Chiropractic is a science of health that offers natural care, that is to say without medication and without surgery. It helps you regain your full vital potential through your body’s innate capacities to adapt and heal itself.

The term comes from the Greek kheir which means “hand” and from praktikos which means “putting into action”. So Chiropractic is “putting it into action by the hand”.

Indeed, the chiropractor works mainly with his hands and can assist mechanically if necessary. So put into action but of what?

Of our life force, the very one that created us and keeps us alive.

This force, chiropractors call it Innate Intelligence. It is this which gives our body its capacity for self-healing; it allows it to constantly renew itself and adapt.

The nervous system allows the expression of our Innate Intelligence.

Our brain generates the nerve impulse that is conveyed by the spinal cord and a multitude of peripheral nerves running through the body to every organ, every gland and the smallest of our cells.

This nervous system is intimately linked to the skeleton which comes to protect it. Indeed, the brain, the most precious organ of our body is particularly well protected by our skull. The spinal cord, on the other hand, descends to the center of our spine. Then between each of our vertebrae (cervical, thoracic and lumbar constituting our spine), the nerves are born which run through our body to its periphery near the bones of the limbs from which they find protection.

Thus the nervous system is the communication channel between the brain and the periphery. And it is this good communication that allows the body to adapt, to function properly.

The good dynamics of our skeleton is essential to the preservation of the optimal nerve impulse and therefore to the free circulation of our innate intelligence.

But for various physical reasons related to falls, false movements, bad postures, a lack of physical activity; that chemical (consequence of our food) or that emotional induced by our way of thinking; interference comes to settle on this nervous system disrupting the good communication between the brain and the periphery.

These interferences are called subluxations * by the chiropractor.

It is a neuro-musculoskeletal dysfunction that can create local pain but especially remote disorders by disrupting good communication between the brain and part of the body. However, the body needs all of its parts to function at its full potential since none has been put there by chance. Thus, subluxation affects our whole organism by reducing our self-healing capacities.

This is where the chiropractor comes in, whose role is to ensure the free circulation of our vital force by adjusting the subluxations that set in during our life.

Once freed from its interference by your chiropractor, the nerve impulses can again circulate freely and your innate intelligence can then operate to restore and then maintain your health!

* Attention, this meaning of the word subluxation is specific to chiropractic and is

Address pain and other physical symptoms

The symptoms are only there to warn you that something is wrong, that it is time to change; they no longer have a reason to exist when the body regains its self-healing capacities. So the disappearance of symptoms only becomes a consequence of a better functioning of the body!

• Reduce lower back pain (low back pain or lower back pain)

  The effectiveness of chiropractic in treating low back pain has been the subject of several systematic reviews2-4, one of which compared it to that of conventional treatments or placebos4. Whether for acute or chronic low back pain (ie recent or old), chiropractic adjustments have been shown to be more effective than placebos treatments in relieving pain and improving the functional status of patients.

  In 2006, two studies more specifically assessed the long-term effect of chiropractic, 12 months5 and 18 months after treatment6. Participants reported less pain during this period compared to other treatment groups (exercise program6 or conventional medical care6).

  Another study of 672 patients with low back pain points to a higher level of satisfaction among individuals who received chiropractic care7. The authors explain this by the fact that these patients evoke having had more explanations and more advice than those who consulted conventional doctors.

• Relieve headaches (headaches)

  In 2004, a review evaluated the effectiveness of various headache treatments8. Twenty-two studies, totaling 2 patients, subject to 628 different types of headache, were included, 5 of which were interested in chiropractic.

  Of these studies, 9-13 dealing with cervico-genic headaches (originating in the neck), reported that chiropractic adjustments were effective in the short term on pain compared to massage and placebos. These studies also concluded that chiropractic is more effective than neck rehabilitation programs on the intensity and frequency of these headaches.

  Two studies investigating tension headaches14,15 demonstrated the effectiveness of chiropractic for immediate relief with no significant difference in seizure frequency.

  Finally, three studies on migraines16-18 have reported similar results of chiropractic adjustments compared to crisis drug treatments but remind us that chiropractic treatments are associated with much fewer side effects.

• Treat herniated discs and other lumbar dysfunctions

  There is controversy regarding the effect of spinal adjustments on herniated discs19,20. Some researchers believe these techniques are safe and effective, while others claim the opposite. The main risk claimed by some clinicians is that handling a hernia could lead to cauda equina syndrome2,19. However, the risk of complications resulting from spinal manipulation is estimated at less than one in 3,7 million21.

Fewer symptoms and more

If chiropractic no longer has to demonstrate its exploits in terms of relieving back pain, it remains above all a science of alternative and global health!

