Medicine vs. Chiropractic......a battle over 100 years old!

medication or pharmacological drugs to reduce pain or relieve symptoms. However, in medical care, patients are prescribed pharmacological drugs to provide pain relief. In addition, there could also be the possibility of invasive procedures, like surgery.

·  Chiropractic care is focused mainly on detecting and setting right the cause of the problem or pain, while medical care focuses mainly on providing relief from symptoms and later might get involved in fixing the root cause of the pain.

·  Chiropractic care is holistic in nature and concentrates on the wellness of the patient. It strongly believes that the human body has an inherent ability or potential and tendency to heal itself, while medical care believes that drugs and invasive treatment are required to cure or treat a patient from illness.

·  Chiropractic care revolves around the fact that the central nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and nerves, are responsible for most of the functions in the human body and any pain or problem in the patient has its root cause in these areas. Chiropractors believe that these disease conditions can be cured by employing various gentle spinal cord maneuvering techniques and setting the structure of the spine right. Medical care, on the other hand, treats each individual body part or organ separately and treatment is based on the disease rather than the cause. This is a fundamental different in comparing chiropractic vs medicine.

·  Another important factor in the chiropractic vs medicine comparison is that there are no side effects in chiropractic care, since there is no requirement for drugs. However, in medical care, the threat of toxic drugs used to ?cure? disease and their side effects always loom large on the patient?s health.

·  Above all, chiropractic treatment is safe and does not involve any organ removal or surgical interventions, which is not the case in medical care, where organ removal through surgery is a normal course of action when all else fails.

For more information please contact Morris Family Chiropractic at 440-639-9171 or visit our

website at www.MorrisWellness.com

Adjustments Can Lower Your Blood Pressure!

Chiropractic adjustments work to harmonize the body's natural systems by realigning the spinal bones and removing pressure and congestion within the nervous system. This process decreases the physiological stress response and restores optimal function and healing to the body. Along with many other health issues, chiropractic care has shown to consistently achieve remarkable results in helping to stabilize blood pressure.

The nervous system is what allows our internal physiology to adapt to the stresses and demands of the external environment. The skull and spine surround and protect the nervous system and bear the consistent stress of gravity every day. When the external stressors become too great there is compromise in the spinal structure and resulting interference in the nervous system. This interference is termed subluxation. Subluxation causes the nervous system to move out of balance and towards sympathetic (fight or flight) dominance. This process increases stress hormone secretion, inflammatory processes, and blood vessel tone. For many individuals this results in higher blood pressure. Chiropractic adjustments remove subluxation and restore harmony to the nervous system allowing the body to stabilize and heal appropriately.

In 1988, a double blind study of 75 patients was performed to fully analyze the reports that chiropractic care could help stabilize blood pressure in patients. Within this study, one group of patients with elevated blood pressure received adjustments to the thoracic spine area. Another group received placebos (movements that seemed to be adjustments but were not), and a 3rd group received no treatment. The result was that the adjusted group experienced decreases in both systolic & diastolic blood pressure while no change was noted in either the control or placebo group.

For more information or to schedule an appointment please contact Morris Family Chiropractic at 440-639-9171 or visit our website at www.MorrisWellness.com

What does it take to save a Life?  Do you need to pull a helpless swimmer from the ocean or perform CPR on a drowning victim to qualify?  Or can something as simple as sharing your Chiropractic story with others count too?

If your story helps someone find a solution for their debilitating migraines… you just saved a Life.   If your story empowers a family member to reduce their prescriptions, and lowers their risk of becoming another 'drug error' statistic… you just saved a Life.  If your story encourages a friend to stop blindly placing their health in the hands of doctors, and start placing the Doctor inside them in charge of their health… then you just saved a Life.

Do you have the power and capability to save a Life?  If you know the Chiropractic story, you bet you do!  The question is will you?  You can't be a Chiropractic Life saver if you don't spread the word.  So please, don't keep your story a secret.  Tell others how your Life has benefited from Chiropractic care.  You'll be saving someone's Life when you do.

