The Brown Cow and Chiropractic Philosophy

Editors Note: This is the second article in a series of small essays given to me by Dr. Sanford Black. Dr. Black was a 1947 graduate from the Palmer School of Chiropractic and practiced Blair Upper Cervical work in Mineral Wells, Texas until he graduated from the physical plane.

Chiropractic Philosophy By Dr. Sanford Black

In philosophical discussions between Doctors of Chiropractic, we often hear statements that really have no true basis in scientific fact. The statements are not based on measurable repeatable data but are based on observations that have been derived from clinical results. Many times the statements describe unexpected results that have resulted from Chiropractic Adjustments of Vertebral Subluxations; Often the Chiropractor will continue by saying that he was adjusting to achieve a completely different result!

A procedure, such as Chiropractic Adjustment of a vertebral subluxation, should always be a repeatable, no-varying process. It should have foreseeable results that are observable and measurable. Its only objective is, or should be, the moving of a Subluxation Complex in such a way that occluded foramina and compressed nerves are corrected to the extent that there no longer is a subluxated vertebra or a Subluxation Complex.

A philosophical discussion and its resulting thoughts often cover a very wide range when it is between like-thinking Chiropractors. We know that a normally functioning system within the human body seems to function automatically and without supervision or outside direction. For instance, food is ingested, processed through the digestive system and waste products form the assimilation process are eliminated. The body has used what it needed and, in some cases, has stored such some of the excess amounts as a hedge against future needs. We also know that the functional control of these processes is within the nervous system. Observation has taught us that a Vertebral Subluxation that is affecting a vital nerve often results in too much or not enough control and often the result is an evidence of malfunction in the digestive system that needs immediate attention. Location and correction of the interference results in a return to normal digestive function. Just like when the brown cow eats green grass and gives white milk.