This page is a simple introduction to chiropractic therapies.
There are many websites and books available which can provide you with more detail.

The different forms of practice of chiropractic is an important consideration regarding the choice of and success of the therapy.

The following represent some of the varieties I have used over the past 40 years in addition to several others I know of which have proven helpful to others. The field of chiropractic is one which encourages the practitioner to follow a holistic perspective by reason of its emphasis on balancing the functions and energies of the body. This has resulted in individuals incorporating other modalities into their practice of chiropractic in an attempt to extend and stabilize the benefit of the adjustments they offer.

Be aware, that quality of treatment, like in most other healthcare practices, depends upon the diagnostic, communication, and treatment skills of the practitioner. These vary widely between the different forms and between practitioners within a form of therapy. The longevity of the form of practice or of the practice of the individual bear little relevancy to effectiveness. Some longer duration therapists have continued to learn and perfect their skills; others are little different than when they graduated.

Relevancy is of critical importance in your selection of a form of chiropractic therapy and your selection of a therapist. What may have worked miraculously for a friend may have little benefit for you, as well as the opposite. You may have a personality clash with a practitioner who is yet best skilled for you and offers the form of treatment which you can most benefit from. The reverse may also occur. You may find a practitioner very attuned to you on a personal basis, yet, their skills are substandard, or their manner of practice is not helpful. It is great when the personality of the practitioner, their skill level, and the form of their practice are beneficial to your health recovery and maintenance. Don't expect it. Focus on the benefits.

Relevancy also concerns timing.
The form of chiropractic which is of most benefit to you may change over time as you go through different levels of recovery. The form of chiropractic available to you may be restricted by location, financial resources, or availability. Other forms of therapy may be best undertaken, by you, before, during, or after your use of chiropractic.

More complex equipment does not necessarily provide any significantly enhanced clinical results, and that's the bottom line." Therapeutic devices can potentially do more harm than good," says Dr. Fedoryk. "If there's an infection, heat may facilitate its spread. With patients who have pacemakers, no electrical therapies should be used in the vicinity of the heart.

Chiropractors focus on physical, emotional, and immune irregularities that can result from dislocations of spinal structure or restrictions on movement. Visual and manual inspection and diagnosis are usually preferred by most chiropractors to determine structural and functional problems. Manipulation of the spine through twisting and pulling movements is used to correct or prevent structural misalignments and so promote normal bodily function. Chiropractic "adjustment" usually refers to a variety of manual mechanical interventions.

Chiropractors focus on the body's “ innate” (inborn, Reptilian) strengths and defences to heal itself without the use of drugs or surgery. They believe that misaligned vertebrae, referred to as subluxation, can interfere with normal body function, through the interruption of nerve communication, and if left uncorrected, can result in muscle and/or organ dysfunction, and other imbalances.

Chiropractic started as an association 100 years ago, when Harvey Lillard heard a "pop" in his neck after which there was a rapid deterioration in his hearing. His employer, Daniel David Palmer, a magnetic healer, recognized the relationship of spinal displacement and the reduced function of the nervous system.

Bartlett Joshua (B.J.) Palmer, D.C. Ph.C., the son of Daniel David Palmer, became the marketer, educator and inventor who further developed and publicized the science of Chiropractic. His early work and original research in the field of Chiropractic is the foundation upon the present day teachings of the science. A prolific writer, lecturer and world traveler, he was President of the Palmer School of Chiropractic from 1906 until his death in 1961.

"Universal Intelligence [Spiritual Guidance] has scattered everywhere with amazing and beneficent profusion. ... You can get education from people educated like yourself for better or for worse. Knowledge comes from a superior--and man has no superior in education, but he has a superior in knowledge his Innate Intelligence [Reptilian Structure]; and Innate Intelligence has a superior in knowledge in Universal Intelligence [Spiritual Guidance]. Wisdom is knowledge gained; ripe wisdom is knowledge ripened into practicability of practical use.

There are many educated people; there are more educated fools. There are a few people who possess knowledge, but there are few people who possess wisdom. ... "

Here are a few different approaches:

• Basic physical realignment of the spine.
  http://www.chiropractic.org/

  All chiropractors are trained in this approach.
  Some use an adjusting technique which results in loud cracking sounds.
  For the patient who needs to hear or see dramatic indications in order to believe that anything is being done, this approach may be beneficial. For others, who may be sensitized to the type of sound and paranoid about further injury and pain, these sounds can almost be traumatic.