For more information or to schedule an appointment please contact Morris Family Chiropractic at
440-639-9171 or visit our website http://www.morriswellness.com/

“Spine Low on Adjustments?”

What would you do if your car's low oil light came on today?  Would you top off your engine with some 10W-30 weight or put some black tape over that little annoying light so you wouldn't have to deal with it any more?

Ignoring the warning sign will cause your engine to seize down the road. And if you were checking the dipstick regularly and adding oil when needed, the light might not have come on in the first place.  The same goes for your spine and regular Chiropractic check ups.

When your spine gets too low on adjustments, pain is the warning light. Unfortunately by the time the pain shows up you've been out of adjustment too long.  If that's the case, don't 'black tape' the pain with Tylenol or any other pain killer for that matter.  Bring your spine in for a proper Chiropractic Adjustment today and avoid a catastrophic seize event tomorrow.

For more information or to schedule an event please contact Morris FAmily Chiropractic at 440-639-9171
or visit our website at http://www.morriswellness.com/

“We’re All in the Same Boat…”

We have lots of patients who thank us everyday for giving them their health back.  They say things like 'doc, you really did a great job…' and 'doc, you helped me when no one else could.'  But the truth is… we can't take all the credit for it.

While medicine gives most of the credit for healing to the physician or the drug, Chiropractors see it as a team effort with three key players – the Chiropractor who clears interference from the nerve system, the innate wisdom within the patient which orchestrates the healing and the patient who practices good lifestyle habits to support the process.    

We're ecstatic when you see results from our service.  But never forget, we're not the only one rowing the boat.  There are two other oarsmen pulling in unison…  and together we make the perfect, healing team!

For more information or to schedule an appointment please contact Morris Family Chiropractic at

440-639-9171 or visit our website at http://www.morriswellness.com/

“When Your Lights are Out…”

Ever have one of those days where you just don't feel as bright as you should?  Your diet's good, you're getting enough exercise but for some reason you still feel drained and unproductive.  Maybe it's time for a trip to the Chiropractor…

Think of your Nerve System as electrical wires and your body a 100 watt light bulb connected to it.  When the wires are clear and electricity flows freely, your bulb glows to 100 watts.  But if power is restricted in the wires, your bulb dims.  Chiropractors call it being Subluxated or in a 'state of less light/less energy.'  And the only thing that can 'light you up' again is a specific, loving Chiropractic Adjustment.

Eating properly and getting enough exercise is important, but you'll never shine to your full potential if you're Subluxated… and you can't afford that.  The world needs you beaming at 100 watts.  So don't wait until your light's completely out… get adjusted and shine bright with regular Chiropractic care!

For more information or to schedule an appointment please contact Morris Family Chiropractic at
440-639-9171 or visit our website at http://www.morriswellness.com/

Recently, fibromyalgia patients have been seeking chiropractic care increasingly often. Because fibromyalgia causes numerous tender points all over the body, many fibromyalgia patients suffer from back pain, neck pain, and leg cramps. In an attempt to solve these problems, many sufferers have looked to chiropractors. Because simple adjustments to the neck and spine can restore the carriage of the whole body, a lot of fibromyalgia sufferers find that alignments of the spine can significantly reduce pain all over their bodies.

Upper Cervical Spinal Stenosis
Many fibromyalgia patients suffer from a condition called upper cervical spinal stenosis. This causes the coverings of the upper spine, known as meninges, to become compressed. This can cause severe, debilitating pain all over the body. Chiropractors can adjust the head and neck so the spine is no longer compressed, helping to relieve the widespread pain symptoms of fibromyalgia.

How Effective is Chiropractic Care in Fibromyalgia Patients?

