Innate intelligence
Innate intelligence is a concept primarily associated with chiropractic philosophy, proposing that individuals possess inherent knowledge from birth that guides their growth, health, and adaptation to the environment. Developed by Daniel D. Palmer and further elaborated by his son Bartlett J. Palmer, this idea draws on various influences from 19th-century medical theories, spiritualist practices, and psychoanalytic thought. The premise suggests that this innate knowledge, when undisturbed, allows the body to maintain health through effective communication via the nervous system.
In chiropractic practice, innate intelligence is linked to the idea of subluxation—misalignments in the spine that disrupt the body's natural processes, potentially leading to disease. Treatment typically involves spinal manipulation aimed at restoring proper function to the nervous system. However, the concept lacks empirical scientific support, and while some contemporary theorists may align it with concepts like homeostasis or epigenetics, it remains a divisive topic within chiropractic circles.
Patients often seek chiropractic care for relief from conditions such as back pain and headaches, viewing it as a non-invasive alternative to more conventional medical treatments. Despite its popularity, the medical community generally expresses caution about the appropriateness and safety of spinal manipulation, particularly when it is used in place of standard medical care.
Innate intelligence
DEFINITION: The premise that inherent knowledge acquired at birth guides the human body and determines health.
PRINCIPAL PROPOSED USES: General health, well-being
Overview
The concept of innate intelligence was developed by the founder of chiropractic, Daniel D. Palmer (1845-1913), and elaborated by his son, Bartlett J. Palmer (1882-1961). The Palmers drew upon nineteenth-century medical theories, spiritualist philosophies, and psychoanalytic theory for the concept. For example, the Palmers were influenced by the practice of treating animal diseases with magnetism and radionics that produce vibrations. By innate intelligence, they meant a fundamental, inborn knowledge that tells an organism how to grow, adapt to its environment, and remain healthy. With innate energy and innate matter, innate intelligence forms the chiropractic triune of life. Because of the unusual foundation of chiropractic care, including influences of the occult on the Palmers in its formation, chiropractic treatments have not garnered full recognition in the medical community as a legitimate medical practice and are considered a form of alternative medicine.
Mechanism of Action
Innate intelligence is not physiological. Instead, it is a guiding principle in chiropractic philosophy that refers to the nervous system's role in communication and the body's self-healing abilities. More specifically, innate energy links the guidance from innate intelligence to innate matter, the substance of the body. When there is no interruption or interference in this natural process, the body remains healthy. The process can be impaired, and according to the Palmers, this fact gives rise to all diseases.
Uses and Applications
Conservative chiropractic theory holds that stressors cause a subluxation, a dysfunctional segment of the spinal column. Through the nervous system, the subluxation disrupts the triune of life, resulting in disease. Treatment involves manipulating the spine so that the nervous system is unimpaired and innate energy can properly link innate intelligence to innate matter.
Scientific Evidence
No evidential-based study, either experimental or observational, supports the existence of innate intelligence. As chiropractic theory developed, some theorists retreated from the spiritualist overtones of the Palmers and equated innate intelligence either with homeostasis, the body’s natural metabolic base state or equilibrium, or with any unknown force that acts on the body. It has also been argued that innate intelligence is the basis of epigenetics, mechanisms other than the genetic blueprint in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that influence the expression of genes. However, most practitioners argue that innate intelligence philosophies impede chiropractic as a true science. It remains divisive in the field of chiropractic.
Choosing a Practitioner
Innate intelligence belongs to the traditionalist or “straight” school of chiropractic and proposes to treat disease solely through spinal column manipulation. (Information on straight chiropractic care can be obtained from the International Federation of Chiropractors and Organizations at www.ifcochiro.org.) The “mixing” school of chiropractic blends manipulation and other treatments and considers innate intelligence an outmoded concept.
Despite its philosophical undertones and linkages with innate intelligence, the practice of spinal manipulation is likely the most common perception most people have of chiropractic. Relief from conditions such as back pain is a key motivator for patients to consult a chiropractor. Chiropractic is also offered as a treatment for headaches, neck pain, and muscle aches. This practice involves a licensed person who applies a controlled but sudden amount of force to a spinal joint. An objective is to correct the body’s alignment and function. In doing so, chiropractic is offered as an alternative to surgical procedures. However, this process has its own risks, including the compression of nerves in the spinal column.
Safety Issues
While spinal manipulation may relieve symptoms of some disorders, the medical community, in general, regards it as inappropriate for most diseases and as potentially deleterious if employed to the exclusion of mainstream medical treatment.
Bibliography
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