ACUPRESSURE- Acupressure is an ancient Chinese technique based on the same points and meridians as acupuncture and uses fingers or hands to press or heat certain points on the body in order to relieve ailments. The pressure is designed to release energy blocks in the meridians of the body to treat ailments such as tension, stress, aches, pains, cramps or arthritis. The system is also used for general preventative health care.

CAVITATION- The noise that is often, but not always, heard when a vertebra is moved during a chiropractic adjustment. This noise is the sound of gasses being released from the fluid within the joint.

CHIROPRACTIC- A primary health care profession in which professional responsibility and authority are focused on the anatomy of the spine and immediate articulation, and the condition of nerve interference. It is also a practice, which encompasses educating, advising about and addressing nerve interference.

CRANIO-SACRAL THERAPY– Cranio-Sacral Therapy is based on the work of the American osteopath, William Sutherland, and involves hand manipulation of the skull, spine, and sacrum to remedy distortions in the structure and function of the craniosacral mechanism – the brain and spinal cord, the bones of the skull, the sacrum, and interconnected membranes. This treatment is used to treat chronic pain, colic, ear infections, migraine headaches, TMJ, and dizziness in the elderly.

DETOXIFICATION– Detoxification is the process of clearing toxins from the body or neutralizing or transforming them, and is one of the more widely used treatments and concepts in alternative medicine. Based on the principle that illnesses can be caused by the accumulation of toxic substances (toxins) in the body, treatment of the disease is twofold in nature: (1) toward restoration of a normal physiological state and (2) toward the removal of the causative agent. Eliminating existing toxins and avoiding new toxins are essential parts of the healing process. Detoxification specialists use a variety of tests to determine the causes contributing to toxic conditions such as infections, asthma, arthritis, allergies, addictions, toxic chemicals, and digestive and organ dysfunction. A variety of healing techniques employed after a diagnosis is made might include dietary change, fasting, herbal supplements or laxatives, chelation therapy or sweating therapies. DIATHERMY-deep-heat therapy that uses high-frequency electric currents to produce heat in body tissues. Physical therapists and sports physicians use diathermy to treat arthritis, bursitis, and fractures. It also may help treat gynecological diseases and sinusitis.

DIAGNOSIS- A comprehensive process of evaluation of the spinal column and its immediate articulation to determine the presence of nerve interference and other conditions that may contraindicate chiropractic procedures. Endorphins-The body's "feel good" chemicals (which are released during a chiropractic adjustment). Health-Functioning at one's full potential

GONSTEAD-A technique system of analysis and adjustments in the chiropractic profession, developed by Dr. Clarence Gonstead. The Gonstead system is often referred to the "gold standard" technique in chiropractic circles. (For a more thorough explanation of the "Gonstead difference", see the Frequently Asked Questions on this site. Manipulation-The forceful passive movement of a joint beyond its active limit of motion. It does not imply the use of precision, specificity or the correction of nerve interference. Therefore, it is not synonymous with chiropractic adjustment. MASSAGE THERAPY – Massage Therapy is a very general term for a wide range of therapeutic approaches, with roots in both Eastern and Western cultures. Massage manipulates the muscles and soft tissue of the human body to promote deep relaxation, release tension, and soothe injured muscles. Massage therapy is also used to stimulate blood and lymphatic circulation, improve structure and function of the body, and increase toxic elimination for the improvement and maintenance of health and well-being. Osteoarthritis-The effect of an uncorrected, long-term subluxation. Osteoarthritis is the combination of the wearing away of the cartilaginous disk between the vertebrae of the spinal column and the increased bone material laid down by the body at that particular joint in order to stabilize the area. The bony outgrowths of the bone are sometimes called "spurs". Osteoarthritis is also known as DJD (Degenerative Joint Disease). Chiropractic adjustments are able to stop this process by restoring motion into the joint. Osteoporosis-Reduction in the quantity of bone Pathologies-Abnormal structural or functional changes that result from a disease process. Practice Objective-The professional practice objective of chiropractic is to correct nerve interference in a safe, effective manner. The correction is not considered to be a specific cure for any particular symptom or disease. It is applicable to any patient who exhibits nerve interference regardless of the presence or absence of symptoms or disease.

PARASPINAL EMG SCANNING- A painless, non-invasive procedure to measure and record the electrical signals given off by the muscles that attach to the spinal column. Electrodes are placed on the skin and their readings are shown in the form of a graph. Since one of the symptoms of nerve interference is abnormal muscle activity, the EMG is becoming a popular method for charting muscle spasms and spinal imbalance.

TENS (Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation)- delivery of an electric current through the skin to the nerves. Used in physical therapy and to relieve painful conditions such as neuralgia, sciatica, and arthritis. The low voltage electric current blocks the nerves reception of pain signals and possibly stimulates the production of endorphins, the body’s pain-killing chemicals.

THERMOGRAPHPY- This procedure measures the temperature on the skin surface to locate inflammation of muscles and soft tissues. A special camera takes pictures, which reflect the different temperatures by displaying a range of colors on film. Thermography has been used to pinpoint spinal nerve and muscle stress.

VERTEBRAL SUBLUXATION- Also referred to as nerve interference, is a misalignment of one or more of the 24 vertebrae in the spinal column, which causes alteration of nerve function and interference to the transmission of mental impulses, resulting in a lessening of the body’s innate ability to express its maximum health potential.