A holistic chiropractor looks at the human body as a whole—meaning holistic chiropractors consider a wider range of possible causes when thinking about their patient’s problems. Holistic chiropracty is part of the larger specialty of holistic medicine, which looks at how different parts of the human body all work in balance to create health and wellness.

What is causing your back pain? What is causing your arthritis or knee pain? Why might someone experience numbness in their fingers? These are the sorts of superficial issues that can point to deeper problems—problems that holistic chiropractors specialize in solving. 

Factors Affecting Spine Health

Holistic chiropractors think about spinal health as, at least in part, a matter of lifestyle. So a good holistic chiropractor will give you wide ranging advice that cover everything from what you eat to your posture and more.  

Spinal health has a tremendous impact on the overall health of the body, so it makes sense that proper orthopedic health matters to more than just your back.

Our bodies undergo an amazing amount of pressure and micro-injuries every day, from the simplest irritations to complex traumatic injuries. A sprain from playing sports or tripping as you walk up the stairs can cause acute injuries, but it’s the day-to-day wear-and-tear that really acts to beat down the body and cause long-term damage.

Your spine is not a simple structure. It’s a complex, highly integrated system that affects how you live and feel.

Your spine health, like other important parts of your body, needs constantly monitored and kept functioning properly.

Benefits of the Holistic Approach

The holistic approach to spine health considers the way our spines are impacted by many factors and how they all play a role in health and wellness.

Different chiropractors have differing approaches in their own practice, so it’s important to research a chiropractor’s background before you schedule a visit with them. You should look at review sites dedicated to chiropractors or get a recommendation from another health professional first. However, the basic premise of a holistic chiropractor is their dedication to viewing the spine as part of the rest of the body and every organ having an effect on another organ.

The benefits of looking at spine health holistically are numerous, and regular visits can help with the following:

• Everyday physical strain can affect bone and spine health, so a regular holistic chiropractic adjustment can be beneficial.
• Reduces strain from everyday physical activity
• Helps relieve common sports injuries and strain
• Reduces strain on the nervous system
• Reduces strain on the muscular system
• Helps improve immunity
• Helps improve the functioning of the kidney and renal system

The visit to your chiropractor may be just like any other visit you’ve had to similar health professionals, but it may include an assessment of the many areas impacting your overall health.

The Lifestyle Factors that Affect Spine Health

The benefits of the holistic approach necessarily include the relevance of lifestyle, exercise, diet, and mental wellness on your health. Prepare to discuss your overall lifestyle with a chiropractor. You may need to discuss your current diet, exercise levels, stress levels, and work-life with the chiropractor or other health professionals in the appointment.

The lifestyle factors that may also affect spine health:

• Diet: certain foods may affect your spine and health
• Exercise: lack of exercise or strenuous exercise can impact the spine
• Stress: the effects of higher cortisol levels on your body
• Work: lots of sitting at work or constant movement affect your spine and bone health
• Mental wellbeing: Anxiety and depression can negatively impact your health and lead to higher stress levels
• Environment: certain exposures in the environment can lead to health issues
• Other medical and healing therapies you may be using, such as medications, surgery, herbs, naturopathy, etc.

Can lifestyle issues lead to worse outcomes for your spine health? How can a chiropractor help with these issues? The premise of holistic medicine is to look at all factors involved in someone’s health, and holistic chiropractors do just that by reviewing the other issues involved in spinal outcomes. They can review your history of medications and surgery, along with other conventional and holistic medical therapies.

You can experience poorer spine health if your involved in lots of sports, constant movement at work, or sitting too much. In our society, people often sit too much due to working in an office or sitting at the computer for several hours a day. This may be you, so make sure to discuss your work and daily environmental conditions with any health professional you see.

The Holistic Approach for Overall Wellness

Holistic chiropractor shouldn’t be viewed as a stand-alone therapy because it’s best integrated with other treatments and therapies. However, it can produce good results when used as a form of routine maintenance for the spine, and indeed, it may be necessary to receive regular chiropractic adjustments so you can experience a sense of wellbeing. 

It’s an excellent complement to conventional medicine because you may still be able to take medications along with regular chiropractic adjustments. Please always discuss your treatment options with your doctor before making any final decisions. And of course, a therapy like chiropractic goes great with other holistic specialties such as herbalism, naturopathy, homeopathy, essential oils, nutrition, and physical therapy and which may minimally or not interfere at all with chiropractic.

The regular adjustment and manipulating of the spine have been practiced for decades on many patients and tends to produce consistently beneficial results. When chiropractic is focused on overall health, it can lead to even better results.

Your symptoms can be viewed as relating to the health of your spine. When you experience a cold or some supposedly random pain, it can be viewed through the lens of spinal health. Any misalignments in the spine contribute to poor immune function and lack of bone health.

The basic premise of holistic medicine is “vitalism,” which means that the body contains a force that wants to heal itself. That very force is utilized in holistic and alternative therapies as a way to guide the body towards its own self-healing mechanism.

The Nervous System and Chiropractor

If you experience random pain or some mild tingling in your hand, it could be related to the functioning of your nervous system. This system is complex, with nerves located throughout the entire body and very sensitive to any physical touch or environmental stimuli. You may encounter throughout your day a variety of stimuli that can upset the balance and harmony of your nervous system.

Holistic chiropractic adjustments on a regular basis can possibly prevent problems with your nervous system. You may experience overall heightened health in your spine and other areas of the body.

What are some of the ways you could end up better off after an appointment with a holistic chiropractor? A feeling of being more limber, more flexible, more balanced, less nervous system and bone issues, easier to do routine movements and exercises, and less prone to injury. All the things that can make you more flexible and balanced are also intricately connected to your nervous system.

Conclusion

A holistic chiropractor looks at your body as a whole system and takes the approach that an issue in one organ can lead to issues in another organ. The goal of this holistic therapy is to create balance and harmony in the body so you can stay healthy and perform at your best. Routine chiropractic adjustments can affect all areas of your health and are part of a routine health maintenance program that is integrated with other areas of your life.