A Word on Chiropractic Training

Sonoma, CA Chiropractor, Todd Lloyd has uploaded an article in is Sonoma Chiropractic Blog posted a great table comparing the educational requirements of a chiropractic doctor degree against those of a medical doctor degree. 

Subject	Chiropractic Schools		Medical Schools
	Hours	% of Total	Hours	% of Total
Anatomy	570	40	368	31
Biochemistry	150	11	120	10
Microbiology	120	8	120	10
Public Health	70	5	289	24
Physiology	305	21	142	12
Pathology	205	14	162	14
Total Hours	1,420	100	1,200	100

I have reproduced that table from his website above.  I can tell you from personal experience, as someone who also earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, that the class hours spent in chiropractic college were quite extensive. And for every hour spent in class, we spent about 3 hours outside preparing for lectures, reveiewing materials, preparing assignments, and reviewing for exams.  On top of all of that, during and after this course of study, we were required to undergo 4 different national licensing exams and then another license exam specific to the state in which we were to practice.  Amazing to look at in restrospect.

At any rate, many of my patients are amazed to learn that we actually had more hours in anatomy, physiology, radiology and neurology than our MD counerparts.  On the other hand, they had to go through gruelling pharmacology courses that we were not asked to study as that is outside of the chiropractic scope of practice.

Some of the most interesting classes?  I enjoyed the 4 semesters of cadaver lab work.  Sounds grotesque if you have never done it, but there is nothing that compares with seeing the actual structures laying right there in front of your eyes just the way our creator planned it or as we evolved it (depending on your beliefs).  Oh yeah, and that reminds me of something that I kept thinking as we would sit in our physiology lectures... "I wonder why they designed it that way... oops... it wasn't designed that way... it's only that way because it works!"

Interesting stuff... no matter who you are :)




Now, at this point, I would point out that the chiropractic subject matter that is taught in chiropractic college is not taught anywhere else.  Just as an MD will suggest that we do not have identical educations and thus we cannot do their job, we can say the very same thing about MDs, physical therapists, physical trainers,  and I dare say even osteopaths.  These professions do not include training in the specific vertebral adjustment to address subluxation.  Many are surprised to learn that even Osteopaths do not require adjustive or manipulative techniques in their curriculum and those procedures (which are substantially less specific than the corresponding chiropractic procedures, by the way) are taken as an optional elective and nowhere near enough time is provided to develop proficiency.

Edward Harriott, DC

Mission Viejo Chiropractic

24896 Chrisanta Dr. #120

Mission Viejo, CA 92691

(949)360-1112

http://www.mvchiro.com

If you want to reach more from Dr. Lloyd's Sonoma Chiropractor blog, fee free to visit it. If you need a chiropractor in Sonoma, CA, you can find him at:

Todd Lloyd, DC; Chiropractor in Sonoma

525 3rd Street West, Suite C

Sonoma, CA 95476

(707) 408-2225

http://lloydchiro.com

http://lloydchiro.com/?page_id=7

Sound Activated Voice Recorder to Screen for Sleep Apnea, Teeth Grinding

San Mateo Chiropractor, Reza Abusaidi recently uploaded information in his San Mateo Chiropractic blog about a new iphone app called Night Recorder. This app is available in the apple app store for $2.99. It is ostensibly intended to help you to determine if you are grinding your teeth at night.

I am really excited about the idea and as an android user, I immediately looked in the Android Marketplace but alas, I have come up empty handed.  I was told by the developer of Livo Pro are working to develop a voice activation feature in their voice app but they have no planned release date. As as of this date, I have not been able to find an android app that will record upon sound activation and then shut off with silence.

If you are a Windows Pocket PC user, the Yoho Voice Recorder application has voice activation.

Why would this be so great?  Well, teeth grinding is a significant dental problem and it contributes to a lot of temporomandibular joint pain (TMJ).  If I had a patient with TMJ, besides treatment, I would immediate advise them to record themselves in sleep for several days to see if they are grinding.  That would then lead to an oral orthotic to eliminate or mitigate the problem.

Another big problem that this would help detect would be sleep apnea.  This is a problem that a lot of people have.  It is more prevalent in the overweight population, however even those who are not overweight can suffer from sleep apnea.  In sleep apnea, the patient stops breathing during sleep.  Typically a result of soft tissue blockage in the oropharyngeal region, this apnea results in a low oxygenation of the body in sleep, which will elevate the heart rate and eventually the primitive survival centers kick in and the person gasps for breath breathing very heavy and subsequently relaxing only to repeat the cycle.  This contributes to abnormally shallow and non-restful sleep (sleep deprivation), mental fogginess, high blood pressure and enlargement of the heart.  This is a very serious condition that needs to be screened for for anyone who is overweight.

