Chicago Chiropractic News

The term "acupuncture" describes a family of procedures involving the stimulation of anatomical points on the body using a variety of techniques. The acupuncture technique that has been most often studied scientifically involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation.

Practiced in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years, acupuncture is one of the key components of traditional Chinese medicine. The body is seen as a delicate balance of two opposing and inseparable forces: yin and yang.The concept of two opposing yet complementary forces described in traditional Chinese medicine. Yin represents cold, slow, or passive aspects of the person, while yang represents hot, excited, or active aspects. A major theory is that health is achieved through balancing yin and yang and disease is caused by an imbalance leading to a blockage in the flow of qi.(energy). Yin represents the cold, slow, or passive principle, while yang represents the hot, excited, or active principle. Health is achieved by maintaining the body in a "balanced state"; disease is due to an internal imbalance of yin and yang. This imbalance leads to blockage in the flow of qi.In traditional Chinese medicine, the vital energy or life force proposed to regulate a person's spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical health and to be influenced by the opposing forces of yin and yang. (vital energy) along pathways known as meridians. Qi can be unblocked, by using acupuncture at certain points on the body that connect with these meridians. One commonly cited source describes meridians as 14 main channels "connecting the body in a weblike interconnecting matrix" of at least 2,000 acupuncture points.
It complements chiropractic very well with chiropractic dealing with physical nerve ,muscle, disc and the nervous system which is energy and acupuncture dealing with stagnant or deficient energy.
Dr Seaman has practiced acupuncture in Chicago for the last 25 years.

Labels: Acupuncture-Niles Chiropractor

Did you know there are thousands of papers describing the wonders of chiropractic and spinal care in health and disease? Remember: a person with any kind of health problem needs chiropractic. Being free from subluxations could make a big difference in any disease. Feel free to send these studies to anyone you know. By the way, is there any disease or condition you'd like to know about? Write us.

Bipolar disorder. A 52-year-old man diagnosed with bipolar disorder sought chiropractic care for lower back pain. The man had symptoms of depression, anxiety and jerky, uncontrolled movements on one side of his body. He was adjusted using Thompson Technique protocol and advised on the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. After 4 visits, the jerky movements associated with his anxiety attacks had subsided and his depressed state had improved. (2)

Headache, neck pain, arm pain. An analysis of forty-seven random controlled trials reviewed chiropractic care for headaches, neck pain, cervico-brachial pain and/or upper back pain. It took a mean of 17 visits to resolve headaches, neck pain and upper back pain. (3)

High blood pressure. Atlas vertebra subluxations were found associated with decreased blood to the brainstem and increased blood pressure. Fifty patients with Stage 1 hypertension received either an upper cervical adjustment or a sham procedure. Patients received no drugs during the 8-week study. At week 8, there were significant reductions in systolic and diastolic BP for the group receiving adjustments. The authors wrote "restoration of Atlas alignment is associated with marked and sustained reductions in BP similar to the use of two-drug combination therapy." (4)


2. Kennamer A. Chiropractic management of a man with bipolar disorder, depression, hemichorea & subluxation. JVSR. October 20, 2008;1-4.

3. Maltby JK, Harrison DD, Harrison D et al. Frequency & duration of chiropractic care for headaches, neck and upper back pain. JVSR. August 21, 2008;1-12.

Labels: headaches-bipolar disorders--Chiropractic Chicago

The illustration to the left is a cross section through one of your vertebra looking down. In the center lies the spinal cord - a tight bundle of billions of nerves that starts in the brain and travels down the spine. Nerves exit from your spinal cord and go to every part of your body. The illustration shows your nerves (in pale yellow) exiting from the spinal cord. The illustration to the right shows the connections between your nerves and your organs.

Labels: Your spinal chord