A study conducted by Dr. Wayne Whittingham, chiropractor in the United Kingdom, on 102 patients initially consulting for headaches notes in particular:

A reduction in the state of nervousness, procrastination, impaired concentration, memory or speech in more than 50% of cases as well as an improvement in mood, an increase in the desire to socializing and libido in 70 to 80% of cases after 9 weeks of care.

Of the 102 patients, some voluntarily chose to continue treatment, a questionnaire sent out a year later noted:

A more positive outlook on life for 78%, an improvement in their health beyond the reduction of headaches and an overall state of well-being for nearly 70%; better sleep and better stress management for more than 50% of them. Almost 40% noted a gain in energy, 35% an improvement in their sexual activity, 30% have a better social and family activity … some took care to add that they had less pre-menstrual pain and allergic reactions.

A big blooming

During pregnancy, many postural, hormonal and physiological changes take place. Tensions may appear, becoming embarrassing or painful for the mother but also restricting the development of the child. The chiropractor seeks to harmonize the tensions allowing the child to have more room to develop or to turn around when the moment becomes indicated. The chiropractor can therefore also help the child to turn over by reducing the tensions present on the uterus and any lower back 22-24 or back pain, for example, felt by the expectant mother. Finally, recent studies have shown the favorable impact of regular chiropractic monitoring during pregnancy on the progress of childbirth.

A healthy child

Birth is not a sweet event and all the more so in our industrialized countries where the birthing position does not help and where external interventions often take place to facilitate the release of the baby not without difficulty.

A newborn thus presents frequent chiropractic subluxations linked to a possible position maintained for a prolonged period in the mother’s womb or to the event of birth (at the origin of Kiss syndromes, for example). He can also present a hyper-sensitivity related to a cesarean section or to a too fast birth without prolonged massage at the time of the passage through vaginal route.

How does this manifest itself? By problems with sleep, digestion with reflux or colic25,26, by breastfeeding difficulties, sharp reflexes (startles at sounds, light or certain movements) or unexplained cries.

Restricted mobility or meningeal tension can also lead to the development of secondary plagiocephaly.

Baby can adapt and grow by keeping his subluxations which will probably be the cause of other symptoms over the years such as hyperactivity, dyslexia, dysgraphia, digestive problems, enuresis27 (bedwetting), difficulty in sleeping. ‘learning or concentration then scoliosis …

Thus, a check of the spine at birth (at the same time as that of the young mother before her perineal rehabilitation in order to start this one on a balanced pelvis) is particularly recommended by chiropractors.

They will also advise you to follow-up regularly during the growth of your child who, through his falls and others, will be subject, like you, to subluxations.

Sports support

Many high-level athletes are accompanied by chiropractors such as Usain Bolt, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods or AC Milan footballers. The latter receive daily follow-up in a multidisciplinary clinic managed by a chiropractor placing his overall vision of health at the center of their follow-up. Lance Armstrong, meanwhile, received several chiropractic treatments daily during his tours of France.

Remember, however, that these are not spinal manipulations but chiropractic adjustments for neuro-musculoskeletal purposes.

In fact, by removing the interference present at the level of the nervous system, chiropractic care allows a better capacity of adaptation, therefore a reduced risk of injury but also better capacities of recovery after the effort or after an injury (tendinopathy28 by example) and an increase in athletic performance.

Remember that chiropractors are the only natural health practitioners approved by the International Olympic Committee (and WHO) since the 90s.

The chiropractor

He does not prescribe medication or surgery and relies mainly on his hands to adjust your subluxations and release your healing forces.

The chiropractor is the only non-medical therapist authorized to perform spinal manipulations without prior medical authorization.

He can also give advice on lifestyle habits (nutrition, physical exercise, vitamin supplements, etc.).

Chiropractors have been officially recognized by the French Ministry of Health since 2002 and for decades in the vast majority of developed countries and by the WHO (World Health Organization).

Chiropractors do not have a professional order in France but you can consult the referencing of the Association Française de Chiropraxie to verify the competence of a practitioner.

Some people believe that the cracking heard during treatment constitutes a danger or signals the onset of unbearable pain. Rest assured, the noise heard is only the result of a phenomenon of cavitation, painless and natural to the detours of the treatments. However, it is not necessary and sought after by the chiropractor who will know how to adapt if this one were to frighten you.

Course of a session

Chiropractic is a primary health profession (like the dentist). You can therefore consult a chiropractor directly without a prescription or medical advice.

