Welcome                                        Infants Need Chiropractic Care
                          About Our Office                                      Raising Healthy Drug Free Families
                         Office Hours                                      Are Your Decisions Based On Fear?
                          Your First Visit                                          Frequently Asked Questions
                          How Chiropractics Works               Patient Testimonials               
                         Helpful Links                                  Chiropractic Philosophy
                     _______________________________________________________
 

PHILOSOPHY I

by Terry A. Rondberg, D.C.

"WHY TALK CHIROPRACTIC PHILOSOPHY?"

Chiropractic doesn't HAVE a philosophy ... chiropractic IS a philosophy.
When chiropractors get together, they often discuss philosophy. Yet, you will seldom hear them mentioning Plato and Aristotle, or comparing notes on Nietzsche or Emerson. The philosophy they are most interested in is chiropractic philosophy, the fundamental beliefs and underlying precepts of the entire profession.

Many people find it odd that chiropractic has its own philosophy. After all, other professions don't have one. Have you ever heard of pediatric philosophy – accounting philosophy – or legal philosophy? Why, then, does chiropractic have a philosophy?

Actually, it is somewhat misleading to say that chiropractic has a philosophy. According to Dr. B.J. Palmer, the developer of chiropractic (whose father, D.D. Palmer, is credited with its actual "discovery" in 1895), chiropractic IS a philosophy – as well as a science and an art.

That is, chiropractic is not merely a method of adjusting a person's spine or correcting subluxations. It is a set of beliefs about the human body and the natural order of the universe.

These beliefs – this philosophy – is the WHY of chiropractic. The science and art of chiropractic (such as the specific adjusting techniques) were developed, and are used, in accordance with the philosophy.

Chiropractic is unique in this respect. Other professions are not based on a set of unchangeable principles. The legal profession, for example, deals with a system of laws and statutes that change rapidly. A few years ago, it was legal to cruise 75 MPH on most highways. Today, it's against the law.

Even a single action can be viewed differently depending on the circumstances surrounding it. Taking another person's life, for instance, can be murder, manslaughter, negligent homicide, or justifiable homicide. There is no single, universal principle by which to judge the action. Lawyers, then, must deal with rules and laws that fluctuate with time, location, and society's preferences. The same is true of accounting. Try to convince a tax accountant that tax laws are consistent. 

 Even the field of medicine changes according to the latest research results. Not long ago, for example, M.D.s were routinely taking tonsils out as a preventive measure. Today, it is a rare procedure.

In chiropractic, the basic underlying precepts remain unchanged and unchangeable. Understanding of those beliefs may deepen, and the techniques may improve, but the elemental doctrines will be constant. The importance of philosophy to the chiropractic profession cannot be stressed enough, for it is the basis of everything a principled chiropractor does.

According to one of the profession's early philosophers, Ralph Stephenson, D.C., "It is the explanation of everything chiropractic – the difference between a good chiropractor and a poor one is, that the good one has an ample supply of abstract principles in his head and the poor one only a few – Poor chiropractors are apt to substitute machinery for knowledge."

Although there are many principles which comprise chiropractic philosophy, a few of the key ones include:

  • There exists a Universal Intelligence which brings organization to all matter, and maintains its existence;
  • All living things have inborn, or Innate Intelligence which adapts universal forces and matter for use in the body;
  • Every living thing has ALL the Innate Intelligence it requires to maintain its life and optimal health;
  • Health is the expression of the Innate Intelligence through Innate Matter, via Innate Energy;
  • When there is interference with the transmission of Innate Energy, the result is a decrease in the expression of Innate Intelligence, which chiropractors call dis-ease (not to be confused with disease!).

Because these terms and concepts are so important to chiropractors – and their patients – they will be explained in detail in the other "booklets" in this series. When you understand chiropractic philosophy, you will know that chiropractic works – and why!

 

PHILOSOPHY II

by Terry A. Rondberg, D.C.

"INDUCTIVE REASONING"

 Inductive reasoning goes from the small to the large,
from the part to the whole, from one to the all.