Numerous studies have been conducted analyzing the benefits of chiropractic care in fibromyalgia patients. A 1985 study asked 81 fibromyalgia patients to indicate drug or alternative treatments that best relieved their pain. Chiropractic care treatment scored surprisingly high in this study. Another study examined the effectiveness of spinal adjustments in relieving fibromyalgia symptoms. After just 15 treatments, fibromyalgia patients suffered from less pain and fatigue, and actually enjoyed better sleep quality.

For More Information or to schedule an appointment please contact Morris Family Chiropractic at 440-639-9171

or visit our website at http://www.morriswellness.com/

The Benefits of Chiropractic Care For Seniors

Many seniors are unaware of the outstanding benefits that are possible through regular chiropractic care. Below is a list of seven of the most frequent benefits that chiropractic care provides for seniors.

1. Pain Relief
Chiropractic care is one of the most effective and safest forms of health care to treat pain due to spinal related conditions. Chiropractic is so effective because most causes of spinal disorders are related to abnormalities of the spine and the surrounding soft tissue structures. Doctors of chiropractic are specifically trained to identify and treat subluxations (misalignments of the vertebrae) and their subsequent effect on the central nervous system. Anti inflammatory medication and pain relievers merely mask the symptoms and have many undesirable side effects.

2. Increased Range of Motion of the Spine and Extremities
Chiropractic care has been shown repeatedly to increase not only the range of motion of the spine but also in the extremities. Increasing a person's range of motion can positively and drastically affect lives in many ways. For some, an increased range of motion means being able to bend down to pick up their grandchildren. For others, it means they can garden without pain or get an extra 40 yards of distance out of their driver on the golf course. In many cases, an increase in range of motion immediately follows chiropractic adjustments. This is one of the reasons why many top professional sporting teams have team chiropractors.

3. Increased Balance and Coordination
Many problems in balance and coordination in the aging population have been shown to come from injury or degenerative changes to the cervical spine (neck region). Structures known as mechanoreceptors are located in the posterior (back) joints of the cervical spine and are responsible for providing the brain with essential information important for balance and coordination. Mechanoreceptors in cervical posterior joints provide major input regarding the position of the head in relation to the body. With aging, mild defects impair mechanoreceptors function and results in a loss of proprioception (sense of body awareness). With decreased proprioception, body positioning in space is impaired and the patient becomes reliant on vision to know the location of a limb. To compensate for the loss of proprioception (sense of body awareness) in the legs, the feet are kept wider apart than usual. Steps become irregular and uneven in length. As impairment increases, the patient becomes unable to compensate. With severe loss of proprioception, the patient is unable to get up from a chair or rise after a fall without assistance.
Studies have shown that chiropractic care can help restore balance and coordination by stimulating the joint receptors (mechanoreceptors) in the cervical spine. This stimulation is thought to restore or normalize joint receptor functioning which leads to improvements in balance and coordination.

4. Decreased Joint Degeneration
A subluxated (misaligned) spine is much like a misaligned wheel on an automobile. This misalignment will cause the spine (and the wheel) to wear out prematurely. Since all moving parts will eventually wear down over time, it is very important to get your spine aligned periodically. Chiropractic care decreases spinal degeneration and other arthritic changes by normalizing the spinal alignment and reducing spinal stress.

5. Increased Health and Well-Being
We commonly ask our patients what changes they notice once they are put of pain. Here are some regular responses we hear every day:
I feel great!
I can sleep through the night!
Now I can play in the garden!
I have so much energy!
Life is worth living now!
Yes, chiropractic is far more than mere pain relief.
Feeling good, staying healthy and doing the things that make us happy are what keeps us looking forward to each new day. Regular chiropractic care increase the quality of life and increase health and well being.

6. Decreased Incidence of Falling
Injuries due to falling are extremely common in the elderly population. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are responsible for 90% of the 850,000 bone fractures which occur annually among Americans past the age of 65. Chiropractors reduce the risk of falls by normalizing the mechanoreceptors of the cervical spine by administering chiropractic adjustments. They also prescribe stretching and exercise programs to increase strength, flexibility, mobility, balance and coordination.

