Wellness Revolution

BE PART OF THE WELLNESS REVOLUTION:

Adapted by an Article by Dr Terry Rondberg, President World Chiropractic Alliance, in August 2004 Chiropractic Journal (http://www.worldchiropracticalliance.org/tcj/2004/aug/rondberg.htm)

There's been a great deal of talk in the last few years about the "Wellness Revolution." We see it all around us, every day. In the grocery store, just about every product – from corn flakes to soup mix – touts some health benefit. Pilates DVDs are selling faster than box office blockbusters & people are going to alternative health providers far more often than they're going to Medical Doctors (425 million visits vs. 388 million visits, as of 1990, according to the New England Journal of Medicine).

Of course, wellness is a nebulous & often misunderstood concept. The Merriam‑Webster online dictionary says: "The quality or state of being in good health especially as an actively sought goal."

Arizona State University expands on that idea: "Wellness is an active, lifelong process of becoming aware of choices & making decisions toward a more balanced & fulfilling life. Wellness involves choices about our lives & our priorities that determine our lifestyles. The wellness concept at ASU is centred on connections & the idea that the mind, body, spirit & community are all interrelated & interdependent."

The National Wellness Institute says: "Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of & making choices toward a more successful existence."

Finally, the University of California, Berkeley, gives one of the best definitions when it states: "Wellness is much more than simply the absence of sickness. It is optimal physical, mental, & emotional well‑being, a preventive way of living that reduces – sometimes even eliminates – the need for remedies. Wellness emphasizes personal responsibility for making the life‑style choices & self‑care decisions that will improve the quality of your life. One crucial tenet is that preventing illness is even more important than treating it, especially since many chronic diseases are incurable. Wellness is a positive, day‑to‑day approach to a long, healthful, active life."

Most chiropractors would categorize “subluxation” (spinal and nervous system malfunction) correction as a key element in wellness, along with nutrition & diet, exercise, sleep, posture, stress management & lifestyle choices like the use of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, etc.

The Association of Chiropractic Colleges' Position Paper No 1, signed & agreed upon by the presidents of all North American chiropractic colleges, & endorsed by most chiropractic organizations, says: "Chiropractic is concerned with the preservation & restoration of health, & focuses particular attention on the subluxation."

For most, this definition is also a mission statement, since it gives Chiropractors a guiding purpose & principle to follow in their practices. While our first & foremost goal is to correct subluxations, the mission also includes other elements of wellness needed to ensure that patients receive maximum benefit from their adjustments.

While perfectly legal & ethical for chiropractors to focus solely on subluxation correction, it's also well within the chiropractic purpose for them to address related wellness issues that affect the spinal & general health of their patients.

Dr Joseph Flesia, once wrote: "Wellness is a simple word & a complex process encompassing the most exciting & sought‑after physical & mental condition in society today. It is a condition in which the intelligence within the body expresses its genetic potential 100% without interference of any kind, preventing disease & producing a state of well being that makes life a healthy, exciting journey of discovery & contribution."

He added that chiropractors are ideally suited to providing wellness care to all patients.

"The human potential movement & its grandchild wellness fit hand & glove into chiropractic philosophy & the clinical expertise of chiropractors," he said. "Wellness patients have seen through the limitations of medicine. They are now reaching out to other non‑medical, natural, effective methods of improved health, such as chiropractic."

Dr Christopher Kent also thinks that the joining of chiropractic & wellness is a match made in heaven.

"The chiropractic profession is perfectly positioned to lead the wellness revolution," he writes, "& to reap the benefits, material & spiritual, of accepting that challenge..... By addressing vertebral subluxations, & the physical, biochemical, & emotional distress that cause such subluxations, a person seeking wellness care enhances their life experience. A wellness patient does not seek merely to maintain the status quo, return to pre‑injury status, or prevent illness. Such an individual recognizes that chiropractic care is a lifelong process – a way of life – that is an integral component of a global strategy for human empowerment."

In another article, Dr Kent gives references to several scientific research studies & concludes: "Clearly, there is a growing body of evidence that wellness care provided by doctors of chiropractic may reduce health care costs, improve health behaviours, & improve patient perceived quality‑of‑life."

The idea that chiropractors may act as wellness health providers isn't new. In "The Chiropractor's Adjustor" in 1910, DD Palmer stated: "The determining cause of disease is traumatism, poison, & auto‑suggestion..... Impingements, poisons, & intense thinking, auto‑suggestion, unrelieved change of thought, insufficient rest & sleep, increase or decrease the momentum of impulses."

Addressing the physical, biochemical & emotional distresses that cause subluxation are definitely, then, within the legitimate realm of doctors of chiropractic. Offering patients wellness care does not compromise chiropractic principles since it does not include medical or disease care.

Personally, I think subluxation correction & proper nutrition can do more to enhance health & wellness than anything else. What a powerful combination! Imagine leaving your Chiropractor’s office subluxation‑free & supplied with the information or products you need to ensure good nutrition. That could make an incredible difference in your lives.

This is your chance to be part of the Wellness Revolution.