During your first visit to the chiropractor, he takes note of your state of health, your history and seeks to know many of your lifestyle habits. He then proceeds to a general physical examination and more specifically of the spine and any painful places. He can perform neuro-orthopedic tests adapted to your symptoms and possibly recommend additional tests (x-rays, blood, etc.).

He then establishes an intervention plan but will also be guided by the reactions of your body during the treatment.

“So how long will it take for me to be healed?” “

The chiropractor cannot honestly say in advance how many sessions and how long you will need to be healthy. Indeed, this does not depend on the chiropractor himself but on the way in which your body will react to the treatment via your vital force, the only one that will self-heal you!

It is important to note that certain elements can condition the speed with which it will regain the upper hand: your age, your natural vitality, the progress of functional and organic disorders, the age of the symptoms, your hygiene of life and your will and cooperation in care.

Become a chiropractor

Chiropractic is probably the only profession where training is an official international standard. It is rigorously implemented by an international chiropractic chair (CCEI30: Council on Chiropractic Education) which accredits schools after control.

The profession’s autonomy and total independence from other health professions are thus ensured.

While around thirty schools exist worldwide, the Institut Franco-Europééen de Chiropraxie31 (IFEC), comprising two campuses (Paris and Toulouse), is the only possible training in France.

The training includes 5500 hours spread over 5 years combining practical and theoretical courses then 15 months of internship in the school’s clinic where future practitioners are supervised by the expertise of experienced professionals.

A significant part of the training is devoted to basic sciences, anatomy (theoretical training and 150-hour human dissection internship), medical imaging and clinical and diagnostic sciences.

To prepare him for his future profession, many internships are carried out both in hospitals and in the school clinic or in private practices.

The chiropractor is thus trained to recognize situations where the patient needs to be referred to another healthcare professional. He is trained to work in good collaboration with a multidisciplinary team.

At the end of the training, the student receives a “chiropractor” diploma according to French regulations. He may also receive a certificate of equivalence for the title of Doctor of Chiropractic, awarded by the European Academy of Chiropractic (EAC).

The chiropractor is a first-line health professional that you can consult without medical advice because he is trained to recognize risky situations and to make his own diagnosis.

If there are absolute contraindications to certain chiropractic procedures such as a structural adjustment on a recent fracture, the chiropractor has various tools and is able to modulate the care to adapt them to the case of each patient according to his age. and its physical conditions. In our example, he will be able to work at a distance from the fracture to release the body’s self-healing force, which alone takes care of bone consolidation.

It was in 1895 that the American Daniel-David Palmer accidentally discovered chiropractic when he restored hearing to a man named Harvey Lilliard who had been deaf for 17 years after hearing a strange noise behind his back while bending over. DD Palmer wondering what the connection between back and hearing might be, examined the man’s spine and felt a protrusion there which he sought to reduce until a noise similar to that heard 17 years old sooner is perceived. Some time later, the man recovered his full hearing.

DD Palmer then stated “if a vertebral subluxation could have caused deafness, is it not possible that other subluxations are the cause of other diseases? “. Since progress has continued to be made, various techniques have been developed but the first principle remains the same: that of restoring the circulation of nerve impulses thus allowing the vital force or innate intelligence to operate.

It is then BJ Palmer, son of DD. who contributed to the development of the profession by developing chiropractic research and by opening in 1910 the first school: the Palmer School of Chiropractic in Davenport.1

Today, the number of chiropractors is estimated to be over 100 throughout the world and barely 000 registered with the ARS (Regional Health Agency) in France, thus placing it at the rank of 1000rd health profession in the world ( behind doctors and dentists), the world’s leading manual health profession and the so-called alternative health profession.

It is also the only alternative health profession approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

We were conceived with a maximum vital potential but very quickly interferences settle on our nervous system between us and our vital potential.

These interferences originate from our deleterious lifestyle in the 6 essential areas of our life which are our ways of moving, resting, eating, drinking, breathing and especially thinking. Why especially the latter?

Because we are often aware of the impact of the other 5 but easily forget the importance of our way of thinking! Your chiropractor is of course attentive to your problems but it is what your body will indicate as a priority that it will give the most importance. After having lifted session after session the interference essential to the expression of your innate intelligence, he will guide you towards maintaining this health by helping you take charge of yourself.

Symptoms will go away naturally as they came, most often gradually as they will no longer be needed. Indeed, the symptoms, as diverse as they are, are only there to make you react, to alert you that it is time for a change! Listen to them because you are responsible for your health, the most precious good that was granted to you when you were born.

Have confidence in your innate intelligence, by cherishing it, your body will show you that it has everything it takes to function naturally. Only the interference to this power remains to be removed and then avoided.

This is the role of your chiropractor by adjusting and then accompanying you towards the necessary changes!