Dr. Robert A. Epstein, Senior Chiropractor and Clinic Director

What is Chiropractic and when did it start?

Primitive forms of chiropractic were used as early as 17,500 B.C. Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, talked of spinal misalignment problems, and Germany has had "bonesetters" for years. Chiropractic as we know it started about 100 years ago.

The first recorded chiropractic adjustment was performed on September 18,1895, by Dr. Daniel David Palmer, a Canadian-born teacher and healer.

D.D. Palmer was born in 1845 on the Ontario frontier. At age 11, a business failure forced his family to move to the U.S. He and his younger brother stayed behind and worked in a factory until 1865. Then they rejoined their family.

By the 1880s, Palmer's thirst for knowledge led him to learn magnetic healing. This therapy used the body's magnetism to heal others. Palmer opened his first magnetic healing practice in Burlington, Iowa. A year later, in 1887, Palmer moved to Davenport, Iowa, where he started another practice.

Dr. Palmer was studying the cause and effect of disease. In Palmer's building, was a janitorial service, owned by Harvey Lillard. Lillard, who had been deaf for 17 years. Palmer asked how he had become deaf. Lillard replied that one day, when he had strained his back, he heard something "pop" in his back. For over17 years Mr. Lillard complained of hearing problem

Palmer examined Lillard's back and found spinal vertebrae out of position. Reasoning this to be the cause of Lillard's deafness, Palmer pushed the vertebrae back into place. As he expected, Lillard's hearing improved. Palmer theorized that decreased nerve flow may be the cause of disease, and that misplaced spinal vertebrae may cause pressure on the nerves. He reasoned, if the spinal column were correctly positioned, the body would be healthy.

This dramatic beginning caused a great deal of excitement, and soon exaggerated claims surfaced from activists and zealots. At first Dr. Palmer thought that he had discovered a cure for deafness. Because chiropractic challenged the traditional medical concept of health, a campaign was begun to discredit and eliminate the profession. This campaign is less active today.

One of Dr. Palmer's patients, a minister, took the Greek words for "hand" (cheiros) and "done by" (pracktos) and put them together to spell chiropractic, meaning "done by the hand."

What conditions benefit from Chiropractic care?

Low back pain
Neck pain
Headaches
Carpal Tunnel syndrome
Sprains or strains
Joint pain/bursitis/tendonitis
TMJ/Facial pain
Sciatica
Arm and leg pain
Shoulder and knee pain
Whiplash/Auto injury
Work injury
Sports injury
Nervous tension/fatigue

What does a Chiropractor really do?

The nervous system controls every cell of your body. Nerve impulses flow from the brain, down the spinal cord, and to every organ and tissue. Impulses sent back to the brain confirm that the body is working the way it should. The moving bones of the spine can interfere with this exchange by irritating adjacent nerves. Ill health can result from distorted or compromised nervous system control of the body. Chiropractic care helps restore the integrity of the nervous system by reducing interference caused by the spine.

What is the link between Chiropractic and Massage?

Massage and chiropractic are compatible holistic therapies that share the goal of your total well-being, not simply an absence of illness. Both offer natural, hands-on, drug-free techniques. They can be used as preventive as well as restorative therapies. Both work to resolve the cause of pain rather than treat isolated symptoms. Used in combination, they can help you maintain optimum health and enjoy life to the fullest.

Addressing soft tissue problems is an important complement to chiropractic care. This is because muscles move joints, while ligaments and fascia support them. If a subluxation is adjusted without addressing related soft tissue problems, you may still experience pain. In addition, your tight muscles and shortened fascia can pull your joint out of alignment again.

Is a chiropractor a real doctor? Are they as educated as an MD.?

