Some of you may already know this, but for those who don’t, let me take a few minutes to explain why chiropractic is beneficial for much more than just treating back pain.

But before I go any further, do you know what the first chiropractic adjustment did in 1895? It restored a man’s hearing. The founder of chiropractic, D.D. Palmer, adjusted the spine of his janitor, Harvey Lillard, and Lillard’s hearing was restored. But that’s a story for another time.

Now, back to why chiropractic is so beneficial for overall health, not just for back pain.

When it comes to health, it’s clear that we all want to be as healthy as possible. The question then becomes, how do we achieve optimal health? The answers that come to mind include eating vegetables, exercising, drinking water, thinking positively, and avoiding alcohol.

But there’s a better question we can ask ourselves: how does the human body maintain health, and why does it lose it?

The answer is the nervous system. The nervous system controls everything in our bodies, from how cells divide, to how we digest our food, fight infection, take in oxygen, excrete waste, and even think positively. Every action in our bodies is controlled by the nervous system.

Therefore, to achieve optimal health, we must have a well-functioning nervous system. And full health simply cannot be achieved without a properly functioning nervous system.

This is where chiropractic care comes in. Chiropractors use the spine as their instrument to work with. The spine’s primary function is to protect the spinal cord, which is the main highway of the nervous system.

When you see a chiropractor, they work to correct the alignment of your spine, known as an adjustment. Regardless of pain or symptoms, this correction serves to improve the function of your nervous system, which in turn improves how your whole body is functioning. This leads to an overall improvement in your health.