Don’t worry, we aren’t suffering from an aspirin inventory crisis. No, my title for this article really has nothing to do with that. Instead, its about a concept that is so basic “ so logical” that it alludes many in our population. The concept: headaches are not due to an “aspirin shortage.” Shocking, isn’t it. In other words, if you are having headaches, it’s not because your body is suffering from an aspirin “mineral” deficiency! Just as asthma is not due to a lack of inhaler medication.

Sounds pretty silly when it’s put in these terms, but the fact is, our society, our culture, is symptom-driven. As a case in point, the next time your at the supermarket, peruse the pharmacy aisle where you’re sure to find a medication to suppress just about any uncomfortable symptom you can think of (more than 100,000 over-the-counter products are available in the marketplace today, according to a 2001 statistic by the Consumer Healthcare Products Association). And while it can be argued that these medications have their place, the point is — the question that needs to be asked is — not what pill to pop, what syrup to slurp, or what vapor to inhale, but rather what is causing the symptom in the first place.

Because if this question is not asked — let alone addressed — then you are simply ignoring your body’s attempt to communicate about an underlying problem. And while you’re at it, you might as well take the batteries out of that pesky smoke detector — it’s so annoying.

Chiropractic is a form of health care that has helped patients for 114 years ask and answer the “what-is-causing-the-symptom” question. We often find many symptoms can be traced back to the spine — more specifically, interference of the nervous system that exits out from it. Because when you understand that the nervous system controls every organ, tissue, and cell in your body, then it makes perfect sense that we should make it a priority to maintain its integrity.

Many different factors in life can cause the moving bones of the spine to become locked, kinked, stuck, or misaligned. When this happens, the nerves that exit out between these bones become irritated, pinched, choked, and chafed — causing them to simply not work right, and thus their ability to carry vital communications is thwarted. The end product of this is often a “symptom” of some sort — usually pain, but not always.

The chiropractic approach is to restore proper motion and alignment to these wayward spinal bones, which in turn relieves the stress that has been placed on the nervous system. The result: a much happier person, who not only functions better, but feels better — unless, of course, they suffering from a “chiropractic shortage.”

Dr. Thomas R. Lamar is a chiropractor at Anchor Chiropractic in the Health Services Center and holds a postgraduate certification as a Chiropractic Extremities Practitioner. He invites you to visit his Web site, www.AbetterBackbone.Com, to find this article, along with many more, to help explain today’s chiropractic. He can be reached at (360) 297-8111.