Every therapeutic procedure has harmful side-effects, whether physical, chemical or psychological in nature, even those that are life-preserving. Since they are not being done by the innate intelligence of the body, the side-effects may be relative, perhaps undemonstrable, often imperceptible (why the practice of medicine is so popular), and open to conjecture.
I find the term “side effect” troublesome; for the term is “Cause and Effect.” The term “side effect” was designed to placate the effects that are NOT desired from those effects that are desirable. The fact of the matter is that the intelligence of the body is ALAYS striving to best of its ability under the current circumstance. Therefore those undesirable effects are in reality the body adapting to the circumstance. We as chiropractors want to provide the body with a better circumstance in which to provide a body free of vertebral subluxation will strive better than one that is subluxated..
I’m not sure how”satisfy, justify”, definitions of placate fits in here. A side effect is an unwanted effect from a cause. We can not say that an unwanted /side effects are the body “adapting to the circumstances.” People die from therapeutic procedure side effects. That is hardly adaptation, in fact, quite the opposite it is a failure to adapt. Any symptom is either adaptation or failure to adapt and we chiropractors do not claim to be able to tell the difference (except for death, we pretty much can conclude that it is a failure.)
My understanding is, chemically at least, “side effects” are those signs and symptoms that are not the “label” purpose of the drug offered by the company. The stories about Lipitor and Viagra come to mind. One of the reason so many “Doctors” prescribe medications for “off-label” use. I recall in school that “Pathology” was defined as “Physiology out of time with need”. Pretty much sums up Outside-In thinking.
I once heard a chiro. say he wouldn’t even tell his patients they were subluxated because it had a negative connotation. He was afraid the negativity of the concept would make them worse. How would you explain the what and why of what you do without saying subluxation???
I agree with it. Nonetheless, therapeutics are necessary, even because innate’s mission is not to heal anything, but keep the parts of the body in active organization by adaptation. The way I see it they are 2 separate things that don’t really have much to do with each other.
Paulo,
What does “keep the parts of the body in active organization mean?
… and what does “keep the parts of the body in active organization by adaptation” mean?
I think you are on to something BIG here. Please, clarify your statement. It might help all of us understand something that has been overlooked since 1895.
The way I see it is from the scientific approach: We have a control center in the body called the brain stem. The body innately has a knowledge that through positive/negative feedback cycles it thrives to maintain itself in active organization, this is called adapting. That is why B.J. referred to the efferent impulse as a mental impulse, because an intelligent order of coordination was sent from the controlling center. And our objective is to recognize that this continuous positive/negative feedback cycle is what is the chiropractic meaning of LIFE: The expression of intelligence through matter.
My point then is, this positive/negative feedback cycle that is present in the body has nothing to do with the healing of anything directly, its only purpose is to have the body working as a whole. Of course it takes organization to heal something, but that’s a different discussion.
Yes Paulo (great meeting you last night BTW). Healing is a result of the organizing principle and not the sole objective of it. As Reggie says, it is not even about healing. It is about creation. A dynamic flux of information/energy exchange of universal cycles. We as educated individuals have placed value judgements on health, sickness and death. We call those things bad when in reality they just are normal universal cycles. Chiropractors choose to adjust subluxations because they interfere with the expression of life towards optimum expression for the benefit of the individual and society at large.
Well said.
pleasure was all mine Steve!
Here’s a link to an excellent article in “Wired.com” re: the confusion “scientists” are having with Innate Intelligence, or perhaps the organizing principle of living organisms.
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/12/ff_causation/