You, like many people who come to see us first come because of our expertise and reputation in chiropractic methods, be it the technique or the ability to deal with a certain ‘problems’, symptoms or diseases. What we find is that the people who get the real richness out of chiropractic are people who get something else from it.
Let me explain.
My chiropractic journey began very quickly, or should I say, I was in the right place at the right time after the right preparation so it seemed almost like magic.
I was sitting in a noisy bar in Vancouver, Canada nursing a beer to last a few hours. Money was tight. I was 20 years old and was hitchhiking around the world on the smell of an oily rag. I was on a mission to identify my life’s direction.
I knew that I wanted to help people but the professions that I had investigated to this point didn’t give me a compelling reason other than ideas about the mechanics. I had visited practitioners of medicine, dentistry, physiotherapy, psychology, podiatry, osteopathy etc. They could tell me in great detail about WHAT they did but they couldn’t tell me WHY they did it other than the obvious things like helping people, easing suffering or maybe improving performance.
My ‘bar buddies’ in that bar in Vancouver were a couple of guys about my age who passionately talked about the principles and philosophy of the profession that they were studying – chiropractic. I was intrigued. They had my undivided attention. Within a couple of hours and maybe 2 beers later, (it was a BIG night) I had decided to do whatever it took to become a chiropractor.
This decision led me to an arduous journey to qualify as a chiropractor and a long and blessed career serving hundreds of thousands of people – but this isn’t the point of this story. The fact is that these two students didn’t go into the details of WHAT chiropractors do. Instead, they explored the principles of WHY chiropractors do what they do.
The principles are what was communicated. The methods were what I could make a living by, but the principles are what I could make, and have made a life by.
I came across a quote from a man named Harrington Emerson who said it this way. “As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.”
So, what got me with the chiropractic principles? Well, there 33 of them in fact but I won’t go through each of them here. Let me summarise and paraphrase the major ones for you.
Firstly, the recognition in chiropractic from the late 1800’s is that there is a Universal Intelligence that is in all matter and continually gives to it all its properties and actions, thus maintaining it in existence. This Universal Intelligence has been acknowledged by many different religions over the history of mankind but it had been tossed out of health science about 2,000 years ago. All chiropractic states about this is that this Universal Intelligence is a principle that we honour and respectfully work with.
Secondly, within all matter there is order and intelligence. From this principle we assert that all nature from a blade of grass to the far reaching galaxies is ordered. Rumi said it this way. “You are NOT a drop in the ocean. You ARE the entire ocean in a drop.” This principle suggests that chiropractors see every aspect of you and your body as a perfect expression of what we call Innate Intelligence. In other words, you are perfect and have all the resources that you need within you.
Thirdly, that life will express as well as it can BUT if it has interference it will struggle to adapt to the stressors of life. The brain and nervous system is an important coordinator of our mental, emotional and physical function. Any interference to the ability of your brain and nerve system to connect with and speak to your body will cause it to work with less efficiency.
Fourthly, Interference to your brain, spine and nervous system through what chiropractic calls ‘subluxation’ is a significant factor in functioning as well as you can.
The final principle that chiropractors are committed to is finding the best ways of adjusting subluxations and educating our people so that they have every opportunity to experience their reconnection with their potential.
You may be wondering what your guiding principles are. Let me ask you a few questions that may help. The answer to the following will determine your course of action in so many aspects of your life:
- Do you think that things (including you in this life) are just happening through random chance OR is there an order or design to everything?
- Do you think that your body is stupid, it can’t control itself and it needs things from the outside to be healthy OR is there a power within you that knows how to be healthy and will do that provided it is not interfered with?
- Do you think that your blood is the thing that makes you healthy or sick OR do you understand that your brain and nerve system controls every part of your body?
- Do you think that being responsible for your health means getting diagnosis and treatment when you get symptoms OR do you think that responsibility is living a healthy lifestyle every day and including chiropractic as a part of your regular hygiene practices?
Your answers to these questions define your life so think long and hard. They may bring up some more questions. If this is the case make sure that you bring the discussion up when you are in the practice getting checked next.
In all matters resist getting sucked into the methods and details. Get the principles to live by and the rest is easy.
Mark