If you were to measure 20 carrots, and found that they were all between six and eight inches long, you might conclude that all carrots were in that size range. The manner of logic you used to draw your conclusion is called inductive reasoning. According to the philosopher John Stuart Mill, its chief proponent, we are using inductive reasoning when we conclude "that what is true of certain individuals of a class, is true of the whole class, or what is true at a certain time will be true in similar circumstances at all times."

He argued that this logic is possible because there is a certain "uniformity" in nature which allows for such conclusions to be made. The classical example used to illustrate inductive reasoning is the "fact" that all human beings are mortal. To prove this "fact," however, all human beings would have to be dead already. Obviously, some of us are still around! How can we be sure that one of us won't live forever? We can't. However, through inductive reasoning, we can conclude that there is an extremely high probability that all human beings are mortal.

Many scientific "laws" are a result of inductive reasoning – even though it is, a matter of probability. Astronomer Johannes Kepler, for instance, noted the position of the planet Mars during several points of its orbit. Working on the assumption that natural orbits maintain a uniform geometry, he induced that the orbit had to be in the shape of an ellipse. In fact, if you were to actually calculate the planet's position during ALL of the points of its orbit, it would, in fact, trace an almost perfect ellipse. No one has ever discovered a planet that didn't follow his principle, which has become known as "Kepler's Law" of planetary orbit.

No one has discovered an exception so far, that is. As the study of the universe expands, we cannot know with certainty what we will encounter. Other scientific "facts," drawn from inductive logic, have crumbled as a new piece of evidence was found. The weakness with inductive reasoning, then, is that it relies on partial knowledge to draw conclusions about "truth." In the case of medical science, this weakness can be harmful, if not tragic. When medical researchers draw their conclusions on what is right for ALL people based on what they have observed to be right for SOME people, they run the risk of doing irreparable harm to many people.

Take the example of appendectomies. Medical doctors had studied this curious organ for a long time and had never found a useful purpose for it. They concluded therefore, that it had no useful purpose. When it became inflamed or otherwise troublesome, they removed it. It took years for the medical profession to admit that its reasoning was incorrect, and to seek other means of treating appendicitis.

Medical science still stands by most of its other conclusions, however, even though they were arrived at by the same reliance on inductive reasoning. Moreover, it adheres to the "rules" with a rigidity that often does not allow for individual differences. Scientists discovered that the average temperature for a human being is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a 99.3 degree temperature, you're said to be "running a fever" and you're given medications to bring the temperature back to "normal."

The problem with this type of reasoning is obvious. No one perfectly fits the profile of the "average" human being – not in height, weight, or even body temperature. It is incorrect to conclude that the correct temperature for all members of the human race is the same as the "average" temperature of a sample of individual members.

Long ago, clothing manufacturers realized that all people are different. They would love it if all size people were exactly the same. They wouldn't have to produce a size 12 petite as well as a size 12 tall, medium, and large. Even so, it seems impossible at times to find something that fits right! The only way to get a really good fit is to have the item custom-made.

If you go to a tailor and order a new outfit, someone takes your exact measurements. Can you imagine the tailor saying, "The average human being is 5'7" tall, 180 pounds, with a 34" inseam. I'll use those measurements to make your wardrobe?" You would, no doubt, look for a new tailor.

Yet, because of the total reliance on inductive reasoning, science – particularly medical science – uses "off-the-rack" diagnoses, remedies, and medications. They routinely begin to stitch a wardrobe together using only "average" measurements. Is it any wonder, then, that their suits seldom fit right?

 

PHILOSOPHY III

by Terry A. Rondberg, D.C.

"DEDUCTIVE REASONING"

Deductive reasoning: The sum of the parts is MORE than just some of its parts! 
As we saw in Philosophy II, inductive reasoning goes from the small to the large. That is, it makes observations about individual parts and, based on that knowledge, draws conclusions about the whole. Deductive reasoning turns that thinking around. It starts with major premises and, based on those ideas, deduces the truth about each individual part of the whole.

