Going dark

Dear all,

I am currently working on a new and exciting package of chiropractic philosophy material. I will post more soon!

The Chasm

While speaking at Life University's Lyceum last month, I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Guy Riekeman give his presentation at opening ceremonies. During a few of his presentations, he will sometime mention the different types of health care. They consist of:

1. Do nothing
2. Treatment of diseases with drugs and surgeries.
3. Treatment of diseases with everything but drugs and surgeries.
4. True chiropractic (ADIO)

I feel sad to have to put any type of prefix or suffix on chiropractic, but it is getting necessary to qualify your position more and more. As a professor at a chiropractic college, my students will have the health care philosophy of numbers 2, 3, and 4. This is generally why we have such lively debates in class because some think health needs to come from the outside, others from within.

The similarity between #2 and #3 is a mechanistic philosophy. The body is weak, susceptible to outside forces and it needs help to heal. The manifestations in the chiropractic profession include the outrageous bill in New Mexico to include prescriptive rights in chiropractic http://www.individual.com/story.php?story=109949199 to treating different ailments with vitamins, herbs, exercise, rehab and other outside influences.

Numbers 3 and 4 have a natural philosophy in similar but have one key difference. The shy away from artificial or man-made products with high side effects and focus on working with things provided by nature.

But a key difference is that the fourth model centers around the body as a self-healing and self-regulating system via proper mental impulse communication. If 100% communication exists through the application of chiropractic care, the body can express itself without the help from the outside. Health flows from Above-Down, Inside-Out guided by Innate Intelligence.

Every chiropractic student needs to answer this dilemma for themselves. Straddling the fence of chiropractic philosophy will only lead to problems down the road.

Report from the War Front

Editors note: This is another post by some of the lost greats in the chiropracTIC profession here in Texas. Dr. Seymour Fischer submitted this article to me right before his passing several years ago. I am amazed at the certainty these chiropracTOR's possessed. More to come! - Eric

“Disease is not an entity, but a fluctuating condition of the patient’s body, a battle between the substance of disease and the natural self-healing tendency of the body.” Hippocrates

Since its inception more than 100 years ago, the chiropractic profession has been engaged in a war for survival against powerful enemies. Recently, more and more cracks have appeared in the enemy camp. Vitalist philosophy is making significant gains against materialist mechanism.

I quote from an article in a new magazine, “Integrative Medicine”. The article was written by Sidney Macdonald Baker, M.D. He states:

1. The concept that diseases are entities and can cause symptoms is entirely without scientific support. IT is a linguistical error that forges a false map in the imagination of professionals and lay people.
2. The ideas that each patient’s diagnostic and treatment options can be based on determinations of averages is a misuse of statistics when it serves as a diagnostic and therapeutic guide for all individuals.
3. The maxim that assumptions to explain an event should not be multiplied beyond necessity (Occam’s razor) is the logical partner of the one-disease, one treatment approach of mainstream medicine, particularly in the framework of chronic illness. Medicine is the only field claiming a scientific basis in which general systems theory-ie, that everything is interconnected—has not become the acknowledged basis for inquiry. Linear causality remains the accepted basis for etiology.

Dr. Baker further discusses cause and effect with his “Two Tacks Laws”

1. If you are sitting on a tack, it takes a lot of aspirin to make it feel good. (The proper treatment for tack sitting is tack removal.)
2. If you are sitting on 2 tacks, removing one does not result in 50% improvement. (Chronic illness is, or becomes, multi-factorial.)

Chiropractic philosophy has a parallel terminology using the term subluxation correction rather than tack removal. Chiropractic teaches that getting down to brass tacks requires the removal of cause, not the temporary alleviation of symptoms.

Dr. Baker concludes with his opinion on the importance of individuality contrasted with the concept of group therapy based on statistics of averages. He states,

“This approach is based on the recognition that individuality is spiritual as well as a biological foundation in the sense that each of us is a unique creature. Hence our patients are denied dignity when given a group identity (diagnosis) and a group treatment (the treatment of choice for that diagnosis).

