The World Health Association (WHO), based in Geneva Switcherland, reports that “health is more than the absence of disease.” Traditional medicine assumes that disease is mostly the result of flaws in the genetic pool, as a direct result of an adverse lifestyle (poor dietary selections, lack of regular exercise, stress, and unhealthy lifestyle habits {such as tobacco and excess alcohol}). As a result, the focus of treatment by traditional medicine is on making a diagnosis, and putting a label on the disease and its symptoms. After a disease has been named, then treating the number 2 problem (symptoms) rather than the number 1 problem (underlying causes of the symptoms). This approach primarily works well only in crisis situations, such as heart attack, stroke, diabetic coma, infection, etc, but fails miserably for reversing, or preventing, chronic disease and infections. As a result, treating the symptoms by dictating to the body what you would like to have happen (rather than supporting natural mechanisms) does little more than hide the underlying causes and delays proper treatment.

A true “wellness program” addresses health from a much broader framework than the conventional approach. There are specific defects that are common to every chronic disease condition; structural misalignment (including spinal fixations and subluxations), chronic malnutrition, chronic infections and chronic toxicities (including food allergies). To actually reverse disease, it is essential for these defects to be first identified, then addressed in a particular order.

All medical texts tell us that a thorough history is often the single most important part of health care. A complete history coupled with a thorough examination is a time honored practice in health care that no amount of high-tech, high cost, low touch, applied sciences will ever replace. The history provides the foundation for an accurate diagnosis and is synonymous with responsible care.

Each examination should be tailored to the patients needs, and should include a general survey, including the patient’s height, weight and posture. The vital signs should be recorded, including the temperature, blood pressure, and pulse rate. The blood pressure should also be compared between the arms and ankles.

Alternative practitioners recognize that each person is biologically unique, and individual assessments are required to develop an appropriate treatment approach for each individual. This is why a one-size-fits-all approach to wellness does not usually work well, or for long, for most people. By addressing the specific defects, leading to disease, the doctor and patient are able to get at the underlying cause (the number 1 problem), rather than simply treating the symptoms for a lifetime with a single magic bullet management.