A sound activated recorder on a phone would be a very inexpensive way to check for grinding, sleep apnea or just to prove that your spouse snores too :)

Edward Harriott, DC

Mission Viejo Chiropractic

24896 Chrisanta Dr. #120

Mission Viejo, CA 92691

(949)360-1112

http://www.mvchiro.com

If you want to reach more from Dr. Abusaidi's' San Mateo Chiropractor blog, fee free to visit it. If you need a chiropractor in San Mateo, CA, you can find him at:

Reza Abusaidi, DC

San Mateo Chiropractic

16 41st Ave.,

San Mateo, CA 94403

(650) 345-7010

www.greatback.com

www.greatback.com/blog/

Tension-Type Headaches

http://advancedbacksolutions.com/dasblog/2010/11/09/TensionHeadachesChiropracticOptions.aspx


Livonia, MI Chiropactor, Dr. Kevin Venerus posted an interesting article on his Livonia Chiropractic blog about tension headaches. In his post, he suggests that recent findings have resulted in a conclusion that the cause of "tension-type" headaches is not due to muscle tension as it was once thought. His point is that the muscle tension as measured in "tension-type" headaches and the presence of "tender trigger points" in the upper, middle and lower neck is not unique to these headaches and are also found in the same frequency and severity in headaches of other known causes.


I respect Dr. Venerus' attempts to stay on top of the latest research, however I must take issue with the conclusions.  From a purely logical standpoint, the fact that muscle tension and trigger points occur in headaches of other known causes does not mean that muscle tension and trigger points are not a source of headaches in and of themselves.  One might question whether there is another mechanism that we just haven't found and that would be a reasonable consideration, but it is premature to dismiss muscle tension and/or trigger points as a potential cause of headaches.


In my practice, there are relatively few headaches that do not respond to some degree to an adjustment.  I typically will find a reduction in muscle tension and trigger point intensity after treatment and so this is not a mystery to me.  On the other hand, when the mechanism is not strictly musculoskeletal (ie. when it is not simple spinal subluxation), and thus remains active post-adjustment, it is reasonable to expect that the headache will return at some point. At that point, I advise a patient to pay close attention to body temperature (early indication of possible viral or bacterial infection), any dizziness, nausea, etc (possible migraine or other cuases), and to work on postural exercises. And I will advise the patient on measures to be taken at home to reduce the muscle tension and trigger points.


Cadaver dissection protocols developed over hundreds of years, consistently destroyed a connection between the Rectus Capitus Posterior Minor muscle at the base of the neck and the dural tissues encapsulating the cervical spinal cord and lining the cranium. We know that the pain sensing nerve endings in the brain are confined to dural membranes and vasculature, leaving the actual brain cells without the ability to produce pain sensation. We also know that vascular pain (ie. migraine) has unique qualities and characteristics absent in a typical tension-type headache.  The headache that one gets with brain injury is typically a result of stretch or tension in the dural membranes resulting from swelling.  The finding of the fibrous connection between the RCPM muscle and the dura mater at the base of the neck, the acknowledgement of the presence of muscle tension in relation to headaches of all etiologies, and the reduction and frequent resolution of "tension-type" headaches post-adjustment with notable persistent reduction in muscle tension and trigger point activity do support the contention that this is truly at least one of many causes for headache pain.


My point here is that muscle tension and trigger points are not mutually exclusive of other headache causes and so we cannot conclude that just because muscle tension and trigger points exist in the presence of other known headache causes that they are not a source or cause of headache in and of themselves.  


Interesting article Dr. Venerus... thank you.  Let's keep an eye out for further developments and keep taking care of neck subluxations in headache patients as I know you continue to do so well.  

Edward Harriott, DC

Mission Viejo Chiropractic

24896 Chrisanta Dr. #120

Mission Viejo, CA 92691

(949)360-1112

http://www.mvchiro.com

If you want to reach more from Dr. Venerus' Livonia Chiropractor blog, fee free to visit it. If you need a chiropractor in Livonia, MI, you can find him at:

Kevin Venerus

Advanced Back Solutions

10988 Middlebelt 

Livonia, Michigan 48150

www.AdvancedBackSolutions.com

www.AdvancedBackSolutions.com/dasblog

The New Chiropractic Story

I get asked a lot about what chiropractic is, what it does, how it works, etc.  In his recent blog post, Freehold, NJ Chiropractor, Russell Brokstein shares what chiropractors have fondly referred to as, "The Chiropractic Story".