Inside Out or Outside In?

Those among us who are tempted to tread the discredited road of diagnosis and treatment will find themselves being passed by medical practitioners in the opposite direction.

Retracting vs. Reacting

Editor's note: This is the last post by Dr. Sanford Black. Dr. Black was a great chiropractor and an even better friend. I miss his gentle nature and sage advice. I tell all of my chiropractic students that they are a beautiful painting that is always being worked on. Your loved ones, friends, mentors and colleagues continually get an opportunity to put brush strokes on your painting. Some put more colors and bigger brush strokes than others, but everyone you come in contact with have an opportunity to paint on your life. I appreciate Dr. Black's contributions to my chiropractic understanding. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share his message with the chiropractic world.

Reaction vs. Retracing

In Chiropractic Philosophy these two terms are not the same and should never be used interchangeably.

Early clinical observations noted that a patient often seemed to pass through each phase that they had passed through in getting to the point of their first Chiropractic care. Usually it was determined to be a t a lesser degree of severity and for a shorter term of time.

Explanation of this to the new patient prior to the start of the patient’s care was helpful in the education of the patient. This was a noticeable occurrence that the patient could see, and gave the patient positive knowledge that his Chiropractic care was to be successful. This retracting, noted by the Chiropractor, and also instilled confidence that the patient is responding in the desired way.

On the other hand, the term “Reaction” often has the connotation of adverse reaction as commonly referred to as “side effects”. In many cases it will indicate to the Chiropractor that his analysis and delivery of the vertebral adjustment are not correcting the vertebral subluxation and need to be re-studied. An example, one of many, could be when the patient experiences vertigo right after receiving the adjustic thrust. This has been clinically noted in those cases that fail to respond and obtain the expected improvement.

Disorders of function respond so predictably and so readily to Vertebral Adjustment that many Chiropractors seek this type of patient primarily and, thus, avoid the “pain abatement” type of practice. They have found that the results of correct analysis and precision vertebral adjusting result in the conclusion, “IT WORKS”; just like when the brown cow eats green grass and gives white milk.

Diagnosis vs. Analysis

Editor's note: This is the eighth installment of a series of chiropractic philosophy short essays by Dr. Sanford Black. Dr. Black was a 1947 graduate of the Palmer School of Chiropractic and practiced in Mineral Wells, Texas.

Chiropractic Philosophy

Diagnosis or Chiropractic Analysis? Which is usually used to determine that the new patient is to be accepted for care in the Chiropractic Office? Which is actually so very important in the initial process of determining the case management and the eventual successful care of the Chiropractic Patient?

In Diagnosis, the various and sundry test findings, the observation of the patient, the consultation where initial complaints are noted and added to the other findings. Theses all indicate to the physician that a certain diagnosis may be listed as the “Initial Diagnosis” with the reservation that further into the treatment that diagnosis may be amended or changed entirely.

In Chiropractic Analysis, the Chiropractor initially records a history, including patient’s initial complaints. To determine if there is a Vertebral Subluxation present there are various tests and observations necessary. When it is determined that Vertebral Subluxations are indicated it is then that the location within the spine must be decided. Measurements of the heat differentials in the tissues over the posterior spinal nerves usually give information as to the general location of the Vertebral Subluxation. Palpation and X-Ray Spinographs then give the Chiropractor the knowledge to make the corrective adjustment.

Results of unlimited tests of body fluids will not indicate in any way the location of the Vertebral Subluxation. Results obtained from various chemical stimuli will not indicate the proper way to achieve a correction of a Vertebral Subluxation.

There are no compelling reasons for the Doctor of Chiropractic to even attempt a diagnosis. There are a great number of reasons for him to be absolutely sure that all factors involved in the correction of the subluxation have been correctly determined. The successful results of patient care are dependant on all the things that were observed in the Chiropractic Analysis being correct to the point of perfection. Results then occur naturally, just like when the brown cow eats green grass and gives white milk.