In some recent surveys it was surprising to note that some people were unaware of the educational level of a Doctor of Chiropractic. The basic question was, "Is the education of a Doctor of Chiropractic at the same level as a Medical Doctor?" The correct answer is, of course, yes. Doctors of Chiropractic undergo a rigorous and demanding professional education equivalent to any other primary care provider. To obtain a Doctor of Chiropractic degree, they must complete several years of prerequisite undergraduate education and spend nearly the same number of classroom hours at a fully-accredited chiropractic college as MDs do in medical schools. Student doctors are thoroughly trained in the appropriate use of sophisticated analytical equipment including X-rays, examination procedures, and state of the art chiropractic investigative technologies. Before they can practice, all Doctors of Chiropractic must pass a series of National Boards, as well as a licensing exam for the state in which they choose to practice. Even after all that, most states require the doctors to attend clinical continuing education programs for annual re-licensure.

How long do I need to see a chiropractor?

In most cases, pain symptoms of common neuromusculoskeletal conditions can be relieved quite quickly through chiropractic care. However, there is a fundamental difference between the traditional medical approach to treating such conditions and the approach used by chiropractic, and it is because of this difference that chiropractic has proved to be so effective. While medicine typically tries to control the pain through drugs and modalities, the chiropractic physician's goal is to first alleviate the symptoms, and then correct the cause of the problem.

The great majority of back and neck related problems are of a mechanical nature in which joint dysfunctions are the key causative factor. How long it will take to get better, then, is not a question of how long will it take to get out of pain, but rather how long will it take for the underlying problem to be corrected. This is a crucial distinction to understand, for patients often mistake FEELING better for actually BEING better. Being out of pain does not mean your body is healthy.

So how long will it take to properly correct your spinal problem? This will depend upon many factors, such as your age, weight, lifestyle, occupation, length of time you have had the spinal problem, family predisposition, and your cooperation and commitment.

Do Chiropractors and physical therapists
do the same thing?

First of all, chiropractors are doctors, where physical therapists are not. There's a major difference between the two professions. Chiropractors offer a unique vitalistic philosophy which differs entirely from medically-influenced physical therapist reasoning. (Read the essay about chiropractic above to learn more about what we do.) Physical therapists focus primarily on the musculoskeletal system. Chiropractors focus on restoring nervous system function. Since chiropractors work directly with the nervous system, we influence every tissue, organ and gland in your body, thus affecting total body health. Chiropractors perform specific, precise chiropractic adjustments that restore normal joint integrity and neurological activity. Some physical therapists perform what's called "manipulations" that are not specific. This is not to say that physical therapists are unneeded. They serve an important purpose in the health care arena. But there are major differences between the two professions.

How and why do chiropractors treat children?
Can it hurt them?

Dr. Epstein performs only very low-force style spinal corrections on infants and toddlers. That means there's no "popping" sounds or heavy forces on your baby's spine. The adjustments are very powerful at restoring neurological control, and yet are very gentle to the baby's or child's spine. As children get older in age, usually around three to four years old, more traditional chiropractic techniques can be used as their bodies mature. No child has ever been injured in our chiropractic office. On the other hand, many children's lives have been transformed under chiropractic care. We have seen children completely get off all medicines, overcome many types of conditions, and had their life restored! Chiropractic should be a standard wellness care choice for your children and family.

Can Chiropractic replace the need
for my regular doctor?

Chiropractic care is not a replacement for your family doctor; however, if we can remove the interference that is occurring in your body, visits to your regular doctor will be few and far between. Not to say that you will not ever need your family doctor, chiropractic should be a complimentary health care with traditional medical practices. MD�s typically look to treat the symptoms of a condition, while chiropractor�s main objective is to address the source of the condition. The symptoms will disappear when the source is no longer present. We firmly believe in the motto �There is a time and place for everything�.

Can Chiropractic CURE diseases?

Chiropractic is often mistakenly called a cure-all for any and all diseases. This is simply not true. Surprisingly, however, a recent medial study showed at 400% increase in the resistance to sickness for those under regular chiropractic care. However, chiropractic care does not make the body better by adding some mystical power. Instead, the chiropractic adjustment removes blockages in your spine which prevent your body from staying well in the first place. The better health and freedom from symptoms you desire are in your already -- right now. Chiropractic removes the block in the road on your way to better health.