For example, let's assume that we accept, as our major premise, that telling a lie is wrong. Once we decide that this premise is "true," it automatically follows, by deductive reasoning, that it is wrong if you lie, if the man down the street lies, if the leader of a foreign country lies, if anyone lies. The basic premise applies to everything, everywhere at every time – without exception.

Many of the premises upon which we base our deductive reasoning are universally accepted because they are considered "self-evident truths." These are the axioms which must merely be taken for granted because they cannot or need not be proved.

One of the most commonly-known premises is that "all men are created equal," a statement of fact which formed the very basis of our Constitution. The founders of our country recognized the validity of this precept through an inborn sense of morality and humanity. They did not feel they had to "prove" it.

Other premises are arrived at through long, careful analysis and study. For instance, scientists formulated a theory about "black holes" based on basic premises regarding gravity and mass. For many years, they never found a single example of such a phenomena, but that did not lessen their belief in the premise. If the over-riding principles were correct, then the premise HAD to be correct. Finally, they were able to find the physical evidence which verified the premise.

The single most important premise of chiropractic philosophy is that there is an intelligent order to the universe, which gives to matter its properties and actions, thus maintaining its existence. It is becoming equally accepted by the "new" quantum physics, astronomy, biology, and many other sciences. No longer can anyone study the universe and believe it, and each part of it, is random. There is an order which organizes it and allows it to survive and continue.

 

Once we accept this major premise – that the universe as a whole is guided by an intelligent order – we may logically conclude that each part of the universe is also guided by that intelligence. This applies to everything, everywhere, at every time.

Just as there are weaknesses with inductive reasoning, there can be flaws in deductive reasoning. The most obvious danger comes in formulating and accepting the major premises. The assumptions must either be so self-evident that no reasonable person could possibly object (all men are created equal), or one which can be proven by clinical studies or physical observations (black holes exist). These premises cannot be adopted merely as matters of blind faith which fly in the face of all evidence (the earth is flat – a premise which once was considered a known "fact").

To arrive at truth, it is best to use a combination of both deductive and inductive logic. Starting with deductive reasoning, we can formulate a basic premise upon which all else can follow. Then, through clinical studies and inductive reasoning, we can verify the accuracy of that premise.

Unlike much of modern medicine, chiropractic uses this ideal combination. It starts with the major premise that there is order to the universe. Spreading out from that point, we can assume that each part of the universe, including the human body, is also organized in an orderly, intelligent fashion.

Based on this premise, chiropractic was developed as a way to minimize the interference to this natural order in the human body. But chiropractic does not stop there. It also uses the inductive method to study individuals and relate those specific cases to the "bigger" picture. Its extensive clinical and survey research has helped to prove, in concrete and scientifically-acceptable terms, both the efficacy of chiropractic and the truth behind chiropractic philosophy.

But, for chiropractors, the emphasis is on "The Big Idea," the major premise in which all knowledge and conclusions are rooted. For it is only when we see that big idea clearly that the truths about each one of us, and every living thing in the universe, can be known.

 

 

 

PHILOSOPHY IV

by Terry A. Rondberg, D.C.

"UNIVERSAL INTELLIGENCE"

Nothing in the natural order of the universe is random ... our existence is not mere "luck."
Because chiropractic is a deductive science, it begins with a major premise upon which all other conclusions are based. That primary assumption is that a Universal Intelligence is in all matter and continually gives to it all its properties and actions, thus maintaining it in existence.

This premise was not adopted as a matter of blind faith or religious fervor. It is a conclusion based on observation of physical evidence. Look around you. Does it seem logical to think that everything in the universe is the result of mere random selection or "luck"? Is it "luck" that a bird's wing is perfectly designed for flight – right down to the tiniest pinfeather? Is it just "chance" that a plant's roots travel downward into the ground (where it will find water and minerals) and its leaves grow upward (where it will find sun and air)? If the universe were truly just random, at least some plants would send their roots straight upward, and would bury their leaves in the soil. Have you ever seen such a plant?

To think that the universe is devoid of intelligent organization is like thinking that the Great Pyramids of Giza were the result of an accidental rock slide. Could any random action have created the Pyramids? The Empire State Building? The wings of a bird? The roots and leaves of a plant?