As he relates in the article, the critical elements of The Chiropractic Story are:

1. The Nervous System (which includes your brain, your spinal cord, all the nerves that emanate from the spine) controls every organ and tissue in your body.  It is this system which regulates all the critical functions required for you to survive.

2. In order for survival to occur at it's optimum level, in other words, in order for once to be healthy and to truly thrive, rather than just get by while on a path of gradually increasing disability, this system needs to be unencumbered by interference of any kind.  Your nervous system has to have clear channels of communication with every organ and tissue, unimpeded by major or minor blockages.

3. Misalignments in the spine can create irritation to these delicate nerves, and interfere with that clear communication. In this way, nerve stress manifests as changes in all the tissues in the vicinity of that misalignment, all the tissues downstream which are directly innervated by the nerves that emanate from that spinal level, and this WILL lead to a cascade of events that has the potential of negatively affecting the health and function of organ systems that rely on proper efficient function of the affected tissues and nerves. Recognizing that the organism that is our body has no extra parts, it is obvious that all organ systems rely on all others and consequently, failure in one will eventually degrade all the others, either directly or indirectly.

4. Health is only achievable through a properly functioning nervous system.  These stressors, misalignments, irritations are called subluxations. Subluxations are, by definition, impediments to proper nerve function and should be resolved.  Chiropractors are the only primary care physicians that are trained to detect and correct subluxation. Chiropractic is also the only primary health care approach that does not rely on drugs or surgery to facilitate the recovery of health.

The Rest of the Chiropractic Story (with references to the corresponding numbered elements above):

Dr. DD Palmer was the one who first developed the therapeutic strategy of adjusting specific spinal vertebrae for the express purpose of relieving pressure or stress on the nerves that emanate from that portion of the spine. DD Palmer's son, Dr. BJ Palmer first referred to this classic explanation of chiropractic as "The Chiropractic Story". BJ Palmer bears most of the credit for the development of the profession now known as Chiropractic.,

With that background, and considering that it has beem nearly 113 years since the first chiropractic adjustment in Davenport, IA it is entirely understandable that a lot has been learned about anatomy, physiology and the therapeutic benefits of the chiropractic adjustment. I will not try to deliver that entire body of scientific knowledge here, but I would like to identify a few directions in which this story has developed in the last 112 years...

1.  We know that there is an automatic nervous system that is entirely voluntary requiring no conscious monitoring in order to function.  This is called the Autonomic Nervous System and includes two subsets called the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems.  With injury, we will often get into a hyper-sympathetic state, created an imbalance in that normal interplay with the parasympathetic system.  This affects immuncehealing, cardiovascular function, sleep patterns, pain perception, and mental clarity, to mention a few. Studies have demonstrated a decrease in sympathetic dominance with the delivery of chiropractic care.

We also have gained a better understanding that our system of glands and hormones are an extension of our nervous system that was not appreciated early in the history of chiropractic. The secretion of hormones are directly controlled by nerves from the central nervous system which act in response to the needs of the organism perceived through communication by way of feedback again, by nerves. So we now better understand that nerves are utilized for short acting immediate actions while hormones are released into the bloodstream to affect changes that are longer lasting (ie. hours to days instead of miliseconds to minutes). This led to a better understanding of the benefits of chiropractic adjustments in hormone-influenced functions such as sleep, reproduction, immune response, etc.

2. It is clear that there is no way to have absolutely no interference.  That is impossible.  On the other hand, leaving a source of interference in place without simple efforts to minimize it, manage it, mitigate it in some way can only serve to have the situation snowball to the point at which it becomes unmanageable.  If you have ever had a low engine oil light come on in your vehicle, you know that 1) cars consume oil and so this is not cause for panic, but that 2) it is very important that oil should be replenished immediately in order for continued proper operation. Would you ever consider not putting oil in just because teh engine still sounds good, starts just as easily, accelerates with great power, and every other function of the car seems unaffected by the low oil level?   Of course not.  You know, either from your own experience or the wisdom passed to you from others that ignoring the oil light will lead to catastrophic failure of the engine, possibly without any further warning. And, if you listened, you will understand that sometimes the oil light doesn't work, so, really, you should manually check your oil every time you get gas.

