Chiropractic began in 1895 in Davenport, Iowa by a man named Daniel David Palmer. Dr. Palmer offered to care for a man named Harvey Lilard who had been deaf for years after bending over and experiencing a “pop” in his back. Dr. Palmer surmised that if a vertebrae in the man’s spine had shifted out of place that it could impinge the spinal cord or nerves that control hearing. He felt Harvey’s back and found a vertebrae that he felt was out of alignment. He explained to Harvey what he wanted to do which was to try and realign the vertebrae and Harvey consented. Dr. Palmer gave a thrust to the area of misalignment and a “pop” accompanied the thrust. Mr. Lilard then asked what the sound he was hearing was and he was hearing a horse and buggy from the street outside the window. He had regained his hearing and chiropractic was born.
Chiropractors were the first profession to use diagnostic x-rays. When allopathic medicine began utilizing pharmaceuticals and surgery, chiropractic colleges continued to want to offer a more conservative holistic approach to health care.
Chiropractic seeks to find the CAUSE of your pain or disease and not simply cover the symptoms with drugs. While drugs have their place in the treatment of disease, all pharmaceutical (man-made) drugs have side effects, some of which may cause more harm than good.
Surgery likewise has many risks and side effects but has its place in health care. Chiropractic can not only reduce and eliminate many pain complaints but by removing stress from the spine it also reduces stress on the nervous system. The nervous system controls all bodily functions including the immune system. Proper posture and spinal alignment can improve immune function and help bring the body into homeostasis.
Dr. Wheeler is pediatric trained and has seen the benefits of chiropractic care with his own children and many patients in the past 27 years. Birth can be very traumatic on an infants spine and a baby may benefit from being checked by a chiropractor who has been properly trained like Dr. Wheeler soon after birth. Adjustments for children are very gentle and safe when performed by a trained Doctor of Chiropractic.
The “pop” one feels with a traditional chiropractic adjustment is tiny bubbles in the synovial or “joint fluid” between bones that pop when the bone is moved such as when one pops their knuckles. If you are nervous about having traditional chiropractic manipulation or adjustments Dr. Wheeler offers light and non force techniques including drop table, activator and SOT blocking.
Many studies have shown chiropractic to be less expensive than going the route of drugs and surgery for neck and back pain.
Chiropractic education is on par with traditional medical schools in duration and in many of the core science classes.
Dr. Wheeler doesn’t just work on backs however. He can help with neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand problems, hip, knee foot and ankle problems as well as headaches and many other issues. Since chiropractic care helps with nerve function it may help restore proper functions to various organs and thereby help with other complaints such as re-flux or gerd, sleeping problems and many others. There are some times other causes for organic problems or pain than what a chiropractic physician can help with and that is why Dr. Wheeler will need to do a thorough history and exam to determine if chiropractic is the right choice for you or whether you may need diagnostic testing or a referral to a medical specialist.
The Journal of the American Medical Association published in 2014 that chiropractic manipulation is beneficial for back pain. Call us now 850-889-4005.