Everything you need to know about chiropractic, adjustments, your first visit, and much more.
The Chiropractic Profession
It is the healthcare profession that deals with biomechanical-structural alterations of the spine and their impact on the nervous system and health. Doctors of Chiropractic call biomechanical-structural defects subluxations, which cause adverse neurological changes. Chiropractic is based on the premise that good health depends on a properly functioning nervous system.
No. Chiropractic is an independent healthcare profession, distinct from medicine, studied in university chiropractic colleges. The number of study hours to become a Doctor of Chiropractic is similar to the subjects taught in Medical Schools. The chiropractic degree does not include pharmacology or surgery, but delves deeper into the study of Physiology, Anatomy, Radiology, and specific chiropractic manual techniques.
The osteopath focuses on the blood system, and the intention with which they perform the treatment is different from that of the chiropractor who works directly on the nervous system. The specific manual adjustment performed by the chiropractor is exclusive.
The chiropractor is trained to practice as a primary care practitioner, due to their 7 years of university studies that grant them the degree of Doctor of Chiropractic. Additionally, the chiropractor focuses their work on optimizing the body’s self-regeneration and healing capacity, addressing the cause and origin of problems, not just their symptoms.
Chiropractic has absolutely nothing to do with massages. The recent use of the word quiromasaje to refer to massages occurs exclusively in Spain, causing unfortunate linguistic confusion. Massage therapists exist worldwide but never in the form of an organized profession, like that of a chiropractor, with a qualification resulting from a 7-year university education.
As of today, it is still not possible to study chiropractic in Spain. All doctors of chiropractic members of the AEQ have been trained in foreign universities. If you are interested, you can contact the Spanish Chiropractic Association in Madrid, where they will provide you with a list of recognized universities.
Your Chiropractor
In Spain, there are around 170 licensed chiropractors practicing.
After meeting the same requirements as the medical degree, they attend chiropractic university for 4 years.
It is not possible. The courses last for weekends spread over several months, while AEQ members have completed a higher university education of 7 academic years with scientific principles for diagnosis and highly complex adjustment techniques.
By asking the Spanish Chiropractic Association, an organization that only accepts chiropractors qualified from a university recognized by the Chiropractic Education Council as members.
No. The Doctor of Chiropractic degree is not yet recognized by Spanish authorities. The only institution responsible for verifying the authenticity of the degree is the Spanish Chiropractic Association, founded in 1986 and legalized by the Ministry of the Interior with approval from the Ministry of Health.
Of course. The 8-year university education qualifies them to interpret X-rays and recognize manifestations of vertebral subluxations. They are a primary care healthcare professional specializing in vertebral subluxations and can refer the patient when necessary.
Always look for the most positive side of anything that happens and focus on all the beautiful things around us. It’s an easy exercise to do, you can always be happy too.
Yes, of course. He is also a chiropractic patient.
The Chiropractic Adjustment
It is the application of a very small but very fast force, in a very scientific and very specific way so that the nervous system receives the correct information and can regain the ability to self-manage and self-regulate. Adjustments require great skill that is only acquired over years of learning in a university setting.
The chiropractor performs specific manual adjustments on the brainstem to correct the pressure exerted by the vertebrae on the nervous system. This has nothing to do with massages.
No. Chiropractic care is not an aggressive therapy, it does not invade the body with any foreign chemical or biological agent. It acts on the nervous system so that the body’s self-maintenance and self-recovery capacity functions normally.
During the process of returning to normal, physiological changes may sometimes be accompanied by a variation in symptoms or a certain feeling of tiredness, temporarily.
Millions of patients of all ages visit chiropractors worldwide every day, finding solutions to their problems without negative effects. This is due to the high degree of professionalism (university education + clinical internship) and the fact that chiropractic adjustments themselves have no side effects.
How long does it take you to turn on the light switch? A few seconds. The same happens with the adjustment. Each adjustment is very powerful and there is a lot of information given to the nervous system, so we must provide this information gradually. We don’t want to waste your time.
No, chiropractic adjustments themselves do not hurt. If the patient has muscle spasms, relieving them may sometimes cause muscle discomfort.
This noise is irrelevant and purely coincidental. The “crack” you hear is air, gas, and fluid escaping from the joint capsule. It’s the same as when you crack your knuckles. The bones do not snap.
Yes, it is completely normal to have any type of reaction because the nervous system is activated, although you do not necessarily have to feel these reactions.
First Visit and Subsequent Appointments
The health class lasts approximately one hour. Chiropractic tests about 20 minutes and subsequent appointments about 10 or 15 minutes at most.
Yes. The Doctor needs specific cervical X-rays that only a Doctor of Chiropractic requests. As we progress, we will repeat them to assess the changes in your body.
The doctor makes a personalized recommendation after reviewing the tests from the first visit. To achieve the best results, it is important to follow the recommendation and not skip any appointments.
