These blog entries are written with you in mind. Rather than just filling space, I look for information that is useful to the reader. I often try to think about what’s going on at a particular time, like special events, holidays, things we do to get the kids ready to go back to school, etc.
With summer in full swing now, my thoughts go to next week when we’ll observe the Fourth of July. If any single word can describe that feeling best, it would be freedom. As Abraham Lincoln said, our country was “…conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” Now I have little doubt that if Lincoln had written the Gettysburg Address in this century he would have said all men and women. 
Either way, Lincoln was reminding us that liberty and equality are the core values upon which the country was founded. He felt so strongly about it that he even capitalized the word, Liberty when drafting his message. Although the nation hasn’t always achieved these lofty goals, we continue to strive toward them.
Being really free involves many facets of our lives and culture, impacting our physical, chemical and emotional well-being in many ways. It seems reasonable to say that our freedom also hinges on our healthiness. With it we are free to think, say and do the things that bring a satisfying life experience, and without it those things surely remain out of reach. In chiropractic we are particularly aware of this, seeing examples of it in our practice members every day. It’s why our practice is clearly focused on one essential objective, living subluxation-free.
Here’s why that’s important. We know that the human body was designed to self-regulate, making complex biological substances from the food we eat, and adapting to the many changes and challenges it faces day in and day out. All of these functions happen without our having to even think about it. The brain is constantly sending messages all around the body over a complex communication system we call the nervous system. The spinal cord is 
the main cable in that system, and it is protected by the bones of the spinal column, called vertebrae. Thousands of tiny wires called nerves branch off from the spinal cord, carrying messages to every organ, tissue and cell. The movable vertebrae support our body, but their most important function is to protect the spinal cord and nerves. Most of the time this system works great and life is good. However, a vertebra sometimes gets out of its proper position making it unable to properly safeguard the spinal cord or nerves. Instead of protecting the nerve system, it can actually become an insult against it. This is called a vertebral subluxation and it can disturb and distort function anywhere in the body.
This makes a subluxated vertebra a significant threat to a person’s health and well-being. Occasionally a person will arrive for their visit telling me that they are having back or neck pain and they’re surprised to hear me say that it’s good news. It’s good news because their symptoms bring awareness to them. What if that same subluxation were interfering with the nerve supply to their kidneys or heart? It wouldn’t hurt for a long time, until significant damage is done. That’s also why we don’t wait until something hurts to check a child’s spine. Don’t they need a good nerve supply throughout life? I wouldn’t want to wait until their back hurts to check the child’s spine. Please click here for more information about chiropractic care for kids. Or, for research about children receiving chiropractic care please click here.
So the message is a simple one, and it’s all about freedom. Freedom from vertebral subluxation assures a good nerve supply and a much better chance to have a healthy, happy life.