Most chiropractic patients come into the chiropractor’s office for the first time seeking relief for back and neck problems. Usually, they have a friend or family member who has had good results with chiropractic. Many of our patients have been on anti-inflammatory medication and pain killers prior to initiating chiropractic care.
On his first visit, a case history is taken to determine the patient’s problem. Then he is placed on the chiropractic adjusting table and after full-spine palpation, he is given a chiropractic adjustment. Spinal palpation determines which of the spinal vertebrae are out of position and whether it has rotated left or right or is tilting left or right. When a vertebra is ‘twisted’ out of position and locks that way, it is called a vertebral subluxation. A subluxation is a misaligned vertebra which is interfering with normal nerve transmission between brain and tissue cell, causing a decrease in function in the tissues supplied by that particular nerve.
That is why a cervical subluxation (neck) can produce numbness and pain or tingling in an upper extremity, or a thoracic subluxation causing a change in acid production in the stomach leading to an ulcer, or a lumbar (low back) subluxation causing cramps, pain and tingling in a lower extremity. One visit to the chiropractor doesn’t correct years of damage to the spine. It takes a series of chiropractic adjustments over several months to effectuate a change in a pattern which has usually taken decades to develop.
Jamaican spines are particularly troublesome. Most new patients present with extremely rigid spines laden with fibrotic scar tissue from years of ligamentous and often osseous (bone) degenerative changes. This condition is so prevalent in Jamaica that I have coined a new “diagnosis” to describe it: Jamaican Spine Syndrome; no ICD-9 code yet!
Having practiced in the first world for the first 17 years of my career, I can attest to the stark differences in presentation of The Jamaican Spine.
A few plausible explanations account for most of these findings: I have discovered that many Jamaicans never slept in cribs as babies, rather sleeping high off the floor on beds designed for adults. During the night and very early in life, these babies have fallen off their beds three feet to a hard floor below, perhaps several times. This is the principle cause of Jamaican Spine Syndrome. Other factors include children being asked to carry heavy loads on their heads at too early an age, predisposing them to early degenerative spinal arthritis. And, of course, the main factor in the perpetuation of these early acquired conditions is the deplorable condition of our nation’s roads. By age forty, most Jamaicans have had their spines pounded by potholes into a pate of ultra-stiff degenerative spinal arthritis. Since these are progressive conditions, the problems compound with time, manifesting more pain, decreased mobility, bone spurring, calcified ligaments, discal diminution and dehydration along with nerve compression in increasing severity, further limiting normal function in the body.
Obviously, those starting chiropractic care earlier in life have a better chance of achieving longer lasting results from a program of regular chiropractic care. That doesn’t mean there is no hope for older Jamaicans. Regular chiropractic care over time results in improved mobility and flexibility along with a feeling of youthfulness and wellbeing. Improved organ and muscle capabilities prove the value of chiropractic to those for whom it is a new approach to health.
Perhaps the greatest benefit of chiropractic care is the documented improvements in overall immune function. After successful results as a chiropractic patient, Dr. Ronald Pero, Sloan-Kettering Memorial Cancer Hospital researcher, conducted a study where dozens of test subjects were categorized into three categories: one with known diagnoses, in other words, people sick with illnesses, a second group consisting of people with healthy lifestyles, people who lived by proper nutrition and exercise but had never had chiropractic care and the third group consisted of patients who had been under regular chiropractic care for five or more years.
Dr. Pero took samples of DNA from each and observed them under an electron microscope, magnification 30,000X. He paid particular attention to the genetic markers representing immune system function of each participant and here is what he discovered.
The “healthy group” which never had chiropractic care had twice as many genetic markers for immunity than the sickly group, but the chiropractic patients in the study manifested 4X the number of genetic immunity markers than the sickly group and twice as many as the so-called healthy group of joggers and fitness devotees.
Chiropractic was founded in September 18, 1895, in Davenport, Iowa, USA, by Dr. Daniel David Palmer, who administered the first chiropractic adjustment to a black man, Harvey Lillard. Lillard had been unable to hear for seventeen years after hearing something “go pop” in his upper back, near the base of his neck. Dr. Palmer discovered a vertebra out of place and nudged it back into position and Harvey Lillard’s hearing was restored and the profession of Chiropractic was born. People with a variety of illnesses came from all over the world to the Palmer Clinic and their successful results were documented in years of research.
Today, there are chiropractic colleges in several countries around the world and chiropractors are now found in most countries on our globe.
For young people seeking a profession to pursue, chiropractic can be a very rewarding career. There are no words which can describe the gratification a doctor of chiropractic feels when he sees function begin to return in his patient. Right now, Jamaica has only five full-time chiropractors to serve more than 2.7 million people. There is a great need for more chiropractic availability in our country which is such a hostile environment to the human spine.
Dr. Michael Harvey
Graduated Palmer College of Chiropractic, December 13, 1980, magna cum laude with high honors.
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