perceived as detrimental and bad for human health. With the goal of eliminating symptoms and making the patient more comfortable, traditional medicine has offered patients prescription drugs to eliminate or mask these symptoms.
However, it appears that the human body possesses an amazing intelligence, often referred to as innate intelligence. This intelligence responds and reacts to information provided from the external environment. It continuously coordinates and regulates all body systems in response to environmental challenges. For example, when we develop a particular symptom it is important to recognize that innate intelligence has chosen for the body to react as such. It has chosen this response to deal with a stressful agent or condition. This response must therefore be considered appropriate. Symptoms can also be viewed as a signal, informing us of things to do or avoid in order to promote healing.
For this innate intelligence to function optimally, the nervous system must be able to coordinate all the messages between the brain and the organ systems, and vice versa. Therefore, without nervous system interference, the human body can achieve an optimal state of health and well-being.
In most cases, the manifestation of symptoms is an important part of healing. This reaction contributes to establishing equilibirum. Masking symptoms by utilization of medication or other forms of therapy is not always in your best interest. Masking symptoms often leads to more serious situations and disease porcesses. One of the common symptoms that most people attempt to eliminate is increased body temperature, usually referred to as fever. A prominent researcher, Matt Kluger, stated that there is evidence that increased body temperature is an adaptive response. He stated that it is probable that the utilization of analgesic medication utilized to reduce body temperature results in increased morbidity (greater illness for a lonnger period ) in most infection cases. (3)
It is imperative that you listen to your innate intelligence as it provides you with messages related to your health and healing. Utilization of medication does not only mask symptoms, it also robs you from the important messages being provided by your body, and decreases your ability to heal. Your chiropractor's purpose is to assure that your body's mechanisms of auto regulation and healing function at optimal levels.
Ordinarily, symptoms are the result of a perfect body programming. For example, morning sickness caused by pregnancy has been shown by researches to be a protective function of adaptation, which actually reduces the risk of a miscarriage. (1-2). Chiropractic philosophy recognizes that within each human body resides such intelligence. This intelligence regulates all body function and leads to perfect harmony, health and healing.
So you ask, what is the relationship between chiropractic care and symptoms?
All health professions and help professionals focus on helping their patients feel better and experience better health. In reality, most focus on sickness by attempting to eliminate symptoms. By eliminating symptoms, they make the patient feel more comfortable. A recent stydy has shown that even with extraneous investigation of symptoms for patients presenting to hospital emergency departments, in 30% to 75% of cases, it was not possible to establish the exact cause of the patient's problem. Such a research brings many questions to the surface. Is it possible that the presence of symptoms means more than " something is wrong" and that masking symptoms may not contribute to the improvement of health and well-being over a long period?(4)
Certain chiropractors prefer to help their patients by alleviating headaches, neck and back pain, and other aches and pains, other chiropractors like your chiropractor have a diffrent goal and purpose. Your chiropractor's objective is not only to reduce your discomfort and pain, even though that is often the secondary benefit of chiropractic care. Your chiropractor's respect for innate intelligence is so fundamental that he chooses to concentrate his attention on eliminating nervous system interference between the brain and the tissues of the body, which include all organ systems. By doing such, symptoms are better interpreted, and appropriate care can be rendered to help you achieve health and well-being. Make chiropractic part of your health routine.
1) Flaxman SM, Sherman PW, Q Rev Biolo 2000; 75: 113-48A.
2) Weigal RM, Weigal MM, Nausea and vomiting of early pregancy outcome. A meta-analytical review. British J Obstetrics and Gynaec 1989; 96:1312-8.
3) Kluger MJ, Kozak W, Conn CA, et al.Infect Dis Clin North An 1996;10:1-20
4) Kroenke K, Mangelsdorff D, Common Symptoms in Ambulatory Care, Am J Medecine 1989; 86:262-6
