Jolibois Chiropractic

by Dr. Joe Strauss

I had an interesting conversation with my brother recently while we were both back home in Pittsburgh for a family gathering.  My brother has lived in Minneapolis for the last five years or so and before that in San Francisco for about 15 years, so our get togethers have not been nearly frequent enough.  Still, when we get together we inevitably talk about many and various things.  Since he’s rather strongly opinionated our discussions are often lively and entertaining (read loud and distracting to others).  For example, my brother and I got to talking about whether walking was considered exercise or not.  His opinion was that it is not since the average American can and does do it at least to some extent every single day.  My opinion was that since it can be done in a manner that fits the definition of the word (i.e., an activity that requires physical or mental exertion), that indeed it can be; it is not always but it can be and is a very good exercise. 

The truth is my brother is a black belt martial artist.  He’s 6’1” and 205 lbs. of solid muscle (think Jessie Ventura who he is often mistaken for), and no, walking is not how he got to be so incredibly fit.  Interestingly, this spirited conversation occurred while we were accompanying my mother on her regular 2-mile walk around the track in her hometown.  For my mother, who is 74 years old and still recovering from a serious stroke she just had last October, at this time in her life walking is perfect.  Exercise though does not come in a one-size-fits-all container, nor should it.  With all the variation in people’s shape, size, fitness level and interest it couldn’t possibly.  It is no more easily prescribed for people than is “the proper diet.”  Everybody’s nutritional needs are different.  Unfortunately, much of today’s advise on exercise and diet does not take the wide variation in people into account.  So while walking is perfect for my mom it is not even close to suitable for my brother (and hence his opinion).

 Chiropractic is different.  In fact it is this aspect of chiropractic that makes it overall one of the safest, choices in health care today.  Chiropractic recognizes that each individual is entirely unique and different today than they ever were before or ever will be again.  It appreciates that we are self-healing, self-regulating organisms, constantly re-creating ourselves into different (hopefully better) expressions of the life within us.  We are able to do this because our body communicates with itself.  Information is constantly being exchanged between the brain and every cell, tissue and organ in your body. 

When the communication is clear our body can heal, regulate and recreate itself as it was meant to.  Unfortunately, the messages are subject to interference.  Because this communication uses the nerve system, any dysfunction in the nerve system also compromises the quality of the information that is being sent.  Probably the most common and certainly the most overlooked interference to the nerve system is vertebral subluxation, that is when bones of the spine misalign in such a way that they interfere with the nerve system.  Chiropractors check for subluxations in the spine and provide an adjustment specific for the individual—young or old, big or small.  Removing that interference restores the proper communication which allows the person to be the best expression of life they can      be—whether they walk for exercise or practice martial arts.