  Cold packs or ice may be used independently or alternately with hot packs to reduce swelling and tension in the tissues surrounding and supporting the vertebrae.

  A number of forms of electrical therapy, including the TENS machine and electrical stimulation acupuncture may also be used to stimulate and relax nerves and muscles in an attempt to break up spasm frozen tissues which can pull vertebrae out of their healthful position and result in nerve pinching leading to inflammation and organ dysfunction.

  Hot packs and other heat therapies, as well as other types of therapy that increase vasodilation and circulation to facilitate new tissue formation and damaged tissue removal may also be used. These promote the deposition and formation of collagen and the repair of tissues may also be added. Use of Infrared heat accomplishes a similar result.

  Ultrasound therapy uses high-frequency sound waves that can penetrate one to four inches, causing vasodilation, increased circulation, and increased heat, while promoting collagen synthesis and deposition to form new tissue.

  Traction stretches the spinal muscles and ligaments, decompresses compromised or irritated spinal nerve roots, and increases the biomechanical function of degenerative spinal and discopathic conditions. "The most popular forms of chiropractic-applied traction are cervical intermittent and lumbar flexion-distraction techniques,

  Exercises for muscle stretching and strengthening, are frequently advocated in order to strengthen muscles supporting connective tissues which have been damaged and to provide a balance between opposing muscle groups where one has been developed to the disadvantage of another. Stretched tendons and ligaments seldom shrink back to their more healthful length so additional muscle support is a less invasive and less costly for of correction than surgery.

  PNF, or proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, involves techniques to improve muscle and joint function. The treatment is geared toward treating the whole body.

  Therabands and Swiss ball activities, which are very effective in rehabilitation, along with other low-tech, inexpensive equipment like trampolines, balance boards, and BOSU balls are also advocated by some practitioners.

  Exercise tubing [including swimming pool flotation noodles]:
  Resistive-motion exercise using simple exercise tubes is also available at almost any athletic store. Exercise tubing has been shown to offer pain relief and improve strength and conditioning for patients recovering from many joint injuries. With a couple of sessions' instruction in the chiropractic office, the patient can be taught to use exercise tubing for almost any upper - and lower - body strengthening exercise. They're portable, simple to use, and don't take up nearly as much space as free weights.

  A flat bench, a stationary bike, and Foot Levelers or Synergy wall tubing systems and any tabletop or stand-alone upper-body ergometer may also be used to assist in particular muscle development for the purpose of greater support of the skeletal structure in a balanced manner.

  
  
  

• Alignment of the spine and nutritional counseling.
  In addition to the above physical orientation chiropractic adjustment AND one or more facilitative and remedial therapies, chiropractors have long integrated one of several forms of nutritional support approaches.

  An old and most common form of nutritional advice is to rationalize what is expected to be of benefit to the client as an extension of published research associated to the symptoms of the individual. There are extreme difficulties and inefficiencies with this approach for it follows the authoritarian conservative approach to medicine and health which assumes that all humans are clones of one another. Without a consideration of blood and metabolic type, gender, age, build, and the often promotional and idiosyncratic misuse of statistics, supplements are often prescribed which are inadequate or excessive in dosage, unbalanced in association with each other, and often costly and useless.
  
  

  In the field of nutrition, every week brings new reports of findings which extend our awareness about specific food ingredients. Sometimes, new research reveals the fallacies of decades old associations or months old pseudo-scientific releases. As environmental deterioration becomes pervasive and industrial farming persistently exhausts the soils and contaminates our crops with thousands of airborne and seeded chemicals --- we increasingly require nutritional supplementation just to maintain a previously normal level of nutrition. Yet, each of us experiences different levels of stress and cope in different degrees and manners with stress. Energies demanded for coping create demand for nutrients according to the type of stress. Our nutritional requirements are continuously changing.