Do you rely on your body any less that your vehicle?  Does it make sense to wait for symptoms of pathology or sickness to occur before you maintain your body?  The central nervous system is so important and yet so delicate that it is the only organ system completely enclosed in bone (the cranium and spine). Since this is the computer that runs the whole system, don't you think those structures deserve at least some maintenance for proper function?  You maintain your teeth.  You maintain your car.  This is obvious stuff, right?

3. We have discovered that misalignments absolutely do exist.  Irritations and their influences do exist.  But these are also controlled by your nervous system.  Chiropractors absolutely do affect alignment, but not by simply restacking the blocks (vertebrae) of your spine.  The effect of the adjustment is by way of neurological (data, information, impulse) input to the central nervous system by way of sensory receptors in joints and other body tissues. Your alignment does change, but it is not simply putting a bone back into place.  This is not a procedure like taking a pill or undergoing a surgical procedure.  What the chiropractor does is best described as a "soft reset" on your computer.  With the gentle, specific, and safe input of a chiropractic adjustment, we wipe away all the misplaced 0's and 1's that have your system spinning around in a fog and allow your brain to take new inventory of your body's state and of the influence of your environment and reset the 0's where 0's should be and the 1's where the 1's should be so that, over the next 12 to 24 hours a new strategy, that is current, appropriate and accurate, is in place to allow you to jump the hurdles that remain to the absolute healthiest function you can attain.

4.  This one is simple and it remains true as ever.  For most of the 112 years all the other health care professions denied what we do.  Now, they are beginning to recognize the absolute pure truth of the concept that was discovered first by the CHIROPRACTIC PROFESSION; that our bodies heal themselves... we have all the drugs we need, we have all the tools we need... inborn.  We simply need to maintain our bodies properly.  So as the PT's and MD's and who knows who else fall over themselves to try to claim proficiency at "spinal manipulation", the truth is that they still don't understand how to determine where to adjust or why... They still think it is a "pill".  And it doesn't work that way. Only chiropractors are trained to detect and correct subluxations.

Edward Harriott, DC

Mission Viejo Chiropractic

24896 Chrisanta Dr. #120

Mission Viejo, CA 92691

(949)360-1112

http://www.mvchiro.com

If you want to reach more from Dr. Brokstein's Freehold Chiropractic blog, fee free to visit it. If you need a chiropractor in Freehold, NJ, you can find him at:

Russell Brokstein

Hometown Family Wellness Center

9 Broadway

Freehold, NJ 07728

(732)780-0044

www.chiropractorfreehold.com

www.chiropractorfreehold.com/chiropractic-blog/

Seasonal Allergies and Chiropractic Care

Omaha Chiropractor Tyler Baker recently published some useful tips for people suffering from pollen-related seasonal allergies. Specifically , Dr. Baker discusses the irrigation of the nasolarynx with Neti pots. These are small squeezable plastic bottles with tubes that create a fountain of water when squeezed. What you would do is to melt a saline packet that comes with the kit in good clean luke warm (ideally boiled and then cooled to luke warm) water. Then, you would lean over the sink and flush the solution up through the nasal passages until it comes out the mouth. You would do this whenever you come in from an area in which you were likely to have been exposed to airborne allergens. This mechanically washes away the irritating antigenic particles causing the allergic reaction. It also will help to lubricate and soothe any irritated or sensitive nasal tissues and reduce, at least temporarily, post-nasal drip which is a major cause of sore throat. This can also be helpful with colds and flus.

Dr. Baker also notes that the highest amount of air-borne pollen is released in the temperate mornings and evenings, with significant reductions in pollen release during the heat of the day and cold of the night. He advises that those suffering from seasonal allergies would do well to stay indoors during the morning and early evening hours while the temperatures are going through their greatest change.

A more allopathic approach would be to scrub the air of such allergenic particles in your homeand workplace so that you're system is not insulted in your sleep or at work. An indoor HEPA-style air filter does a good job of this.

And Dr. Baker makes a point that getting adjusted will help. How could adjusting the spine help with seasonal allergies? Well, the benefits are both direct and indirect:

1. Very often, allergies cause a great deal of sneezing and/or coughing.  This can easily cause misalignment of the neck and upper back or lower back.  It is also very easy to misalign the heads of the ribs that make up the rib cage. These misalignments can create local joint and soft tissue irritation which will cause an increase in nerve stress for those organs served by the nerves that eminate from the spine at the affected levels.
2. Spinal misalignments or subluxations also affect the autonomic nervous system (I like to call this the automatic nervous system because its actions require no conscious thought) which can exacerbate or amplify your immune reaction to the allergens.

