Chiropractors, also known as doctors of chiropractic or chiropractic physicians, diagnose and treat patients with various health problems without the use of drugs or surgery. Chiropractors focus on the nervous system and painlessly, manually adjust the vertebral column in order to effect the nervous system.

The nervous system is made up of the brain, spinal cord, spinal nerves which exit the vertebral column through small openings on each side of the vertebrae, and peripheral nerves that branch off and supply the rest of the body (organs, muscles, tissues, blood vessels, etc.). The nervous system is similar to a two-way highway. Decisions made in the brain are processed and carried through the spine to effect certain outcomes. The reverse occurs when information is processed from the environment that goes through the spine to get to the brain. The nervous system controls feeling, movement, and function throughout your body.

The intension of the chiropractic adjustment is to remove any disruptions or distortions of energy flow that may be caused by slight vertebral misalignments (subluxations). When corrected, the nervous system can function more optimally and the body is better able to heal itself.

The chiropractic approach to health care stresses the patient’s overall health. Chiropractors provide natural, drugless, non-surgical health treatments, relying on the body’s inherent recuperative abilities. They also recognize that many factors affect health, including exercise, diet, rest, environment, and heredity. Chiropractors recommend changes in lifestyle that affect those factors.

Like other health practitioners, chiropractors follow a standard routine to get information needed to diagnose and treat patients. They take the patient’s medical history, conduct examinations, and may order laboratory tests, x-rays, or other diagnostic tests necessary for accurate diagnosis. In some situations, chiropractors refer patients to or consult with other health practitioners.