FAQ

Chiropractors are particularly concerned with the nervous system, the master control system of the body, which regulates the endocrine and immune systems, along with the function, growth, and repair of all of our organs and tissues.

Your cells receive energy and direction in the form of signals from your nervous system. What impacts the health of your cells is:

• the quality of information received from the nervous system,
• the quality of the cell membrane, which serves as the gatekeeper,
• and the quality of the building blocks they have to carry out their mission.

A subluxation is an abnormal neurological pattern or an expression of compromised neural integrity—caused by physical, emotional, chemical, and other stressors—which leads to inappropriate or suboptimal cellular responses. When the body experiences any of these stressors, subluxations develop as a defense mechanism, like a circuit breaker. The body has the innate wisdom to self-correct and heal itself, given proper nerve flow, and sufficient energy and nutritional reserves. However, if physical, emotional, chemical, or electromagnetic stresses exceed the body's ability to adapt and subluxations persist, the body can only compensate for so long before it begins to show symptoms.

Over time, increased levels of stress hormones may result in overworked adrenal glands, lowered immunity, decreased digestive functions, fatigue, and blood pressure disturbances. Increased cortisol levels cause joint weakness throughout the body, including the spine and extremities, making them much more susceptible to injury. Chronic, long-term stress on the body greatly accelerates the degenerative processes of the spine and joints, which may lead to osteoarthritis or osteoporosis.

The chiropractic adjustment aims to correct subluxations, restore proper nerve flow, and enable the body to reset itself and begin healing the damage caused by chronic stress cycles. Chiropractic, combined with adequate nutrition, detoxification, and other lifestyle changes, can help improve the body's inner workings, enabling maximum healing and function. Dr. Chris Lipat, DC, Reiki Master, a kinesiology/muscle testing chiropractor trained in intuitive nutrition, emotional and somatic healing approaches in Honolulu, Oʻahu, can support you in healing from the inside out.

Most of us believe that symptoms are all inherently bad; however, many are necessary expressions of health. For instance, when harmful levels of bacteria invade the body, the body generates a fever. This is helpful since many bacteria cannot survive prolonged temperatures above 99˚F. Taking a pill that decreases fever may prolong the illness. At the same time, just because someone feels "good" and does not show any apparent symptoms doesn't mean that she is healthy. Many harmful, unhealthy processes can exist for years before showing symptoms, including heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, dementia, and even subluxation.

Chiropractors are trained to detect and address dysfunction and imbalance in the body, whether symptomatic or not. By the time your body expresses symptoms and health crises, your body is telling you that it can no longer adapt and needs you to make changes. Dr. Chris Lipat, DC, Reiki Master, an integrative chiropractic wellness practitioner in Honolulu, Oʻahu, offers a myriad of tools to help you make the changes you need for maximum expression of health and vitality.

Dr. Chris Lipat, DC, Reiki Master, looks at your health as a whole, asking your body which blockages to address first, and we provide a myriad of techniques to support your healing process. Ultimately, we seek for each patient to have a maximally functioning nervous system, a balanced brain, emotional resilience, and optimal organ health. As we work together to listen to your body, most diseases and health conditions improve on their own as your body moves in the direction of cure: toward greater health, vitality, and balance.

Numerous factors contribute to healing, including the patient's age. However, the chronicity of the health issues involved and the patient's energy and motivation to make lifestyle changes are more critical.

Patients who do the following tend to respond quickly to chiropractic care:

• eat appropriately for their body type,
• think positively,
• sleep well
• who already have a regular movement practice, such as exercise, yoga, or tai chi

Others dealing with fatigue, lack of energy, and stubborn autoimmune issues may take longer to respond but may benefit from the combined approach, which places the health of the nervous system —the body's master control system— at the center.

Healing is complex, and there may be times when the body, upon reaching a certain equilibrium, decides that it has the energy to go deeper to make the next leap to lasting change.

Dr. Chris Lipat, DC, Reiki Teacher, an intuitive kinesiology/muscle testing practitioner trained in Functional Medicine, in Honolulu, Oʻahu, will present a personalized plan to support your healing process, including tailored suggestions to help you reach your health goals as quickly as your body allows.

Chiropractors have a similar education to medical doctors, except that we also learn chiropractic principles, spend more time learning anatomy and physiology, and, of course, learn adjustment techniques. Since we do not study pharmacology or surgery, we continually focus on and learn approaches for supporting our patients using natural means.

For a more detailed comparison, check the Chiropractic Association's website.