Gonstead Family Chiropractic follows in the long traditional history founded in 1923. 

At the clinic, Gonstead Chiropractors constantly acknowledge the importance of continual professional development (training and education) to stay current on the latest chiropractic research and medical trends. The clinic is equipped with specialised technologically advanced diagnostic equipment, including a full spine x-ray and NCV + SEMG testing, so patients can not only benefit from objective testing, but a more accurate diagnosis resulting in the best possible chiropractic care.

The results of the clinic speak for themselves, and for all those who have experienced first hand what specific scientific Chiropractic treatment is all about.  Its no mistake that the clinic has been established since 2003 making it the longest running Chiropractic Clinic in the city centre, this is due purely from results and not marketing, as we are sure any of our patietns will testify.  So if you are serious about improving your health and are looking for a fix rather than a therapy, please call our office any time.

Research

Over 100 years ago, chiropractic health care was founded by Dr. D.D. Palmer. He had a simple theory: that good health can be sustained naturally, without the use of drugs or surgery, by removing vertebral subluxations and allowing the nervous system to function properly.

His theory has stood the test of time. This section will briefly explain how the theory was proven by taking you “behind the scenes”, into the field of chiropractoc research.

1895-Present: Scientifically proven

Since the first Chiropractic adjustment in 1895, the chiropractoc profession has rapidly grown to be the third largest field of health care behind medicine and dentistry. The reason for the growth of chiropractic is simple: chiropractic is based on sound, scientific principles that have been proven with thorough research. Investigations and injuries have been conducted worldwide by government agencies, universities, health-care facilities, private and public sector research organisations. The following paragraphs summarise some landmark research studies that have resulted in widespread recognition of chiropractic as a sound health-care choice.

Government of New Zealand

The New Zealand commission report was published in 1979 and was the culmination of two years of interviews from health care experts on the efficacy and safety of chiropractic. The government of New Zealand funded the study, which concluded that modern chiropractic is a “soundly-based and valuable branch of health care in a specialised area”. Wilk, et al, vs. American Medical Association (AMA) lawsuit. Another inquiry that further validated chiropractic came about in 1987 through an antitrust suit filed by four doctors for chiropractic against the AMA. A federal appellate court judge ruled that the AMA had engaged in a “lengthy, systematic, successful and unlawful boycott” of chiropractic. During the legal proceedings, studies comparing chiropractic care to medical care were presented that showed how chiropractors were twice as effective as medical physicians, for comparable injuries, in returning injured workers to work at every level of injury severity.”

Since the court findings and conclusions were released, a growing number of medical practices, hospitals and health care organisations in the United States now include the services of chiropractors.

Ontario Ministry of Health

In 1993, the Ontario Ministry of Health published the Manga report, which was a review of literature on the most effective and cost-effective treatments for low back pain. After reviewing all available international evidence, the researchers concluded that chiropractic is “greatly superior to medical treatment in terms of scientific validity, safety, cost-effectiveness and patient satisfaction.”

The Agency For Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR)

In 1994, the AHCPR of the United States Department of Health and Human Services released guidelines, which were intended to assist primary-care physicians, were developed by a panel of 23 professionals, including medical doctors, chiropractic doctors, nurses, experts in spinal research, and physical therapists. The panel concluded, among other things, that chiropractic treatment (specifically, spinal manipulation) is recommended for acute low back problems in adults and should be pursued (in most cases) before pharmaceutical or surgical treatments.

History of Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic medicine is a distinct system of medicine for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of human disease and impairment. It stresses health maintenance, disease prevention, patient education, and patient responsibilities and emphases the treatment of the whole person rather than just treating the disease. Unlike most other health care systems, naturopathic medicine is not identified with any particular therapy, but with a philosophy of life, health and disease - Vis Medicatrix Naturae, "the healing power of nature." Fundamental to this belief is a deep confidence in the ability of the body/mind to heal itself given the opportunity. All true healing is the result of the whole organism’s inherent and natural capacity, and it could be said "desire," to be as healthy as it can be. Naturopathic physicians help to remove the obstacles to cure and employ natural therapies that strengthen and stimulate each person’s own healing processes.

History and the Formative Years
Naturopathic medicine grew out of alternative healing systems of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but traces its philosophical roots to the vitalistic school of medicine of Ancient Greece (circa 400 BC). Over the centuries since this time, the two competing philosophies of medicine, vitalistic (now called natural medicine) and mechanistic (now called allopathic or conventional medicine), have alternately diverged and converged, influencing and shaping one another.
Dr. Benedict Lust was the founder of naturopathy and the man who sustained and popularized it. Lust had been exposed to a wide range of practitioners and practices of natural healing arts. He was a student of Father Kneipp, a great practitioner of hydrotherapy (water therapy). Lust brought Kneipp’s hydrotherapy with him to America from Germany in 1892. In 1902, he founded the American School of Naturopathy. The years from 1900 to 1917 were formative ones for naturopathic medicine in America as the various forms of natural medicines were combined into one eclectic system. Here the American dietetic, hygienic, physical culture, hydrotherapy, spinal manipulation, mental and emotion healing, Thompsonian/eclectic (botanical/herbal medicine), and homeopathic systems of natural healing were all merged into naturopathy.

The Future
Naturopathic medicine is at the forefront of the paradigm shift occurring in medicine. The scientific tools now exist to assess and appreciate many aspects of natural medicine. It is now common for conventional medical organizations that in the past have spoken out strongly against naturopathic medicine to endorse such naturopathic techniques as lifestyle modification, stress reduction, exercise, and toxin reduction.