Dr. Affolter has extensive training in upper cervical chiropractic and applies that specific, scientific approach to the entire spine.
The concepts behind chiropractic are really very simple. Intelligence is the ability to adapt to new and trying situations. Life has that ability. Life is intelligent. In chiropractic we call that inate intelligence. Innate intelligence uses the brain and nervous system to control and coordinate all functions of the body.
The brain and spinal cord are protected by bones, the skull and vertebrae. If the bones become misaligned nerves can become impinged. When impingement occurs, the nerves fail to work properly and the body fails to adapt. We call the misalignment with it's resultant impingement a subluxation.
The chiropractor corrects the subluxation, reduces the impingement, and innate intelligence then adapts the body back to a state of health.
Upper cervical chiropractors specialize in correction of subluxations that occur under the skull, where the brain stem can be affected. Since nearly all functions of the body are ultimately controlled and coordinated using the brain, subluxations which affect the brain stem can affect nearly every function of the body.
People who have been diagnosed with disease often ask if chiropractic can cure the disease. Although there have been reports of people becoming healthy after diagnoses of many different diseases, it is not the chiropractor which cures the disease. The chiropractor merely corrects the subluxation and the patient cures him or herself.
We believe that the question you want answered from a chiropractor is: Do I have a subluxation?
If you do, then it makes sense to reduce or correct it. Regardless of your other conditions.
If you had a dental problem, wouldn't you want your teeth fixed? Even if fixing your teeth wouldn't cure your diabetes?
If you couldn't see well, wouldn't you want glasses? Even if getting glasses wouldn't cure your stomach ulcer?
If your nervous system isn't working properly, wouldn't you like it fixed. Even if fixing your spine wouldn't cure your cancer?
Upper cervical chiropractors use x-ray to determine the misalignment of the bones and design a specific corrective force to correct the misalingment. Patients are examined on every visit to determine if the misalignment is affecting the nervous system. If it is, the patient is adjusted (the subluxation is corrected). If the misalignment is not affecting the nervous system, no adjustment is needed.
The goal of upper cervical chiropractic is to help your adjustments "hold." Holding means that the vertebrae (bones of the spine) are staying in alignment and the nervous system in not being impinged.
Once the adjustments begin to hold, your nervous system works properly, and your innate intelligence uses the nervous system to restore health.
Upper cervical chiropractors use skin temperature analysis and leg length tests to determine if a subluxaiton is present.
At the Affolter Clinic we use the Tytron infrared scanner to determine when nerve interference is occurring. The scanner is run up the back of your neck or your entire spine and uses a computer screen to show the temperature of the skin on both sides of the spine. When nerve interference is present, the skin will be different temperatures on the right and left sides of the spine. The length of the legs is compared with you either face up or face down on an exam table. If your legs are the same length, that is an indication that the muscles of the lower back are pulling evenly. If one leg is shorter than the other, that indicates muscle imbalance which is often caused by interference to the nervous system.
If you have a subluxation with interference to your nervous system, you are not as healthy as you could be. After correcting your subluxation, your legs will balance and your skin temperature will balance. If you are like most people, you will find that when your legs and temperatures are balanced you begin to feel better. Your pain begins to disappear as the damaged tissue regenerates.
Let us examine you. If you have a subluxation, why not reduce it and see how much more healthy you can be? Call and schedule an appointment - 360-733-1660 - correct the cause of your health problems and allow health to be restored naturally.