Correction Chiropractic vs. Traditional Chiropractic

Traditional Chiropractic

Traditional Chiropractic focuses on goals such as decreasing muscle spasms, increasing range of motion, and the temporary reduction of pain. This is how most chiropractors practice and most of them do a great job. However, it falls under the category of symptom relief/ symptom management aka “band aid” care.

Correction Chiropractic

At True Chiropractic, our focus is on NeuroStructural Correction. Think of your spine as the foundation for a building. If the foundation was off, would you expect the floors to creak, the walls to creak, and for the windows to not close properly?

Now you can spend time patching all the damage, but you would be doing so with the expectation that in a short time the problems will have to be… repaired again and again.

NeuroStructural Correction looks for the underlying NeuroStructural Shifts in the spine that might be causing your foundation to be off. In the vast majority of cases that make their way to our practice, often as referrals from other chiropractors or medical doctors in the area, is a significant NeuroStructural Shift. These NeuroStructural Shifts are the underlying causes that often reveal themselves as “symptoms”- or what we refer to as Secondary conditions.

Get Back to Normal

Rather than constantly repairing the damage, at True Chiropractic, we focus on correcting the underlying NeuroStructural Shifts and help you reach Normal Structure.

Our services are not for everyone. However, if you are tired of constantly patching the problem and you are looking for a long term solution that you can both feel and see for yourself, then True Chiropractic may be the right place for you.

What is a NeuroStructural Shift?

While no one is structurally perfect, there is a normal healthy range. In the same manner, we can understand what a fever is because we know what the normal temperature is, or what constitutes high blood pressure because we are aware of the normal range. There are established normals everywhere we look, including gauges and warning indicators on the dashboard of your car… letting you know when things are abnormal.

At True Chiropractic, we are looking for a significant three-dimensional shift of the spine away from normal. If the lower back or hips shift, it will cause the shoulders to twist, and the head and neck to shift forcing the entire spine out of alignment. These shifts cause the muscles to spasm, the ligaments to deform, and it disrupts the NERVES traveling down the spinal cord. In other words, the main communication system that connects your brain to your body can be disrupted causing the body to fail to adapt properly.


Lose the weight : Eat bacon?


Obesity is a major issue in the United States today. In fact, as of 2013, 25-30% of Minnesota adults were considered obese according to the CDC.1 That’s every 1 in 4 adults! And, let’s face it – losing weight can be difficult. According to the Monte Nido Eating Disorder Treatment Center, “95% of diets fail and most will regain their lost weight in 1-5 years”.2 So that begs the question – what are we to do? How can we go about losing our excess weight and living healthier lives?
According to Gary Taubes in his book, “Why We Get Fat”, the answer to losing weight is quite simple – ditch the carbohydrates.3 Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t fat that is making humans fat, but those pesky carbs. But how can this make sense? The answer lies in a little chemical called insulin.

Insulin is a hormone produced by our pancreas. The main purpose of this hormone is simple – to stimulate our body cells to take up the extra glucose in our bloodstream after a sugary snack. Insulin is surely our body’s friend – continually keeping our blood sugar in balance. However, this hormone has other very important functions related to fat metabolism, or fat burning, in our body.3
Insulin also affects two other hormones in the body, namely lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL). The first, LPL, is a cell membrane protein responsible for pulling the fat in our bloodstream into fat cells. Insulin activates this protein, especially in our abdominal regions, which causes more fat storage in the body. The second hormone, called HSL, is inhibited by insulin activity. HSL is responsible for breaking fat down from an unusable to a usable form so that it can be burned for energy. Therefore, when insulin is around, two main things happen - we store more fat and stop the body from burning fat.3

It seems that avoiding carbohydrates could surely help our body in burning its fat stores. Therefore, a great way to shed some excess weight would be to avoid foods that spike our blood sugar (and insulin secretion) such as bread, cereal, pasta, beer, fruit juice, soda, potatoes, rice, and corn.3 Furthermore, don’t be afraid to eat fat and protein – they have no effect on insulin secretion and will keep you from feeling hungry for a longer time period. If you want to lose weight, it may be time to change that breakfast cereal for a little bacon!
  1. http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/prevalence-maps.html
  2. http://www.montenido.com/pdf/montenido_statistics.pdf
  3. Taubes, Gary. “Why We Get Fat”. 
by Kelsey Petersen, ACP Chiropractic Intern and the True Chiropractic Team

THE SIX HUMAN NEEDS

 When thinking about relationships, an important concept to keep in mind are what Anthony Robbins calls “The Six Human Needs”. These six things are required to live a fulfilled, vibrant life. The following is an explanation of these human needs. Are you fulfilling these needs for others in your relationships? Are others aiding in the fulfillment of these six factors for you?

Certainty/Comfort:
This is one of the most important of the six essential human needs. Basically this is the human need for safety or comfort. If this human need is not fulfilled, nothing else really matters – if you feel as though the ceiling above you may cave in, there isn’t much else in your life that matters right?
Uncertainty/Variety:
Conversely, lifelong fulfillment also requires a little mystery. This is what creates excitement and surprise in life. Living each day in complete comfort and certainty would be quite boring. You feel wonderful when your significant other surprises you with roses, right? A happy life, it seems, requires a little spice.
Significance:
Everyone has the basic human need for significance. What is it that gives your life meaning? Why do you do what you do? This can be gained through having unique talents/skills, through your career, or through caring for your family. The human experience is so much richer if you have a meaningful and significant purpose.
Connections and Love:
Interconnectedness with people is important for personal fulfillment. Have you ever had a day when you spoke to no one else? How did you feel at the end of the day? Did you feel enriched, satisfied? We as human beings have the essential need to love and to be loved by others.
Growth:
Are you growing or are you dying? Everything on this planet is continually moving in either direction on this spectrum. We have the need to grow as a person – to learn new things, to run faster, get stronger, eat healthier, feel better. Chiropractic can help fulfill this human need of growth. By ridding the spine of neurostructural shifts, the human body can function more optimally – you can sense your world more clearly, feel better, have higher energy in your day to day life. Who wouldn’t want that?!
Contribution:

Lastly, humans have the basic life need for contribution. Are you making the world a better place? Will your life having meaning? Like significance, this basic life need can be met through our careers, raising our children to be good people, or through our volunteer work. To live a truly fulfilled life, we must have a positive impact on the world around us.

Kelsey Petersen Chiropractic Intern & the True Chiropractic Team

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