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The belief on which chiropractic is founded is that the body has the ability to heal itself, but that it does require homeostasis (balance) and an uninterrupted flow of nerve impulses from the brain and spinal column that travels to the rest of the body.
When the vertebrae and bones are misaligned in relation to the joints (referred to as subluxations) the flow of nerve impulses are interrupted and impedes the body's ability to stay healthy.
These subluxations are corrected by manipulation of the bones and their associated muscles and joints, and the manipulations are generally focused on the spine.
Although chiropractors are still seen as "alternative" healers, there are a great number of allopathic Western medical doctors that believe that proper manipulation can be of great benefit to patients suffering from specific problems such as lower back pain and headaches.
The word chiropractic is derived from the Greek words "cheir" meaning 'hand' and "practikos" meaning 'done by' and this term was coined by a patient of the originator of this method of treatment Daniel David Palmer in 1895.
Mr. Palmer cured deafness by manipulating a misaligned vertebra and this started him looking more and more at the spine, misalignment of vertebrae and its relationship to disease.
One of his followers, John Howard, later broke away from Palmer and even now there are two schools of thought regarding chiropractic healing - the original 'manipulation only' believers, following Palmer while the followers of Howard embrace a far wider range of therapies, such as massage, physical therapy etc.
During treatments a patient may hear their joints crack, but the treatments are painless and many people are firm believers of the therapeutic benefits derived from chiropractic manipulations.
Chiropractic treatments are used mostly for musculoskeletal problems with the greatest successes normally recorded with recent acute pain, while others visit a chiropractor regularly as part of a preventative health maintenance program.
Further information 
- On our Ageless herbal website we have an article written by a well known South African chiropractor - Dr. Rob Donkin - and if you are interested in this field, it is well worth a read.
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