Do you have the same nagging injury that never seems to go away? Are you suffering needlessly with pain? Are you fed up with taking painkillers? Do you want to find out what is causing your pain? If your answer is yes to any of these questions, then chiropractic may be a solution for you.

Typically, the chiropractic patient enters the office with some kind of pain. Back pain, neck pain, hip pain, leg pain, arm pain, shoulder pain, etc. comes in all different shapes and sizes. However, all of these pains share one common thread - they are all symptoms. Symptoms tell you that something in your body has gone wrong. They serve as a warning system to alert you of a deeper problem. Healing occurs regardless of the symptom/s experienced. The quality of healing depends on the effectiveness of locating and addressing the cause.

Many people in today's society experience pain due to abnormal structure of the neuromusculoskeletal system. The neuromusculoskeletal system comprises the human frame and posture. Abnormal postural structure not only predisposes the human body's systems to abnormal function, but may ultimately result in an injury or chronic condition.

Altered alignment of the human frame may lead to poor healing and repair of the body tissues. These architectural and pathological changes may occur in muscle, ligament, bone and central/peripheral nervous system. Chiropractic aims at therapeutically restoring these pathological deformations of the neuromusculoskeletal system and spine to allow for optimum function of the human frame and nervous system.

Correct spinal mechanics and the health of the whole neuromusculoskeletal system are interdependent. Therefore, chiropractic treatment focuses on restoring proper spinal mechanics which will, in turn, influence the function of the nervous system. Chiropractic rehabilitation enhances the healing process and assists the body in its efforts to heal itself by controlling the long-term degenerative changes in the human frame and posture. Care is based upon the human process of healing. The healing process is categorized into fairly distinct progressive stages...

• Acute inflammatory stage. This initial stage of response to injury lasts up to 72 hours. The goals of care during this phase of healing are directed at reducing the reactive inflammatory response and eventual removal of debris from the tissues. Clinical management includes the use of chiropractic adjustments, ice, heat, gentle range of motion exercises, and passive stretching.

• Repair stage. The repair stage lasts from 72 hr. up to 6 wk. and is characterized by the synthesis and deposition of collagen (scar formation) in an attempt to regenerate damaged tissue. During this stage the body's main concern is the increase of the quantity of collagen to replaced damaged tissue. However, this new scar formation is not fully oriented in the right direction and is of a mechanically inferior quality. Clinical goals during this phase include freeing early adhesions and maintaining muscular tone and ligamentous integrity.

• Remodeling stage. This stage lasts from 3 wk. to 12 months or more (depending on the severity of the injury), during which time the collagen scar is remodeled to increase the function of the new tissue. The rehabilitative goals primarily involve improving the quality, orientation and strength of the collagen. This is accomplished by alignment of global body positions and posture, increasing functional capacity, reducing stress/strain on involved injured structures, and management of disability.

So, when does the healing occur? It starts immediately after the injury and can last for over a year depending on the severity of the injury and the action steps taken to help the body heal efficiently. Addressing an injury as early as possible using chiropractic care can result in the best possible scenario of full recovery. Addressing your chronic injuries now results in the return of a pain free lifestyle, doing all the things you love to do.

About the author: Dr. Brian Paris is a driving force in the evolution and advancement of sound chiropractic care and he serves on the Medical Advisory Board at The Healthy Back Institute, where you can read the latest back pain research.

*Troyanovich SJ, Harrison DE, Harrison DD. Structural Rehabilitation of the Spine and Posture: Rationale for Treatment Beyond the Resolution of Symptoms. JMPT 1998; 21(1): 37-50.

Daring to be Yourself The aim of the new book, Daring to be Yourself by Peter Shepherd, is to help you achieve a 'wide-awake' state of consciousness, with integrated use of left and right brain abilities, forming the bedrock for breakthroughs in personal consciousness and spiritual insight. The practice is based on the premise that we have learned disabilities which set boundaries to our action and knowing. But no one need accept that they must remain as they were shaped by their hereditary body-mind and by the conditioning of their childhood and culture. This 264-page paperback book is like a "best of" Trans4mind - that you can read snuggled up on the sofa, away from the computer! But much more than that, it's also an incredibly powerful program for personal growth. Remove the barriers to self-knowledge and reveal your full potential with this step-by-step approach... Daring to be Yourself Our Blog features excerpts from the book plus current news, views and links. "I realize many people use praise in ways that sound frivolous...but I must tell you that your book has changed my life AND I mean that in all ways. I found the entire work wonderfully upbeat, readable and valuable! It really was quite a wakeup call. In the midst of my "trials and tribulations" I had failed to be "me." Anyway, this "talk with you" really did change my life. Thank you! I needed this kind of "kick in the pants." It worked. WOW! You made a huge difference in my world."–Becky, USA Daring to be Yourself is included with purchase of the Start a New Life! home-study course, which is effectively the practical "workbook" that accompanies the paperback! Working through this course enables you to dare to be yourself and design a brand new life. Expressing your true needs, wants and feelings, you can start to live your life's purpose! After you have purchased the course, Peter Shepherd is available whenever you wish by email, to guide you every step of the way from where you are now, until you are established in a brand new life - the life that you have designed... Start a New Life!