  Muscle testing to determine the most efficient food combinations and supplement dosages has been advocated by health professionals since the late 1970's. Unfortunately, this simple skill cannot be patented and sold and so few practitioners make any effort to learn it for their own use as they cannot sell it to their clients. Development of the skill also requires a degree of patience, persistence, and self-awareness --- which is difficult to encourage in a culture focused on aggressive, fast-paced, competitive, materialistic obsession. Individualized eating profiles also conflicts with the cultural pattern of shared meals in which one combination of foods has been prepared for all.

  Individualized selection of foods and supplemental nutrients is the only way to effectively consume the best balance to recover, maintain, and enhance one's health. With foods occupying the significance of medicinal herbs, personal preference for selection on the basis of popularity, taste, or cost --- often becomes irrelevant. Still, one must make the selections from what is available to one and obtainable with the resources at hand. This self-direction and self-restraint requires a discerning ability to use muscle testing which one can easily and quickly confirm to be accurate and note distorted by the desires or fears of one's Ego [Personal values], and SuperEgo [Social values].
  
  

  The use of Spiritual Guidance to determine food selection and supplement dosages and inclusion is another way to attain efficient and relevant nutrition. This requires even more self-direction, self-restraint, awareness, persistence, and independence than the use of muscle testing if one is to maintain accuracy in results. The benefit is that it can be much more widely applied both beyond oneself and beyond the simple questions of nutrition.

  Many chiropractors who have augmented their practice with nutritional supplements at an earlier time, have now abandoned this to the many health food stores and websites which compete for the business and often have staff who may be more familiar with some of the newer supplements, studies, and theories. Rather than maintaining an expensive and extensive stock of supplements which will likely have a low turnover, and thus a high storage cost --- many practitioners have abandoned this attempt at increasing the permanence of their chiropractic manipulations to the adoption of other modalities.
  
  
  

• Gentle alignment of the spine and other bones.
  John McTimoney founded the McTimoney method of chiropractic in Banbury, Britain, in 1951.
  http://www.mctimoney-college.ac.uk/

  McTimoney, an adherent of Palmer's holistic view of chiropractic, believed that subluxations impair nerve function and affect the correct functioning of the body. His approach altered to a "whole body" one. He came to the view that although the spine was the primary source of misalignments, or subluxations, the other joints of the body could also be put out of alignment by everyday stresses and strains, and that, in order to achieve a complete realignment, all the joints of the body should be treated -not just the spine. McTimoney also treated animals with his technique and is considered to be a pioneer in this field.
  
  

  The same techniques as other chiropractors are used, but in a much more gentle way. They favor a technique known as the "toggle-recoil" thrust. In this, the practitioner pushes the joint in the desired direction with one rapid movement and then releases it. The tendons and ligaments of the joint are stretched by the rapid push and their natural elasticity is thought to assist the bones to realign as they recoil when released.

  McTimoney practitioners examine and treat the entire body in the course of each session to ensure correct skeletal alignment. They rarely use X-rays or other diagnostic tools, preferring to rely on what they feel with their hands.

  McTimoney Chiropractic is seen as a safer option than ordinary chiropractic because of its lighter touch.
  
  
  

• Alignment of the spine and energy balancing.
  Bio-Kinetics, http://www.biokineticshealth.com

  "We as human organisms are a series of interacting multidimensional subtle energy systems, and if these energy systems become imbalanced there may be resulting pathological symptoms which manifest on the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual planes."
  From introduction by Gabriel Cousens, M.D., to
  Vibrational Medicine: New Choices for Healing Ourselves,
  by Richard Gerber, M.D.

  The Bio-Kinetics procedures were developed over the past thirty-plus years by Dr. Lawrence E. Newsum of Rancho Palos Verdes, California. With the help of colleague, Dr. Donald Baune, a Chiropractic Neurologist, he was able to compile the information explaining how it works, and develop a concise and teachable program.

  Bio-Kinetics, through a unique and patented process, works to gently activate, stimulate and synchronize areas of the brain, nerve system and body that are subconsciously reacting to stored stress-memory patterns, causing dysfunction and dis-ease.

  Bio-Kinetics is based on neuro-physiological insights and discoveries that make it possible to release accumulated biological stress, eliminate negative stress reactions and correct stored cellular stress memories anywhere in the body and mind.

  [The manner in which Bio-Kinetics describes "stress reactions" and "stress memories" is very similar to how I have found regular energy blocks to be my Balancing Therapy, outlined elsewhere on Earthtym.]

