Definition of Chiropractic: According to the Association of Chiropractic Colleges chiropractic is a health care discipline which emphasizes the inherent re-cooperative power of the body to heal itself without the use of drugs or surgery. The practice of chiropractic focuses on the relationship between structure (primarily the spine) and function (coordinated by the nervous system) and how that relationship affects the preservation and restoration of health.

Chiropractic is.

• an approach to health that utilizes the body's inherent and natural recuperative powers.
• a healing science that places emphasis on maintaining the structural integrity of the body
• a method of health care that is conservative and that does not utilize drugs or surgery

Chiropractic, from its early beginnings, has endorsed the idea of wellness. It is a holistic (total person) method that deals with treating the cause of the problem rather than just the symptoms.

Chiropractic considers all aspects of the patient's life: family history; work; lifestyle and environment; diet; exercise regimen; the attention to prevention; and the patient's physical and emotional stress factors.

Chiropractic is based on several essential principles, including:

The nervous system, comprised of the brain, the spinal cord and billions of nerve fibers, controls and coordinates all other organs and structures, and relates the individual to the changing environment.

The bony spine, although designed to protect the delicate nervous tissue within, can have restricted range of motion and affect the nerves. This interferes with nerve communications within the body. The restriction of the vertebra is called subluxation. Experience and now research studies have shown that adjusting the subluxation can relieve nerve interference and allow the body to function normally, thus maintaining health.