Philosophers, even from the earliest periods of civilization, have held that the "experience" of life was quite separate and apart from the intellectual "awareness" of life. Although the great philosopher Paridenidies once said, "'There is nothing real; everything is but an illusion corrected by our intellect", man has come to appreciate "life" as an interrelationship between a living body and a vibrant, aware and potentially creative mind.
Consider then that the body, with its framework of bones, its moving parts and motors of muscles and organs and its communication system of nerves, is controlled by the rationale and sentient capacity of the brain.
And with all the parts functioning smoothly life is known, experienced and enjoyed.
What happens in sickness and pain?
There are many theories on how we become aware of disease and discomfort. Some theoricians say that pain is a state of mind. But the more generally accepted view is that we know that sickness and pain are abnormal and indicative that some part of the body is not doing its proper duty or is affected adversely in some way. To blame the trouble on the framework or motors, unless they have been injured by some violent accident is foolish.
For instance, there is no intelligent basis for thinking that a perfectly sound kidney will begin to slight its work if it is given the proper nerve energy to do its job and it is not violently injured or abused.
Since the body normally takes care of itself and since the brain is constantly sending over the network of nerves whatever instructions are necessary to do just that, then the kidney should surely be able to care for its work under most circumstances and repair itself as needed, when necessary.
Here is where chiropractic philosophy breaks with the other school of healing. When the kidneys are nor functioning properly it has been customary to treat them with medicine which necessarily must be introduced into the stomach and which eventually reaches the kidneys by way of the bloodstream. Why the perfectly sound kidneys should go bad is not satisfactorily explained.
Chiropractic has answered this question over the years with a seemingly logical explanation, that the connection between the kidneys and their controlling nerve centers is impaired. Over the next few weeks, this course will introduce the reader with information about the early history of chiropractic, along with the early understanding of causes and chiropractic treatment of diseases (referred to as Dis-Ease). While the early educators of chiropractic stressed a philosophical approach to this treatment, this course focus more upon the Science which is an important component of every healthcare profession (Science - Art - Philosophy).