Get the Idea

Editor's note: This week's post is the seventh of nine short articles by the late Dr. Sanford Black.

Chiropractic Philosophy

Chiropractic Philosophy covers discussions of many different subjects. Many “How Comes”, “Whys?” and “Maybes”. One would think that after sixty years of direct Chiropractic and having been in active practice over fifty-four years this writer would be free of those unanswerable questions.

There has always been one question paramount in my mind. It has been asked of others many times and never seems to be taken seriously or given any important thought. The question can be stated very simply; “Why does the Innate response to different adjustments of different vertebra in different areas of the spine often result in a patient’s response being almost the same?”

The analysis and listing for a vertebral subluxation in the Atlanto-Occipital area will result in the Chiropractor adjusting and correcting the cause of many different subjective symptoms. The patient will be very pleased with the responses and be happy they were lucky to “Find a Good Chiropractor”.

Again this same patient may, at a different time and place, contact a different Chiropractor. Analysis and listings may cause this Chiropractor to decide that the first Thoracic Vertebra is subluxated and causing symptoms described in the initial consultation, and incidentally they are a group of symptoms very similar to the ones that the former Chiropractor dealt with successfully.

Why is success gained by both Chiropractors? Is it true that there is only one cause and one correction? Conversely, the question could be, “Why does a patient not respond to Vertebral Adjustments regardless of the analysis and listings? Does this mean that some patients have become “Hopeless Cases?”

An early days Chiropractor has often been quoted, “Get the Idea and All Else Follows”. Does this mean for a Chiropractor to find the vertebral subluxation, correctly adjust same and gorge ahead? Just like when the brown cow eats green grass and gives white milk?

Life and the Brown Cow

Editor's note: This is the sixth installment of the Brown Cow and Chiropractic Philosophy Series by Dr. Sanford Black. Dr. Black was a 1947 graduate of the Palmer School of Chiropractic and practiced in Mineral Wells, Texas. As a longstanding secretary and parliamentarian of the Chiropractic Society of Texas, his influence in advancing the Principles of Chiropractic in Texas will always be appreciated.

Chiropractic Philosophy

In the Chiropractic profession Chiropractors have long known that “Life” within the human body is always functioning at full, one hundred percent, efficiency at all times to maintain a normal, healthy body that is capable of performing all the functions that are part of normal living. They know failure in a bodily function or abnormality in an organ is often found to be the result of a Vertebral Subluxation. Chiropractic analysis can locate these and their correction results in the return to normal function of that “Life” force within the body.

Many scientists are researching the broad term referred to as “Life”. Much has been written about what we know and what we believe about “Life”. In all this, no one has been able to produce “Life” in an inanimate object. The idea that “Life” can be created has many adherents, but no real hopes of achieving now life in anything animal or vegetable has a valid basis.

Thousands of ways of adapting or changing life that already exists are available to the scientific community and new achievements are being announced very often.

Chiropractic adjustment of vertebral subluxations is always the basis and prime duty of the Chiropractor. All other procedures are merely ancillary to this. The skill of a Chiropractor in these other fields, such as patient education, will be effective only when the Chiropractic Adjustment has been accomplished.

Much has been learned and written about the phenomenon that we call “Life”. Chiropractors have a very special term to refer to it. Innate has always been in Chiropractic Philosophy since the very early history of Chiropractic.

The return to normal function within the body is almost a foregone conclusion as the interfering vertebral subluxation is corrected. The rate of recovery depends upon the extent of tissue damage and the resulting degeneration of tissue cells. Sometimes there is less than desire recovery and absolute full recovery cannot be accomplished. In Chiropractic Philosophy this is described as “Limitation of Matter”.

Often, in a busy Chiropractic Practice, one notes cases that recover to a much greater degree and in much less time than had been expected. This, then, can be compared to the way that a brown cow eats green grass and gives white milk.