Neurologically Based Chiropractic

Stunning revelations are coming from the world of neuroscience research these days. Information on the ability of the brain to keep itself organized during its quiet times supports the Chiropractic theories of innate intelligence.  The chiropractic profession has suggested that the body is a self maintaining, self healing organism and that this ability is centered within the nervous system. However, mainly because the Chiropractic profession has mostly abandoned many of its basic theories while pursuing the Musculo-skeletal, mechanical model, the latest developments in neuroscience will bypass Chiropractic completely.

The article titled, “The Brain’s Dark Energy” (Scientific American, March 2010: pages 44-49) presents key concepts which include:

. “Neuroscientists have long thought that the brain’s circuits are turned off when a person is at rest.

. Imaging experiments however, have shown that there is a persistent level of background activity.

. This “default mode network” (DMN) as it is called may be critical in planning future actions.

. Miswiring of brain regions involved in the default mode may lead to disorders ranging from Alzheimer’s to schizophrenia.”

The Default Mode Network involves multiple areas of the brain with the Medial Prefrontal Cortex, in both hemispheres, being the largest.  This organization within the brain is not surprising as stated in the article, “the brain is not a free-for-all among independent systems but a federation of interdependent components.”  While there is a hierarchy within this federation, there are times when the outside environment stressors will override it so that the brain faces a challenge between planned responses and immediate needs.

If there is a heavy level of immediate needs (alert responses or threats) and/or restricted downtimes, the DMN cannot function and the brain becomes over loaded. Researchers were able to identify when a subject was about to commit an error in a computer test because the DMN took control during focused concentration.

The current understanding suggests that the DMN plays a very important role in illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, depression, and schizophrenia. Research is now looking into the DMN role to provide deeper insights into the cause of disease and treatment strategies.

So what does all this mean? It means the chiropractic theories regarding Innate’s ability to self organize were correct. It also means that we are about to lose ground once again in the healing arts because we have abandoned the very concepts that were our unique positioning.  In so doing we have basically sold our “souls” in order to get reimbursed by insurance companies. Short term gain – long term loss!

There is more to be said  here as the April Issue of Scientific American contains an article on the brain’s faulty wiring or what Neurologically Based Chiropractic calls “subluxation”.

My first question is, “What are you reading, books on spinal mechanics or disc decompression?” My next question is, “What do you think is really the cause of those problems?”

Time to catch up with neuroscience!

What a wondrous world in which we live! From D. D. and B.J. Palmer’s first constructs of the Philosophy of Chiropractic came the term “Innate Intelligence” and with it much of the bitterness that has divided the profession.

The first level of division involves the claiming of the term “Innate” and was part of the ongoing battle between father and son in the Palmer family. History clearly shows that D.D. Palmer, the father, won this battle having published a definition of “Innate” in his book titled “The Science of Chiropractic” in 1906 (page 109).

Clearing up who created the term does not help the larger challenge within the profession over the use of the term “Innate”.

D.D. Palmer stated; “Innate is that vital principle, the heretofore unknown intelligence which, associated with matter, controls the manifestations and properties of organized bodies, thereby distinguishing organized from inorganic matter.” He goes on to say, “Innate retains its education acquired in past ages.”

B.J. had a slightly different view. He saw “Innate” as “God in Man” and referred to it as “WE”. The problem arose with the term as used by B.J. Palmer. He developed his entire philosophy of Chiropractic around the concepts of Innate, the fellow within, as God’s director of life.

As the science of its day could not offer any support for the Chiropractic concepts, B.J. continued to develop its philosophical foundations. He poured himself into whatever science was available and applied it to chiropractic research. His research was relentless and his development of the electroencephaloneuromentimpograph demonstrated how far ahead of the science of his day he was.

Today we have the ability not only to understand the “education of the past” concepts of “Innate”, found in DNA, but also to recognize the inborn ability of the body to organize itself into a healthy state. We continually see and hear the term “Innate” being used in medical and neuroscience. How soon we forget! A short 50 years ago Chiropractors were being condemned by other health professionals and some of their own profession for even suggesting there was such a thing.

Times have indeed changed! The March edition of Scientific American headline article is titled “The Brain’s Dark Energy”. It is about the fact that science has had the wrong idea about resting brain function for years. Hans Berger, the inventor of the electroencephalogram (EEG) which records electrical activity of the brain stated, “we have to assume that the central nervous system is always, and not only during wakefulness, in a state of considerable activity.” His work was ignored – now we find that he was correct. Sounds familiar!

During resting and/or physically inactive times, this “dark energy” in the brain increases. We note that Sensory Motor Rhythm (SRM) activity increases and until now there was no explanation for this. These activities are the times that the innate intelligence of the brain reorganizes itself. A house cleaning, so to speak! We even know the primary areas and patterns of the brain in charge of this activity which is called the default mode network (DMN). The importance of any interference to the default mode network’s ability to reorganize brain function is stated clearly in the article. “Such patterns may not only serve as biological markers for diagnosis but may also provide deeper insights into causes of the disease and treatment strategies.”

Welcome to “Innate” and thank you D.D. and B.J. Sounds as if you were both right after all.