In the end, someone suffering from allergies needs to develop healthy natural strategies to deal with these seasonal episodes in order to avoid the over-the-counter or prescription medications that will inevitably skew your natural biochemical internal processes in unintended ways.  While we may not notice the bad side effects of every dose of medicine we take, there are unquestionably effects that are not positive and that will affect us over a lifetime.  Those who have a condition such as this that may well last a lifetime would do well to find a natural way to deal with it.

Edward Harriott, DC

Mission Viejo Chiropractic
24896 Chrisanta Dr. #120
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
(949)360-1112
http://www.mvchiro.com

Tyler Baker, D.C

Active Motion Chiropractic
13027 Arbor Street
(402) 334-2244
ActiveMotionChiro.com
http://www.activemotionchiro.com/Blog.html

If you want to reach more from Dr. Baker's Active Motion Chiropractic blog, feel free to visit it. If you need a chiropractor in Omaha, NE, you can find him at:

Tyler Baker

Active Motion Chiropractic

Address: 13027 Arbor St., Omaha, NE 68144

Phone Number:(402)334-2244

ActiveMotionChiro.com

Orem Chiropractor explains Forward Head Posture

There are several standard exam elements in every chiropractic exam in my office. There are the vitals, the range of motion, the strength evaluations, the neurological tests. And, of course, there is the palpatory exam where I actually put my hands on the spine so I can see through the eyes that I have apparently managed to grow in my fingers (I am humbled and my patients are often amazed by the ability I have to find problems with the simple touch). And, sometimes, I have to get x-rays if the case indicates that is needed. But the one element of the exam that we all have the ability to do ourselves every day is the postural evaluation.

In his recent blog post, Orem Chiropractor, Dr. Ned Arthur does a great job describing a very common postural abnormality that we refer to as forward head posture. He even has a experiment for his readers to try to illustrate the effects of forward head posture.  I would like to share two common experiments that I use with those using Orem Chiropractic services from Dr. Ned...

The first one is to have the patient hold a pencil straight up in his fisted hand and put the weight of my hand on the up eraser end and remind the person that their head weight 10 to 13 pounds on average.  Then I have the person tilt the pencil forward slightly and put my hand back on the eraser and this demonstrates how little forward shift dramatically increases the load on the neck and shoulders.

Then, I ask the person to "point" his chin or tilt his head slightly forward (thereby exagerating the forward head position)  and have the person put his fingers lightly on the muscles in the back of his own neck just to the sides of the central bony spiny prominences from his neck bones. Then I ask the person to "slide" his head directly backward until his head is well back over his shoulders and have him feel those same muscles and how much less work they are doing and how much more relaxed they are.

Be sure to go read Dr. Arthur's write-up on forward head posture.  You will learn a lot about why this is such a bad situation and why we really should be doing something about it now, rather than waiting for the wraning lights to go off.


Edward Harriott, DC
Mission Viejo Chiropractic
24896 Chrisanta Dr. #120
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
(949)360-1112
http://www.mvchiro.com

If you want to reach more from Dr. Arthur's Orem Chiropractor blog, fee free to visit it. If you need a chiropractor in Orem, UT, you can find him at:

Ned McArthur

Orem Chiropractor

Address: 560 S. State #C2 Orem, UT 84058

Phone Number: 801-225-1311

Will The True Chiropractic Lifestyle Please Stand Up?

In the past, I often had patients that would wait for two weeks with some sort of pain before calling me for an "urgent" adjustment.  Sometimes, that same person would ask me something like, "Doc, are there any exercises that I can do that will stop this problem?"  The other common question was, "Are there any supplements that I should be taking considering that this keeps happening to me"?

At this point, I would worry.  I'd worry that I hadn't done my job in explaining what I offer as a chiropractor.  I'd worry that if I didn't recommend a supplement or an exercise that they would go away.  Or that if I recommended a supplement or exercise and their problem didn't disappear, that the patient would figure that I didn't know what I was talking about and go somewhere else.

But where would they go?  To the chiropractor down the street who just makes sure that he recommends enough things or difficult enough things that the patient won't comply and so he can always blame the patient? "After all, Skippy, how can you expect to get better if you don't stretch 3 hours every day like I told ya' to?"

