The cause of disease as it relates to chiropractic has gone through significant
changes in the past 100 years. Historically, straight chiropractors saw the vertebral
subluxation as the cause of all disease. This idea was clearly in conflict with medicine
and precipitated much of the interprofessional animosity we know today. As the
chiropractic profession developed greater understanding of health and human
function its position on the cause of disease changed. Some in the profession still
hold to the traditional view of vertebral subluxation as the cause of disease, while
others have totally embraced the allopathic model of medicine. Objective straight
chiropractic however has taken a unique position.
Since the objective of straight chiropractic does not relate to disease in any way, the
issue of the cause of disease is not really a straight chiropractic one. However, since
chiropractic is so often associated with disease, a position has been developed.
There are probably many causes of disease and many causes of each disease. They
range from the presence and virulence of an organism to the resistance of the host.
Genetics and environment are two other factors. Which of these factors or causes
are more important or unimportant is a discussion for the therapeutic fields that
address disease.
It is the position of straight chiropractic that with every person there is a need to
address the lack of full innate expression as well as addressing the presence of any
or all of the above. The objective straight chiropractor takes the position that it is
his/her role to address the cause of the inability of the innate intelligence to be
expressed fully as this lack of expression relates to the relationship of the spine and
nerve system. It is someone else’s responsibility to address the disease and its cause
or causes. Whether this lack of innate expression is a causative factor in disease is
not the issue. If there is no disease and the individual is experiencing less than full
innate expression, chiropractic care is needed. If the individual is sick, has a medical
condition and they are coincidentally subluxated, then chiropractic care is needed for
that individual. Surely a sick person will benefit to some degree with a good nerve
supply or an improved nerve supply, having subluxations corrected. If the
chiropractor is not presenting chiropractic as the correction of the cause of disease,
whether the person has a disease or not is irrelevant to the need for chiropractic care.
