I’m always looking for modern and culturally relevant ways to explain chiropractic care to people. So if you’re a Game of Thrones junkie, this one’s for you.
Most people are aware that the brain plays an executive role in all of the body’s functions. Simply stated, the brain sends commands down the spinal cord and into the body. The body then sends signals back up to the brain. This cycle repeats indefinitely while we’re alive.
Here’s a very basic illustration to represent brain/body communication:
The billions of signals moving up and down the spinal cord are collectively labeled data transmission.
What Does This Have to Do With HBO’s Game of Thrones?
Consider two characters who experience traumatic events in Season-1: Ned Stark and his son, Bran.
Ned got sentenced to death by King Joffrey in a public beheading.
It’s easy to understand that separating the brain from the body causes immediate death. Why? The data transmission to and from the body stops, and life ends instantaneously.
Bran Stark got pushed from a tower window by Jaime Lannister. He survived, but ended up paralyzed from the waist down. Why was he paralyzed? It’s because the data transmission between his brain and lower body was permanently damaged.
Are These the Only Two Outcomes?
Death and paralysis are two extreme examples of what happens when data transmission is disrupted, but it’s not a binary situation. Perhaps there’s a spectrum? Let’s discuss what else could happen…
Chiropractors postulate that data transmission can be irritated or altered by spinal imbalance. Slight, partial, or minimal pressure applied to the channel that transmits data can, in theory, create its own set of symptoms.
Headaches, neck pain, numbness and tingling sensations, dizziness or brain fog, as well as digestive issues like acid reflux and constipation, are among the symptoms that can result from disruption of the data transmission traveling between the brain and body.
One pilot study from Rush University concluded that restoration of atlas alignment was associated with reductions in blood pressure. So even patients with hypertension (albeit a small sample size) saw benefits from chiropractic care.
Do Chiropractors Cure Disease?
Let me state in no uncertain terms: Chiropractic care is not a cure for any disease.
The intent of chiropractic care, historically speaking, has been to improve communication between the brain and body.
For some patients, that might look like relief from back pain. For others, headaches. And for some, digestive issues or improved blood pressure.
But not every person has a chiropractic problem. There can be a dozen explanations for headaches, none of which are related to the spine and its impact on data transmission.
Like many chiropractors, I’m drawn to challenging cases involving conditions that haven’t responded to traditional medical care. When a patient has seen multiple specialists, undergone myriad diagnostic tests and treatments, and still can’t find a solution to their problem, my interest is piqued.
In these cases, the chiropractic mind can’t help but wonder, “Is there an undetected spinal problem sufficiently impacting data transmission between the brain and body, contributing to this patient’s discomfort?”
I know firsthand that chiropractic isn’t an appropriate intervention for everyone all the time. But if you know someone who hasn’t found a solution elsewhere, tell them about this Game of Thrones explanation. If it makes sense to them, it might be advantageous to meet with a reputable chiropractor for assessment.
A Chiropractor's Opinion 