In the mid-1980s, I was studying premed at the University of Dallas, with the goal of becoming a neurosurgeon. At the time I was rear-ended in a car accident and developed severe whiplash. At the hospital, where I was volunteering as part of my training, an orthopedic doctor in charge of my work gave me the card of his chiropractor. I had no idea what a chiropractor was or even how to pronounce the word chiropractic, but I trusted the doctor’s advice and decided to make an appointment.

The doctor of chiropractic was confident, caring, and enthusiastic. He seemed to enjoy his practice. His clinic had an uplifting, positive atmosphere; I’d never experienced anything like it in any other doctor’s office. I asked him that question we have all asked: “What do chiropractors do?” The answer I received remains the most concise and elegant description I have ever heard. He told me that chiropractic is rooted in this simple principle: The power that made the body heals the body.

I was astounded and knew deep inside that this statement resonated with me. That visit changed the course of my life, because I realized that chiropractic was the ultimate form of health care. I wanted to learn more about it. I was so intrigued by the idea of a health-care system that respects the inherent self-healing powers of the body that in time, I decided to become a chiropractor myself. I chose my profession from my heart, and for more than 20 years, I like to think that I’ve brought healing and relief to thousands of people. I helped teach them how to make better choices every day for better health. Watching the self-healing miracles take place over the past 20 years has inspired me to devote my life to helping men and women discover what they can do to live a healthy, natural lifestyle so that they can live fully and age gracefully.

Most people think chiropractors treat back or neck pain, or maybe headaches. Yes, we do treat those. But rather than try to relieve the symptoms, chiropractic tries to correct the cause—and encourage the body to self-heal. What I’ve learned over the years is that the body has a far greater capacity to heal itself than most doctors give it credit for.

The best application of chiropractic in our lives is preventive maintenance—just like we’d take care of our cars. We know it’s easier to keep a car in good running order if we regularly maintain it. Well, our bodies are the same way, and chiropractic is one way to keep the body in good running order. And one of the ways we do this is by keeping the spine well adjusted. Adjustments remove nerve interferences from the body; this keeps communication lines open between the brain and the rest of the body. In addition, we also require a fully functioning nervous system, good nutrition, water, proper rest, inspired thoughts, and movement.

Chiropractic allows for the body to be as stress-free as possible. In other words, while many people live on the stress roller coaster, people who stay well adjusted find that they experience a steady road to better health through better living. That’s why a chiropractor analyzes your body for nerve interference that occurs as a result of our stressful lifestyles.

The daily stress of our lifestyles and the accidents we may experience can cause subluxations, or pressure on nerves. Subluxations cause misalignments of spinal bones (vertebrae). These misalignments unduly stress the spinal nerves and spinal cord, which are considered in chiropractic to be the body’s main communication line. When the stress from subluxations goes unchecked long enough, the results can be devastating. It can cause the millions of chemical reactions inside our bodies to become diluted, triggering respiratory problems, allergies, digestive problems, reproductive problems, skin conditions, pain, and more.

Chiropractic doesn’t cure any of these conditions, but by getting adjustments, your nervous system functions better, you can boost your immune system, and you can restore motion and provide your body a means with which to take care of unwanted conditions faster.