July 2008

In search of Planet X

by DeDe VanRiper

In 1894, an astronomer named Percival Lowell built the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. While his stated intention was to closely investigate the surface of Mars, shortly after the observatory's completion his ambition turned to discovering what he called "Planet X."

Based on the orbits of Uranus and Neptune, Lowell calculated that there had to be a ninth planet in our solar system. Although he didn't  live to see it, Planet X -- otherwise known as Pluto -- was finally discovered by the Lowell Observatory in 1930 following a series of advances in technology and updates to the telescopes and their corresponding photographic equipment.

In the early days, Lowell pursued his dream in secrecy. Ultimately, however, he made his intentions known to the world. He shared his theories. He explained his math. He demonstrated how something was affecting the orbits of the other planets. Yet, the world still couldn't "see" it.

So, for many years, Pluto remained hidden from the world in darkness, cynicism, and ignorance. The criticism from others didn't make Pluto any less real for Lowell. He knew it was there, because he could see its effects.

In 1930, when the Lowell Observatory released a sequence of pictures of the night sky taken a week apart, Planet X became "real" for the rest of the world… overnight. Forget all of Lowell's calculations. Forget all of Lowell's math. Forget all of Lowell's proof that Project X existed. It took two simple photographs taken one week apart for the rest of the world to embrace the ninth planet.

And embrace it they did. They argued over the name. They argued over the size. They argued over whether or not it "qualified" as a planet. But, the one thing that was no longer argued was whether or not it existed. In the end, Lowell's predicted location of Planet X was off by just six degrees.

How strange it is that, while Lowell could demonstrate through math and science that a planet had to be out there, it took a picture for the world to accept it.

A year after the Lowell Observatory was built, DD Palmer began a quest for something as illusive as Planet X: subluxation. His experience, and that of his son, BJ Palmer, was probably not much different than that of Percival Lowell. He, like Lowell, could see the effects of subluxation, but no matter how it was presented, the world didn't rush forward to embrace the concept. Chiropractic for all intents and purposes, remained -- and remains -- real for a small percentage of the people on this planet.

What might it do for chiropractic and the world if everyone could clearly see clearly see what it is that chiropractors deal with day in and day out -- the nervous system and stress? How might the world embrace chiropractic if it were possible to see how the nervous system responds to stress and, possibly more importantly, how the nervous system recovers from it? Subluxations are caused by physical, chemical, electromagnetic and emotional stressors. And in this day and age, we can accumulate a whole lot of those stresses if we are not careful.

Yet, as it was with the Lowell Observatory, it is with chiropractic. The advances that have been made in technology along with their application have brought us to the point where Planet X is no longer a mystery and the effects of stress on a nervous system can be watched in real-time. While Lowell didn't need to see Planet X to know it existed, that is what it took for the masses to believe. The Palmers knew that subluxations existed without using any equipment, but what about the masses? Imagine what might be possible now.

It's been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Two pictures taken in 1930 changed current concepts and added a planet. Today, pictures are available that change the concepts of chiropractic. Proof is in that the chiropractic adjustment helps the nervous system restore normal function that has been affected by stress -- and it's awakening the scientific world. Belief may sustain, but proof advances.

So, educate your patients on the causes of subluxation and the effects that stress can have on their health and well-being. But don't be surprised if it takes a picture for them to embrace it.

(DeDe VanRiper, director of the instrumentation division of Quixote Software, has extensive knowledge and experience in the chiropractic field, having worked with Insight Technology, CLA (Chiropractic Leadership Alliance), Now You Know, and other major chiropractic companies. For questions about chiropractic instrumentation, call her at 866-760-1048.)