December 2021

Chiropractic is the method of natural healing most chosen by those seeking complementary/alternative health care for acute and chronic conditions. Chiropractic is a type of complementary medicine with various definitions in different articles and other scientific resources. Chiropractic is a health care profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system, and the effects of these disorders on general health. Chiropractic treatment procedures emphasize manual techniques, including joint adjustment and/or manipulation, with a specific focus on subluxation.

Many individuals compare the services of chiropractors to physical therapists.

Of course, both of these professionals help patients achieve a better quality of life, but the focus of their services is different from each other.

While you may first visit a chiropractor to relieve pain in the lower back or to treat sciatica, neck pain, whiplash, or headache, you will find that a chiropractor views you as a whole person and not the sum of your parts. A chiropractor will work in partnership with you to ensure your optimal health and wellness.

Chiropractors recognize that many factors affect your health, including exercise, nutrition, sleep, environment, and heredity. Chiropractic focuses on maintaining your health naturally to help your body resist disease, rather than simply treating the symptoms of the disease. One of the best things about receiving chiropractic adjustments is that they are a completely drug-free path to healing the body naturally. Chiropractic benefits include helping to naturally improve problems such as:

• Back pain
• Headaches
• Bowel regularity
• Improved mental clarity
• Ear infections
• Neck pain
• Arthritis and joint pain
• Scoliosis
• Asthma
• Blood pressure
• Healthy pregnancy
• Organ function
• Surgery prevention

When you visit a Doctor of Chiropractic, you will be evaluated using time-honored methods, including consultation, case history, physical examination, laboratory analysis, and X-ray examination. In addition, you will receive a careful chiropractic structural examination, with particular attention paid to the spine.

A broad range of techniques is used to locate, analyze,  and gently correct vertebral misalignments (subluxations) in the spine. Chiropractors may use manual adjustment, electrical muscular stimulation, ultrasound, or massage. But they never use pharmaceutical drugs or invasive surgery. Chiropractic is a natural method of healing that stimulates the body’s communication system to work more effectively to initiate, control and, coordinate the various functions of the cells, organs, and systems of the body.

Doctors of chiropractic work in tandem with other healthcare professionals. If your condition requires attention from another branch of the healthcare profession, that recommendation or referral will be made.

Many people are living day to day with aches and pains. They suffer through this with no end in sight and often times no treatment. Given the ongoing challenges of chronic pain management coupled with the consequences of the opioid epidemic, pain management practitioners and their patients are searching for effective and safer alternatives to opioids to alleviate pain. With the legalization of marijuana in many states and resulting cultural acceptance of this drug for recreational and medical use, there has been an increased interest in using cannabis for a myriad of medical problems, including pain. CBD is emerging as a promising pharmaceutical agent to treat pain, inflammation, seizures, and anxiety without the psychoactive effects of THC. The role of CBD in pain management continues to evolve, and evidence from animal studies has shown that CBD exerts its pain-relieving effects through its various interactions and modulation of the endocannabinoid, inflammatory, and nociceptive (pain-sensing) systems.

Cannabidiol has gained popularity as a promising complementary remedy for various health issues, including anxiety, epilepsy, and pain management. CBD is one of several cannabinoids that are naturally present in the cannabis plant. There is a vast range of CBD products, including oils, tinctures, balms, and candy, all of which may help people who are experiencing physical pain.

CBD and other cannabinoids act on cannabinoid receptors found throughout the body. These receptors, combined with naturally occurring cannabinoids, make up the endocannabinoid system. The ECS consists of complex cell signaling pathways in the central nervous system and immune system.

There are endogenous and exogenous cannabinoids. Endogenous cannabinoids are naturally occurring lipids that the body produces. The body does not produce exogenous cannabinoids.

Cannabinoids, both endogenous and exogenous, bind to endocannabinoid receptors attached to cells. CBD does not bind very well to endocannabinoid receptors.

CBD comes in several different forms, including:

• oils and tinctures
• gummies
• oral capsules or pills
• creams, balms, and salves
• topical patches

CBD gummies and capsules are for oral ingestion. Topical CBD products, on the other hand, are for external use only. People can apply these products to specific areas of the body, such as sore muscles or aching joints.

CBD oils and tinctures are more versatile than other forms. They usually come in tinted glass bottles with a dropper. People can either add a few drops of CBD oil to food or beverages or place a few drops under their tongue, where they can hold the oil for up to 1 minute before swallowing.

Products that undergo third-party testing will have a certificate of analysis, which is a document that contains information about the product’s CBD potency, the presence of THC and other cannabinoids, and safety test results.

Guest post from Rehabilitation in Humble TX