7. Keeps Seniors Out of Nursing Homes
While studying at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, I had the opportunity of meeting the president Dr. Ian Coulter. Dr. Coulter was involved with many research projects studying the benefits of chiropractic care and exercise.
In 1996, he published an interesting study in the Journal, "Topics of Clinical Chiropractic" called "Chiropractic care for the Elderly."
The key points he noted in this study were:
o 44% of those who used chiropractic care reported having arthritis compared with 66% in the non-chiropractic care group
o those who used chiropractic care were more likely to do strenuous levels of exercise
o at three years follow-up, less than 5% of those who used chiropractic care lived in a nursing home while a staggering 48% of those who did not use chiropractic care did live in a nursing home
o at three years follow-up, only 26% of those who used chiropractic care were hospitalized compared with 48% of those in the non-chiropractic group

There is no need for seniors to suffer needlessly. Chiropractic provides amazing benefits and has an outstanding record of safety and effectiveness. Ask your family and friends for a chiropractor that they recommend. Take action now and make an appointment to see if chiropractic can help you!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/244900

For more information or to schedule an appointment please contact Morris Family Chiropractic at

440-639-9171 or visit our website at http://www.morriswellness.com/

Chiropractic correction of upper neck injury may help reverse multiple sclerosis

A recent case study, published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (JVSR), is the first to show that correction of upper neck injuries may reverse the progression of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
The research was performed by Erin Elster, D.C., an Upper Cervical chiropractic specialist of Boulder, Color., who corrected chronic upper neck injuries in an MS patient which may have stimulated a reversal of MS symptoms.
According to Dr. Elster, injuries to the spine can result in vertebral subluxations that occur when vertebrae (the small interlocking bones of the spinal column) misalign or become stuck and interfere with the function of the nervous system. By aligning the first two upper vertebrae with the skull, nerve pathways traveling between the brain and spinal cord became less obstructed. This may help improve and/or reverse the MS symptoms.
"According to medical research, head and neck injuries have long been considered a cause of Multiple Sclerosis," said Elster. "But this is the first research to show that correction of those injuries can have a dramatic effect on reversing MS."
Upper neck injuries frequently occur during auto or sports accidents causing whiplash or concussion. Injuries also can occur during minor accidents, especially sporting incidents and minor falls. "We need to correct the misconception that neck injuries can only occur in major accidents and traumas," Elster noted.
Elster's MS research follows on the heels of other published research she has done with Parkinson's Disease (a disease also linked to head trauma) in which 80% of study participants showed an improvement and/or reversal of symptoms.
By correcting neck injuries, Elster says she has also achieved similar positive results in patients with other chronic neurological conditions including migraines, vertigo, seizures, and Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder.
Dr. Matthew McCoy, JVSR editor, commented that "this is one case study that shows the beneficial effects of reducing subluxation in an MS patient and it adds to a couple of others in the literature. What we need now are larger studies to show how consistent these results are."
Elster is presently compiling data on approximately 30 cases of MS and 40 cases of Parkinson's that have responded to chiropractic care through subluxation reduction.

For more information or to schedule an appointment please contact Morris Family Chiropractic at
440-639-9171 or visit our website at http://www.morriswellness.com/

Skip the Advil, take one adjustment and Call me in the Morning!

