A study conducted in 1920 by Dr. Winsor, MD, proved it does. To summarize the quotes from the research below, Winsor came to realize that when the spine is shifted, the curves in the spine that compensate the changes begin to affect the organs close to them.
How could this be? Passing out of each spinal level are sympathetic nerves. These nerves are in control of adapting to threats and keeping the body alive. Dr. Winsor’s research found that the firing of these nerves increased (in reaction to the spine out of place) until the amount of tone to the organ was so high, it became exhausted, gave way and became diseased. Is this the cause of all disease? The answer is “no.” There are many other factors to take into consideration. But we can hypothesize that the spine and nervous system hold the key to a large part of health and well being.
When we look at the function of the human body, we see that all function is controlled by the brain, spinal cord and nerves. They are the electrical wires, and the spine could be viewed as somewhat of a circuit breaker. When it becomes imbalanced, some areas get too much electricity; some too little.
This change in nerve firing is not from the actual bone “pinching” on the nerve, but from the adaptation of the nervous system to compensate for these changes in spinal/muscle position.
To care for the spine holistically, the practitioner applies proper balance to the spine through specific motion. In the new school of chiropractic, sports therapies, rehabilitation, breathing exercises and muscle manipulation are also employed to keep the spine balanced and the nervous system firing.
Winsor, H. Sympathetic segmental disturbances — II. The evidences of the association, in dissected cadavers, of visceral disease with vertebral deformities of the same sympathetic segments, The Medical Times, November 1921, pp. 267-271
“Therefore, in 50 cadavers with disease in 139 organs, there was found curve of the vertebrae, belonging to the same sympathetic segments as the diseased organs 128 times, leaving an apparent discrepancy of 10, in which the vertebrae in curve belonged to an adjacent segment to that which should supply the diseased organs with sympathetic filaments.
The disease appears to precede old age and to cause it. The spine becomes stiff first and old age follows. Therefore, we may say a man is as old as his spine, the arteries becoming hardened later from constant vaso-motor spasm, following sympathetic irritation.”