  The human brain is a complex electro-chemical organ, producing chemicals from nerve cell frequencies. Chemical imbalances come from frequency imbalances. Stress-memories result in negative frequency imbalances throughout the brain/body system that then trigger a cascade of events leading to dysfunction and, eventually disease. In this way, stress-reactions cause INTERFERENCE with the normal Brain/Body communication system, and cause INTERFERENCE with the flow of energy in, around and through the body.
  
  

  Eliminating The Effects Of Stress:
  Discoveries from fields of neurology, neuro-physiology, psycho-neuro-immunology, endocrinology and chiropractic have revealed insights into how this system works. A healthy body comes from a healthy brain, and a healthy brain comes from a healthy, active body. The brain needs stimulation from the body to function properly, and the body needs proper communication from the brain to function properly. This new understanding has made it possible to develop protocols to update the body's reaction to stress, re-program the stress response, and re-connect the communication pathways between the brain and body.

  Bio-Kinetics unique and patented approach finds hidden stress reaction patterns, then using the small hand-held New-Stim instrument, mechanically stimulates specific neuro-receptor pathways triggering a nerve response into the brain that interrupts the abnormal patterns and normalizes the frequencies within the brain.

  Bio-Kinetics utilizes very specific contact points in the atlanto-occipital area as its primary window into the nervous system because the distribution of neuro-receptors is the highest in this region, allowing for precise brain activation.

  With the procedures developed in 2004, Bio-Kinetics can be performed in 3-7 minutes to clear physical problems (spinal problems, musculo-skeletal problems, organ malfunctions, etc.), chemical sensitivities (allergies), emotional stress patterns and electromagnetic frequency interference on most people.

  [Much of this approach utilizes muscle testing and the use of the point impact Stim instrument. As in all forms of chiropractic, it cannot remove sources of toxins in the body or toxin buildup from chemicals and heavy metals. It can increase the awareness of and discernment of the Reptilian Structure to specific parasitic forms, such as viruses and fungi.]
  
  
  

• Alignment of the spine and homeopathic treatment.

  The integration of homeopathic and chiropractic can be a very effective approach, although it usually is not. This result is neither a reflection of the positive contribution possible with either towards enhanced health.

  Homeopathy is usually, in my experience, applied by the practitioner interviewing the client and then selecting the one remedy which correlates in descriptive principle to the symptoms noted. In the reference available to the practitioner, both in paper manual form and computer analysis software, the description of the person so afflicted as to benefit from a specific remedy can be highly defined.

  This rational association of two apparent similar facts, symptom and description, have a tendency to be incorrect and wasteful. Second and third visits may elicit more detail and symptoms and more remedies to apply. If the problem is indeed related to a very specific traumatic event, it may be resolved by the use of one remedy.

  Muscle testing to determine the most efficient remedy and strength/quantity of dosages has been advocated by health professionals since the late 1970's. Unfortunately, this simple skill cannot be patented and sold and so few practitioners make any effort to learn it for their own use as they cannot sell it to their clients. Development of the skill also requires a degree of patience, persistence, and self-awareness --- which is difficult to encourage in a culture focused on aggressive, fast-paced, competitive, materialistic obsession. Individualized treatment profiles also conflicts with the cultural pattern of formulaic prescribing in which one remedy has been prescribed for apparent singular symptoms

  Individualized selection of remedies is the only way to effectively address what may be one, or a combination of trauma induced patterns, and enhance one's health. With remedies occupying an authoritarian predictable association to symptoms, an openness to the possibility of multiple influences indicating one or more symptoms and one to many remedies simultaneously --- often becomes irrelevant to the simplicity seeking rational brain.

  This becomes ever more difficult when the reality becomes known that there are hundreds of homeopathic remedies which can be ordered in at least 3 different potencies. The cost of a partial set often ranges to as much or more than $10,000. Which client is going to withstand the rigorous muscle testing endurance session while perhaps 5 remedies in 3 differing strengths are confirmed for choice? Simply easier to guess, by association, and call it rational.
  
  

  The use of Spiritual Guidance to determine remedy selection and strength/quantity of dosages is a way to attain efficient and relevant treatment. This requires even more self-direction, self-restraint, awareness, persistence, and independence than the use of muscle testing if one is to maintain accuracy in results. The benefit is that it can be much more widely applied both beyond oneself and beyond the simple questions of a regular interview.

