We all slip in our chiropractic thinking and it is fortunate to have someone or something that will help us check that slipping. Recently, the head of a national organization slipped in his philosophy or actually took a major fall, sort of like King Kong taking a header off the Empire State Building. I’m speaking specifically about a recent endorsement for orthotics by a supposedly “subluxation-based” chiropractic leader. I’m sure orthotics are beneficial for some people but what in heaven’s name do they have to do with chiropractic? You really cannot get any further from the spine than the bottom of the feet! Are we giving a whole new meaning to the phrase subluxation “based?”
Let’s get down to some philosophy. If chiropractic is about correcting vertebral subluxation, (locating, analyzing and correcting them) where does “stopping subluxations before they begin” come into play? Let’s consider some points.
1. Subluxations are caused by external invasive forces overcoming internal resistive forces. Chiropractors address one aspect of the ADIO concept, they increase internal resistive forces. We sometimes fail to realize that by correcting vertebral subluxations and restoring the flow of mental impulses (internal resistive forces) we are also increasing the ability of the body to prevent subluxations. That’s why practice members are able to hold their adjustments for longer periods of time after they have been under care for a while. We “prevent” vertebral subluxation only by correcting them.
2. Aside from increasing internal resistive forces is the idea of improving the matter of the body. Limitations of matter do cause vertebral subluxations, not just a limitation of the body’s ability to transmit sufficient internal resistive forces, but limitation in the matter itself. If the spine was solid bone it would not subluxate. Chiropractors do not improve the matter. The only way in which we address the matter is the relationship between the spine and the nerve system. The nerve system carries a mental impulse and vertebral subluxations interfere with the transmission of these mental impulses. Orthopedics is the branch of medicine that tries to improve the matter. Improving the matter, while not part of the chiropractic objective, can be either above-down, inside-out or outside-in. Normal, natural living, exercise, eating well, and getting the proper rest are all ADIO approaches to improving the matter. There are also outside-in approaches to improving the matter. Like any outside-in approach there is a question of the good outweighing the bad. Steroids to strengthen muscles and nutritional supplements are two examples.
3. Totally removed from increasing internal resistive forces is the idea of reducing external invasive forces. Chiropractors do not reduce external invasive forces. It is not part of our objective. There are two approaches to the idea of reducing external invasive forces. The first is the common sense approach. Picking up banana peels so people do not slip and subluxate themselves is common sense. Avoiding jumping out of two-story windows is another. Not living in an environment that subjects the body to chemical external invasive forces is common sense and so is avoiding putting chemicals and toxins into the body.
The second approach to reducing external invasive forces is definitely outside-in. It is the objective of medicine. This approach arbitrarily decides that all external invasive forces are bad and must be eliminated. The major thrust of the medical approach is to fight against microorganisms that they have arbitrarily decided are harmful to the body. Many chiropractors have fought against forced immunizations which are the logical conclusion to this type of thinking. As you can see, it is far removed from correcting vertebral subluxations. Here is the irony: orthotics would fit into this category of trying to eliminate external invasive forces. Many peoples’ spines adapt perfectly to orthotic problems, never causing a subluxation. To change the structure of their feet may or may not create problems depending upon whether they can adapt to the new external invasive forces being introduced by the orthotics. Remember every step you take, whether on perfectly balanced orthotics or in a natural state, introduces an external invasive force which the body should be able to adapt to. Orthotics, like any outside-in approach, can cause more harm than good on an individual basis. In my opinion, there is very little difference philosophically between orthotics and immunization, just varying degrees of danger and side-effects. But that can be said for any outside-in procedure. There are no side-effects to getting the proper rest, eating good food or getting adjustments.
4. Philosophically, we cannot decide what is normal for any organ or part of the body. That is the job of the innate intelligence of the individual’s body. If you are going to decide what a person’s feet should look like, you might as well decide what their heart rate, blood pressure and liver function should be. We do not even determine what the normal spine looks like (contrary to the approaches of certain techniques). We do not straighten scoliosis. We determine that the spine is abnormal (because of subluxation) and introduce a force to allow the body to establish what is normal. Chiropractic is not orthopedics. Orthotics is orthopedics.
Slipping without checking is the greatest danger to chiropractic. We did not reach the sad state our profession is in overnight. The road to using acupuncture, minor surgery and over-the-counter drug prescription was a slow process taking us down a slippery slope. Orthotics is one more therapeutic measure no better and no worse than the above. If you want to practice medical (orthopedic) approaches by all means you are free to do it. If you want to extol the benefits of it or any other outside-in approach that is your right. But please do not use the excuse that you are preventing vertebral subluxation as if that somehow justifies doing it. That does not wash when analyzed in the light of our chiropractic philosophy.v20n3