In my own life, I can see that what we are doing as a society is contrary to a logical expectation for a healthy life.  This is constantly beaten to death in the popular media, so I won't waste your eyes reading another rehashing of all the bad stuff we do.  But as I pursue my post-graduate studies in functional medicine so that I can help those with metabolic problems, immune over-reactions and various toxicity-related pathologies  and as I continue to learn about the musculoskeletal movement pattern deficiencies that lead us like a herd of buffalo into "inevitable" and "normal" arthritic states and varying levels of "stiffness of old age" so that I can reverse that process for my patients... As I study more about how to truly help my patients, with the chiropractic adjustment that resets the microcomputer that controls the body and removes communication interference and stress from the body... Well, I am dumbfound by how screwed up we really are.

I currently am almost 47 years old.  I stand six feet tall.  A few years ago, I weighed about 215 pounds. I ate pretty well, not too many snacks, high quality veggies, good protein, blah, blah blah.  I would get out and play with my kids on the weekends and do the office warrior thing during the week.  But I figured I was "one of the smart ones" who got adjusted regularly, didn't drink to excess, didn't take drugs, didn't eat a bunch of polyunsaturated fats, or avoid fruits and veggies.  I had a small dessert after every dinner, sure, but I didn't jump at a pharmaceutical or run to the MD for every little problem. Surely, I wouldn't develop serious health problems, right?

I have to say, that as I read recent news items like the one that says 1 in 3 Americans will be diabetic by 2050 I started to wonder if I was going to be that "one" after all.  Well, I am coming to the conclusion that we are more screwed up that we even know.  And it is deeper than the dessert, or the exercise, or the prescription drug. It is in the very core of our societal being.  Chiropractic absolutely has it right.  But even chiropractors can miss the big picture... after all, we are human too.  The issue is around what is tolerable, what is unhealthy, what concerns us enough to do something different.

We have all had indigestion.  We've all had a headache.  If you have one, and you take something (or not) and it goes away... No harm, no foul.  This is par for the course.  This stuff just happens.  But if it doesn't go away... Well, NOW we've gotta do something about it. And what are you going to do?  Really... what?  Go to the drug store?  See a doctor? Heaven forbid that you body should adapt and it goes back to once a week or once a month like it was before it "wouldn't go away".  And on we go... Then, you turn 45 and it starts happening once a week again and every once in a while you'll have it two days in a row.  Must be getting older, right?  Par for the course.  Now I see what my dad was always talking about...

No, it is time that we finally go back and relearn the lessons that chiropractors have been teaching us since DD Palmer  and his son BJ Palmer first developed this wonderful approach to real health.  A symptom is not an enemy, it is a signal.  Symptoms are our friends!  Unless we don't heed the message.  If you ignore a warning light in your car, you will be sorry.  We understand that.  The car may even seem to be running fine when the low oil light comes on. But if you don't add oil, you will be sorry.  Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, or next month, but you WILL BE SORRY.

The problem with our society is this dialogue about what is normal.  Stop it, folks!  It is normal for indigestion to occur when you are not digesting properly.  But just because someone downplayed it in your youth, on a commercial, on the radio, the billboard and everywhere else in our society... that doesn't mean you shouldn't do something about it.   And I don't mean to buy something, a Rolaid or a Tums.  Come on, what does the signal mean? Do you buy duct tape to cover that pesky oil light?

I am highly trained to provide biomechanical input with gentle, focused and controlled forces into a complex human machine and remove hurdles to a more complete and vigorous expression of that machines inborn capacity to function and heal. But beyond that miraculous thing we call the chiropractic adjustment, I help my patients on a path toward a chiropractic lifestyle where natural healthy expression of life is actually  achievable. You won't find that in an M.D.'s office.  When you find yourself there, you can be pretty sure that you waited too long to do something right.

Everyone needs a great chiropractor just like he needs advice from a friend.  Everyone needs a chiropractor, just like he needs a good meal and a glass of clean water.  Everyone needs a chiropractor like he needs a brisk walk every day.  Everyone needs a chiropractor like he needs a challenging puzzle, a funny story, a pleasant holiday with the family.

Our problem is that we still see not having a chiropractor, or good healthy food in rational quantities, or a lot of clean water, or frequent exercise, or intellectual challenges, or not provideing for times to relax alone or with friends and family... We see these things as an optional.

And they are... Just like diabetes. Optional.

Edward Harriott, DC
Mission Viejo Chiropractic
24896 Chrisanta Dr. #120
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
(949)360-1112
http://www.mvchiro.com