Just as it takes human intelligence to create and maintain the architectural wonders, it took intelligence to create the natural "wonders" which surround us. Of course, human intelligence could not be responsible for the complex order of the universe – it hasn't yet even begun to understand a tiny part of it!

Since it was not human intelligence, it had to be something greater than that. That "something" is what we call Universal Intelligence. We don't know what it is, where it came from, what its intent is, or even if there is an intent involved. We know only that it must exist – or nothing else would!

Is this Universal Intelligence God? No one knows. There is no way to "prove" the existence of God, or describe God's characteristics. There is no way to "prove" the existence of Universal Intelligence, or to describe its characteristics. How, then can anyone say if they mean the same thing?

There are some people who believe that God is the source of that Universal Intelligence. Others can accept the concept of a Universal Intelligence without even believing in a God.  Either way, we know, through observation and deductive reasoning, that such an intelligence must exist in order to prevent all matter from decaying into chaos.

During the Age of Technology – in which the scientific method reigned supreme – such notions were often criticized for being "unscientific." What the critics really meant was that the premise couldn't be proved, and wasn't arrived at through inductive reasoning. Of course, neither was the notion that "All Men Are Created Equal," or that there were space-going vacuum cleaners called black holes (a theory, by the way, also scoffed at when first announced). Yet, the first axiom doesn't require proof, and the second one was valid even before proof was found. So it is with the premise of Universal Intelligence; it is a "truth" so basic that it transcends science and can be arrived at only through deductive logic.

Today, as science expands in the "new physics" and quantum mechanics, a broader view is being accepted. New ideas are cultivated, and deductive reasoning is being recognized as a valid form of logic. The realization that there must exist a Universal Intelligence is being taken for granted at last.

Chiropractors smile at the notion that "science" is only now "discovering" that idea. After all, their entire profession is built around that simple, yet profound truth. Doctors of chiropractic understand that there is order and intelligence to the whole universe. By deductive reasoning, they also know that this order and intelligence applies to every part of the universe, including the human body.

That conclusion leads directly to another one of the principle premises of chiropractic philosophy: A living thing has an inborn intelligence within its body, called Innate Intelligence.

No word in chiropractic philosophy is as filled with meaning as the word "Innate," for it refers to the only element that sets living beings apart from nonliving things, and is the reason that chiropractic exists.

 

PHILOSOPHY VI

by Terry A. Rondberg, D.C.

"UNIVERSAL FORCES ... INNATE ENERGY"

Tame a lightning bolt – and you have the Innate Force contained in the human brain.
The universe is filled with natural forms of energy. In fact, astronomers say that the universe was actually created by a burst of energy which pre-dated all matter. The "big bang" theory is still being debated, but we need no theories to witness energy at work around us. Wind rushes through the trees, water cascades down a mountain, lightning streaks through the sky, solar radiation heats our earth.

For the most part, these environmental forces co-exist peacefully with all life forms. At times, however, they demonstrate their magnificent power and destructive potential. The wind increases to hurricane velocity and rips roofs off houses; floodwaters carry off buildings and uproots trees; lightning splits open giant trees and sets off raging fires.

Such destruction can seem "meaningless" and we often talk about "Mother Nature going crazy." But scientists and environmentalists now acknowledge that the devastation has its purpose in the natural scheme of things.

A fire started by lightning, for example, is an efficient way to thin a stand of trees. When a forest becomes overgrown, the lush vegetation cuts sunlight off at the ground level, making it impossible for new seedlings to grow. The "destruction" of a fire provides the new generation of trees the light and compost it will need if the forest is to survive.

When that same forest is "managed" by humans, the naturally-set fires are often extinguished. Then, these same caretakers deliberately set fires to do the job the extinguished fire would have done. There is a purpose to the fires, and to the hurricanes and floods.

There is an order to their appearance, and an intelligence to their functioning. The Universal Intelligence "knows" that forests need thinning, and using the Universal Matter available to it to accomplish this. The link which enables the intelligence to use the matter is natural energy, or Universal Forces.