  Combinations of remedies may be indicated for symptoms being expressed by a multiple of influences, of which most are hidden from the consciousness of the patient, themselves. If the patient is Not Aware of this relevant information, how can they share it? If diagnosis depends upon shared information, how can such be possible when that information is either unavailable to the patient, or, embarrassing or shameful to the person?
  
  
  

• Alignment of the spine with a focus on one area.
  Upper Cervical, http://www.tna-support.org/newlook/uppercervical.htm, or,
  NUCCA, or, atlas subluxation complex.

  The atlas is a single, 2 oz. doughnut-shaped vertebra at the top of the spine. Trillions of nerve fibers from the brainstem travel through the small opening in atlas and flow down into the spinal column. Because of the smallness of the opening and because of the atlas’ close proximity to the brain stem, if the atlas has moved out of position even one degree, two very serious things can result.

  The repositioning of the atlas vertebrae is done by hand or by instrument. Depending on the doctor’s technique, it feels like a light tap, a brisk thrust, or a soft massage at the side of the neck as the atlas is moved precisely back into its correct position. It is completely “underwhelming.”

  This approach is particularly beneficial to the treatment of whiplash and other head trauma injuries. There are few young adults, and fewer mature persons, who have not experienced accidental, or intentional, physical shock to the head or upper back. This may begin as early as a forceps delivery, a disciplinary slap to the head, a fall, a punch, wrestling holds or whips, sudden vehicle stops, emotional tension from particular forms of fear or anxiety, or many other possibilities.

  As usual in chiropractic application, the therapist is likely to be committed to their form of chiropractic as a panacea for all ills. This attitude, allows, or leaves them in a state of profound denial and ignorance about more complex forms of illness, like multiple chronic burdens, and prevents a more constructive referral to other services when such could prove beneficial. One should NOT be surprised at this, for this characteristic applies to most practices of healthcare and medicine, whether conventional or alternative.
  
  
  

• Alignment of the spine with acupuncture preparation.
  Some chiropractors begin their treatment with the use of acupuncture needles. These are placed to reduce the muscle tension and inflammation which usually attends subluxated vertebrae and pinched nerves. It is a method which is drug free and allows the body to begin correction while the practitioner is adjusting another client. This is often used in place of an initial hand massage, TENS electro-stimulation, or Thumper mechanical massage. For those who choose this direction, they often find it more effective and efficient than the alternatives.
  
  
  

• Alignment of the spine with hypnotic enhancement.
  Network Chiropractic, http://www.10ac.com/network_chiropractic.htm
  Also known as: Network Spinal Analysis (NSA), and the Somato-Respiratory Integration (SRI) methodology.

  Network chiropractic is an approach that has been developed by Donald Epstein, D.C. It extends chiropractic's traditional adjustment techniques and works with the body's Reptilian Intelligence. Its uniqueness lies in its use of a unified system of 12 techniques with special attention to their timing and sequencing. Using light, gentle movements, practitioners adjust each vertebra in relationship to the rest of the spine, on the belief that spine protects an essential channel of energy and information to the body.

  Dr. Epstein's system of Network Spinal Analysis (NSA) integrates points of agreement from diverse chiropractic approaches. He observed from clinical experience that not all subluxations of the spine are the same. He found two types of subluxations: structural (arising from physical stresses), and facilitated (arising from emotional stresses).

  Network chiropractic combines a variety of chiropractic techniques to enable the practitioner to adjust subluxations with the precise amount and type of force suggested by clinical findings. This is different from attempting to match the vertebra being adjusted to a specific technique. The difference lies in the sequence of the adjustments and the networking of the various methods.

  Network chiropractic may be performed on a group of patients, simultaneously within a large treatment area in which the positive statements of one person encourages the others present to expect a similar positive outcome for themselves. In ALL areas of healthcare, where positive expectation is encouraged, rather than being allowed to present itself, there is a potential for placebo self-healing to occur, in addition to any improvements resulting from the applications carried out by the therapist. The true test of effectiveness is when a patient experiences dramatic improvement in some area of their health, through the process utilized by the therapist, WITHOUT statements of expectation being made.