September 2002 marks chiropractic's birthday, 107 and going strong!

I remember the first time I heard the spine was important. It was during my chiropractor's health talk on how the nervous system works and its influence on health and quality of life.

"WOW" I thought, this makes sense, why haven't I heard this before?

Luckily, I had been referred by a friend who knew about chiropractic, and that's how chiropractic has grown into the largest natural health care profession, woman to woman, taking care of each other and the children and men in our lives, introducing them all to this awesome approach to living well.

Why should every woman be under chiropractic care?

Well, there's the obvious -- every woman has a spine and nervous system. Chiropractic can offer an evaluation of function and quality care that promotes it. Chiropractic is safe, cost-effective, and there are the obvious benefits that many seek out chiropractic for: care for the cause of back problems, neck pain, headaches, etc.

But let's offer the public access to health information about the less obvious -- yet no less important -- areas where chiropractic benefits have touched women's lives (for research articles, visit www.jvsr.com):

Some primary addictions affecting women are work, food, and chemical addictions (including alcohol, nicotine, recreational drugs, prescription drugs and caffeine).

Dr. Jay Holder, a Miami-based chiropractor and expert in this area, describes addiction as a breakdown of specific brain pathways that can result in the Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS), when the brain is unable to produce the chemicals responsible for the sense and feeling of well-being.

Having a subluxation-free spine impacts a woman's potential to experience optimum well being, as the vertebral joints and spinal cord are actively involved in this process and loss of normal neurological function (vertebral subluxations) due to physical, emotional, chemical stress can contribute to this interference.

A woman is battered every 15 seconds in America, a crisis that occurs among all ages, economic groups, ethnic cultures, and is not limited to drugs or alcohol abuse. The statistics are staggering:

*** 1/3 of all emergency room visits are related to abuse;

*** 25% of all women who are beaten are pregnant and more women miscarry due to physical abuse than to medical problems;

*** 1 out of 4 high school dating relationships is violent; and

*** abuse-related absenteeism results in an estimated economic loss of $3-5 billion per year, plus another $100 million in medical expenses.

As the cycle of abuse includes not just the incidences of violence, but an entire spectrum of behavior designed to control and manipulate, many abused women live a roller coaster existence. Periods of intense abuse are followed by great intimacy, challenging a woman's emotions, self-esteem and well-being.

Health care providers are often the first to discover the "red flags" of abuse, and women can present with chronic neck and back pain, chronic headaches, constant illness, etc. Chiropractic care includes many non-force techniques, and can offer great benefits to a woman who is stuck in "fight or flight" response, improving overall health and function.

Essential to an abused woman's very survival is this improvement in function that can promote increased autonomy and expand her range of safe and supportive resources.

There is a distinction between anxiety, an emotion essential for our safety, and the "disorder." Anxiety disorders affect more women than men and can present with chronic physical and/or mental symptoms, leading to three-to-five times more visits to doctors' offices.

Factors associated with the onset of anxiety include a history of: head trauma (i.e. car accidents), teenage smoking, substance abuse, childhood abuse; and cultural pressure. These factors can interfere with normal neurological function and result in the development of subluxations, contributing disorganization (that may be described as a disorder) in the experience of life, both body and mind.

Chemical intervention can result in adverse effects and addiction. Care that is personal, that evaluates and addresses interference in a woman's neurological function and promotes health and wellness is vital.

The nervous system is responsible for regulating and coordinating messages from the brain/spinal cord to the hormones of the reproductive system, as well as linking them with other hormone systems ( i.e. thyroid and stress hormones). Imagine the potential for problems if a distortion occurs!

Interference in a woman's reproductive system can present as overactivity (i.e., heavy bleeding or heavy cramping), underactivity (i.e., no menstrual activity or infertility) or distorted activity (i.e., PMS or endometriosis). Many women have experienced improvement in their reproductive health while under chiropractic care, including beautiful babies born to "infertile" women.

Simply, every woman should be under chiropractic care.

These are just a few samples of how chiropractic promotes well-being in women's lives. Happy Birthday chiropractic -- and thank you to all who have contributed to chiropractic in a positive way.