For most of human history, the best we could do was try to stay out of the way of these forces. In modern times, our educated minds have developed means of adapting them for constructive purposes.

We build wind-powered generators, hydroelectric plants, irrigation canals, dams, and solar heating panels to harness these energy sources. We've even learned to adapt the electricity showcased in a lightning bolt to our purposes.

Living things are like microcosms of the universe. We've seen how they are each endowed with a portion of the Universal Intelligence, called the Innate Intelligence. They also possess the "specialized" version of Universal Forces, which chiropractors call Innate Energy. Our Innate Intelligence takes the Universal Force of electricity and adapts it for constructive use, just as our educated minds have adapted natural forces.

The fact that the human body runs on electricity is well-documented. Many medical testing instruments actually record and measure the electrical impulses which are generated (or, some say, converted from some other source) by our brain for use in the body. There may also be other innate forces at work in our bodies that we have not yet identified, but electricity is the one we have proven to exist.

Because Innate Energy is being adapted in our body by the Innate Intelligence, it can never be destructive. That can occur only in "wild" Universal Forces which have not been tamed by the educated mind. Also, since it is created and directed by the Innate Intelligence, there is 100% of the Innate Energy needed by each particular living thing. The energy is needed to impel the cells to function according to the wishes of the intelligence. In nature, matter remains inert until energy is applied. The air and water remains stagnant, and the internal molecular structure of the tree stays stable – until energy is applied. Only then do changes occur in the matter which cause motion and function.

So it is in the body. The Innate Intelligence cannot manipulate matter without energy. The muscles cannot expand or contract in accordance with the instructions of Innate Intelligence unless energy is present. In fact, in the absence of Innate Energy, the body ceases to function – ceases to live.

Innate Energy, then, serves as the vital link which enables the intelligence to express itself through matter. The three elements, taken together, form the Triune of Life, one of the most important concepts in chiropractic philosophy.

 

PHILOSOPHY VII

by Terry A. Rondberg, D.C.

"THE TRIUNE"

The Triune of Life = Innate Intelligence + Innate Energy + Innate Matter 
According to the precepts of chiropractic philosophy, every living thing has 100% of the Innate Intelligence it needs AND 100% of the Innate Force it needs. It also has a given physical form, to make up the third element of the Tribune.

In order to have perfect health, there must be 100% of intelligence, 100% of force, and 100% of matter. That is, all three elements must be present in optimum quantity and quality. We have already seen that this is always true of the first two elements. However, the structure of our "matter" – our physical bodies – is sometimes less than 100%. There may be flaws in our bodies or its abilities (temporary or permanent) which hinder the expression of the intelligence.

For human beings, that means that "perfect health" is a relative term. Each of us can be only as healthy as the limits in our physical matter permit. People born with congenital heart defects, for instance, can only be as healthy as their structures will permit.

People who have undergone amputation of a arm cannot regrow that limb, even when there is 100% intelligence and 100% energy. There are limitations inherent in the human body which cannot be transcended by Innate Intelligence.

However, within the limits imposed by our particular physical structure, our Innate Intelligence and Innate Energy will strive to maintain the highest level of health possible. Sometimes, that effort is thwarted by interferences to the normal transmission of the energy to the matter.

To see what kind of interference your body may be experiencing, we need to understand how the Innate Intelligence directs the body parts through Innate Energy.

As we noted, the brain generates, or converts, the electrical impulses which will spur the individual cells and tells them what they need to do to adapt to the current needs of the body. Those impulses are propelled along a complex system of nerves which connect the brain to the organs, tissues, glands, and cells of the body.

Think of the nerve system as a thick rope, made of numerous individual strands bundled together. When this nerve "rope" exits the brain, it travels down the spine, protected by a flexible bony structure. As it progresses downward, sections of the rope separate and pass through small openings between the spinal bones (vertebrae). Later, they separate further until each individual strand connects with its designated target.

Occasionally, however, the vertebrae become subluxated (out of their proper alignment), and close off part of the opening. This can "impinge" on the nerve and decrease or distort the normal flow of