February 2004

Subluxation: Cause or effect?

by Dr. Howard Loomis

I recently had the honor of speaking at the New York Chiropractic Council Convention in New York. I challenged this esteemed group of subluxation experts to consider, is subluxation the cause of stress or is it the effect?

Subluxation and visceral dysfunction are always accompanied by muscle contraction. Not a spasm, but rather increased tonicity as the body attempts to oppose gravity and maintain balance. Because the cause of muscle contraction lies in changes in either structure or function, it can be considered a manifestation of stress to the body. Therefore, after structural causes are removed, clinicians may use muscle contraction as reliable indicators for deviations in normal function.

Stress, whether it comes from a mechanical, chemical/nutritional, or emotional source, always evokes an identical response from the body as it attempts to maintain normal function. This observation was first reported in the 1960s by Hans Selye, M.D., and today is commonly held as one of the basics of physiology.

Any stress to a visceral organ or tissue that is too strong, continues too long, or interferes with the ability to maintain normal function will produce symptoms. Visceral dysfunction can be associated with muscle contraction in the muscles that share the same spinal innervation with the organ.

If you have a general practice, you see patients with a wide range of symptoms, and you do not treat disease with drugs or practice medicine, then you may be interested in the following analytical algorithm:

Cause    è                             ç     Result

Subluxation -  Muscle Contraction  - Symptoms  - Stress

This brings us back to the question, does subluxation cause the symptoms, or is subluxation the effect? To find this answer, you must palpate the peripheral tissues related neurologically to the spinal subluxation. Identify the muscle contraction there and then adjust the spine. Re‑palpate the peripheral area and determine if the contraction is no longer present. If it is no longer there, subluxation is the cause. However, if the contraction is still present, the cause is peripheral dysfunction.

One of the best ways to gain patient compliance and provide education is by palpating and identifying the "trigger points," which are the sore or painful areas of muscle contraction. As soon as you locate those points, the patient will want to know what the cause of the stress is and if you will be able to relieve it.

All symptoms are categorized as either pain, muscle contraction, or visceral dysfunction. When you correlate the patient's history with the spinal palpation and peripheral palpation, the cause of the problem is easily determined by adjusting and re‑palpating. The secret of your success (SOS) is determined by how quickly and accurately you can determine the source of the patient's stress, devise a plan of treatment, confidently convey your findings, and have them believe you.

In summary, we can say that we only treat one condition, stress, which has three causes:

***  Mechanical or structural

***  Biochemical or nutritional

***  Emotional or spiritual

Regardless of the source the body will always respond in an identical manner biochemically or physiologically. There will always be muscle contraction, and we can use it as an absolutely reliable diagnostic instrument.

(Dr. Loomis welcomes input on the subjects covered in this column. To make a comment or ask a question, or to receive a free copy of his video titled, "Using Enzymes in Clinical Practice," call 800/662‑2630 or write to him at 6421 Enterprise Lane, Madison, WI 53719. Visit www.loomisenzymes.com online for information on upcoming Loomis Institute seminars.)