It is important to follow the appointment schedule, but if you need to come earlier, call us to find out available times. If you want to change an appointment, do so 24 hours in advance.
Pain
Because an adjustment is not just a mechanical act. In each adjustment, there is an emotion, a connection. If just before the adjustment the Doctor receives a negative comment, how will that adjustment be? As a Hindu proverb says: “When you open your mouth, let it be for something better than keeping silent.”
No, and it also distracts him. The goal of chiropractic is not to take away your pain, but to improve the functioning of your nervous system to enhance your ability to adapt to stress. Pain is just a warning, it does not indicate where the dysfunction is. Be patient and let your body work at its own pace.
Because one of the effects of better functioning of the nervous system and better adaptation to stress is that pain and illnesses tend to improve.
Because no one is the same and the body works first on what is most important for your survival. Your body’s priorities were different. Be patient and let your body work at its own pace.
Because where it hurts rarely corresponds to the origin of the problem. The brainstem is the most important part of your body and your nervous system, and it is the origin we want to address.
Chiropractic Care
It has been scientifically proven that an attitude of gratitude and positivity raises the vibrational frequency of the brain and heart, accelerating recovery.
Each adjustment builds on the previous one. The body has memory and works based on repetitions. If we have repeated habits for many years, we need to repeat the new habits for it to memorize them.
Different patients have different healing processes. Some conditions improve in 1-2 weeks, others take longer. It depends on the time with subluxations, severity of the problem, environmental stress, and attitude.
The profession is regulated in neighboring European countries, recognized by the European Parliament and the WHO. It is practiced by 80,000 doctors in the most advanced countries. Despite the efforts of the AEQ, Spanish authorities have only responded with passivity and disinterest.
You should review what is happening in your environment. Our environment affects our physical health and during times of more stress, we may feel worse. You are responsible for your life and also for your health.
Adjusting your spine does not mean you will never get sick, but that your body will be stronger to fight external aggressions. You will get sick less and recover faster. Take care of these factors:
- Rest between 6 and 8 hours
- Healthy diet and 2 liters of water a day
- Exercise and breathe fresh air
- Maintain a positive attitude
- Maintain proper functioning of the nervous system
No, not at all. They are done with the intention of relieving nerve pressure in the brainstem and restoring the flow of the nervous system between the brain and all the body’s organs.
When there is interference in brain-organ communication, the information does not reach 100%. It’s like assembling furniture with incomplete instructions: it can be done, but it won’t be perfect. Each adjustment returns the complete instructions to your body.
It depends on the cause. If it is arthritis and degeneration, it is difficult but can be slowed down. If the cause is muscular, there are many more possibilities. Many patients have noticed improvements in their posture under chiropractic care.
Yes. Many people feel more energetic, more relaxed, in a better mood, perform better at work or studies, sleep better. You feel different and your relationships change too.
Chiropractic has no incompatibility with other therapies. Medications are an additional chemical stress, but it is your decision. Consult with the specialist who prescribed the medication before stopping them.
Some insurers consider alternative or natural therapies. Check directly with your insurer to see if it is covered and under what conditions.
An adjustment is much more than a physical force. It is the release of the body’s innate potential, the connection of your spiritual part with your physical part, the recovery of the innate ability to self-regulate and self-heal. Ask yourself another question: how much would you not pay to avoid developing any disease?
Who Benefits from Chiropractic Care
No. Ideally, problems should be detected before symptoms occur. The chiropractor is educated for the prevention, detection, and correction of vertebral subluxation. Remember that the symptom is the last thing to appear and the problem has probably been in your body for 10 to 15 years.
Chiropractic can help anyone with any condition. If the nervous system functions optimally, we will have a better quality of life. We should not think about specific diseases but about the overall function of the body.
Chiropractic corrects misalignments of the spine and interferences in the nervous system. It does not cure diseases directly, but many patients heal due to the recovery of the body’s innate ability to heal itself.
These are the most common symptoms of patients who, after years without results with other professionals, find the solution in chiropractic. For the chiropractor, only the body can heal itself, promoting its self-healing capacity.
Of course, they can and should. Chiropractic is good for everyone. Different techniques are used for children and the elderly due to the delicacy of their spines. Children need chiropractic care to avoid developing the problems we see in adults. It is especially important to check a child after a fall.
The chiropractor is trained as a primary care practitioner and has the professional judgment to decide if the patient should continue chiropractic care or be referred to the appropriate healthcare professional.
Art, Science, and Philosophy
That 100% of the information is in our brain and travels down the spinal cord, moving through the nerves to the rest of all the organs in our body.
It is not religious or metaphysical. It is a condition that exists in every living being. No one teaches plants how to grow, nor our heart how to pump blood, nor our lungs how to take in air.
Because when we think of intelligence, we think of the educated mind, the things we have learned, and we stop listening to innate intelligence, which would be something similar to instinct.
Do you have more questions?
We will be happy to personally answer all your questions.