Everyone gets the occasional headache, but some headaches get so bad they won’t go away. While drugs treat the symptoms, they often ignore the underlying cause of the problem.
The worst headaches can be slow to respond to the intended effect of the medications. The stronger medications can have negative and long-lasting effects to the rest of your body when used for extended periods. They is why many people finally decide to look to other, more natural (and safer) solutions for their problem such as chiropractic.
The three main types of headaches most often found in chiropractic offices are:
-migraine headaches
-tension headaches
-cervicogenic headaches (from the neck)
The last type of headache mentioned sounds a bit scary, but it just simply means a headache that is caused by referred pain that originates within the bone, muscles, or nerves of the neck.
Tension Headaches
When we become stressed, frightened, or angry, the body will respond with increased muscle tension in the neck, shoulders, or head. This reaction, often called a fight or flight response, is how we respond to stress. If stress becomes very constant in our lives, that muscle tension can become just another habit.
This can lead to imbalances in the body, which then leads to more muscle tension and pain. Chiropractic care can will relax the tight muscles and realign the spine underneath to end this vicious cycle of pain. Those that are seeking treatment for tension headaches may often see a drastic improvement with just a few spinal adjustments as the nerves become less irritated and the muscles become more relaxed.
Migraine Headaches
Migraines are brought about by changes in vascular flow, triggered by a variety of factors such as different smells, foods, weather, hormonal changes, and stress. These often very painful headaches do not always start off as pain. They can begin with nausea or the person may experience a halo effect called a visual aura.
Recent studies have shown chiropractic treatment may play a significant role in reducing the number of migraines a person has. By careful manipulation of the neck and spine, chiropractic adjustments may be able to reduce nerve irritation in the spine, thus preventing radiating or referred pain, and improve vascular flow.

Chiropractic treatment centers around the idea of adjusting the spinal column and neck to improve posture and blood flow. To treat a headache, the chiropractor will likely perform an adjustment with his or her hands, but may also use trigger point therapy, massage and other supporting types of treatments to create a holistic approach to the problem.

For more information or to schedule an appointment please contact Morris Family Chiropractic at
440-639-9171 or visit our website at http://www.morriswellness.com/

Chiropractic and Infertility

In the scientific periodical the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics (JCCP), comes a study that involved the literature review of 10 different papers of the cases of 11 women who were suffering from infertility. The review, published in the bi-yearly JCCP March 2008 issue, reviewed the case studies of 11 women ages 22 to 42 who were diagnosed as suffering from Infertility.

According to the article, Infertility is defined as an inability to conceive after a year of unprotected intercourse or to carry a pregnancy to term." The author of the review Stacy Bula D.C., notes that in the US infertility impacts six million women between the ages of 15 and 54. According to the study the US Centers for Disease Control reported that in 2004 there were 127,977 artificial reproductive procedures performed to try to help women get pregnant. The study notes that although only 34% of the medical procedures attempted will result in a live birth, the costs can range up to $30,000 per menstrual cycle attempt.

In the cases reported in this literature review study, the cases of eleven female patients were reviewed from 10 separate documented case studies. Their histories included one natural childbirth, two miscarriages, two failed in-vitro fertilizations, and three failed artificial inseminations. In some of these cases the women sought chiropractic care for a variety of other problems in addition to infertility. Some of the additional problems that brought the women to a chiropractor included, ulcerative colitis, lower back pain, neck pain, menstrual cycle problems, diabetes and joint pains.

The average age of the women in the various studies was 32. In 10 of the 11 cases the women were actively trying to become pregnant and were unsuccessful. Several had unsuccessfully tried more expensive and risky procedures. The author noted that the standard medical care for infertility, "..can have serious health problems for both the mother and child."

The results from these various case studies showed that all 11 women got pregnant shortly after the start of chiropractic care. The author of the review noted that 9 of the 11 did not receive any further medical care to become pregnant. The care rendered in all of these cases was specific correction of vertebral subluxations using a variety of chiropractic analyses and techniques. The author noted that correction of vertebral subluxations caused an improvement in function which allowed the women of these studies to become pregnant.

In her conclusion, Dr. Bula stated, "The ten case studies examined in this paper suggest that regardless of the type of chiropractic technique used, when subluxations of the vertebral spine were adjusted there was a simultaneous improvement in function of the reproductive organs and related endocrine system."

For more information or to schedule an appointment please contact Morris Family Chiropractic at
440-639-9171 or visit our website at http://www.morriswellness.com/