Welcome to “The Royal Principles of Health,” written by Dr. Michael Dority and presented by Selene River Press. This fascinating series is based on the 33 principles of chiropractic identified by R.W. Stephenson, DC, PhC, in his 1927 classic Chiropractic Textbook. Dr. Dority calls these the “Royal Principles of Health” and invites you to learn how these foundational tenets illustrate the forces of universal intelligence that guide and determine our existence.
Building on Level Ground
Royal Principle #14 states: “Force is manifested by motion in matter; all matter has motion, therefore, there is universal life in all matter.”
The force that is manifested by the motion of our living matter—the body—flows to and fro, travelling from the cells of the brain to the body and then back to the brain.
When I was nine years old, my dad and I attempted to recreate Galileo’s Leaning Tower of Pisa experiment. Dad carried some steel ball bearings of different sizes and weights to the top of the windmill located by our barn. Before dropping them, we placed a big wooden board on the ground so we could hear the balls when they landed and see if they hit the board at the same time. Well, my Dad and I proved Galileo was right.
We see that the energy of those ball bearings only went in one direction—down. Yet the Life Force of the human body moves in two directions: first down from the brain, through and over the spinal cord and nerves, flowing to all of the cells of the body, and then returning over the same pathways back up to the brain to be interpreted as living physiological reactions. Those poor old steel ball bearings sure didn’t return back up to the top of the windmill after the drop. With no Life Force in them, they just laid there like dead matter.
In the manifestation of our spinal column, we have our own tower within the body. The spinal column is subjected to the same universal laws as the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Gravity is one of those universal laws. The Tower of Pisa leans because of the unstable ground the foundation is constructed upon. As it was built, the weight of it began to compress the earth, and as the earth settled, the Tower began to tilt. Many attempts were made to correct this, including using heavier stones and leaded weights on one side and trying to shore up the other side by pumping material into the ground. Some of these same corrective measures are used to correct “leaning spines.”
The human body’s strong, stable “Spinal Tower” rests on the foundation of our sacral base, between our two hips. When the sacral base is biomechanically balanced (meaning there is no subluxation or misalignment) and operates within its natural range of motion, it can resist the forces of gravity in a healthy, biomechanical way. Thus the spine and nervous system together can maintain a healthy environment within the structural cellular matrix of the body. Our nervous system constantly monitors and corrects spinal posture to be in line with gravitational forces.
The inherit structural issues in the foundation of the Leaning Tower of Pisa can be seen in the human spine. This X-ray of my patient shows a spinal S, scoliosis, resulting from a structural alteration in the formation of the last lumbar vertebrae that rests upon the base (the foundation) of the sacrum. The height of that last lumbar vertebra is significantly taller on the right side. Thus as the spine grows, it leans to the left, due to an uneven foundation, like the Tower of Pisa.
The natural wisdom of the body (that innate Life Force) corrects this instability by curving, thus bringing the towering spine into balance over the sacral foundation. We see this in the balanced posture of the pelvis, the level shoulder girdle, and the cervical plumb line dropping true vertical. When my patient was a young girl, drastic measures such as spinal surgery rods and bracing was the recommended course of action. These were fortunately refused, and she has since blessed the world as a wife and mother with four healthy children who still finds time to be very active in her home, farm, and community.
In the balance of her spine, we see the manifestation of Principal #14. First, that “force is manifested by motion in matter.” Innate Intelligence employed corrective action and motion in order to balance her spine. Second, that “all matter has motion.” Unlike a steel ball bearing, we are living matter teaming with Life Force. And “therefore, there is universal life force in the matter of our body.” A universal Life Force is at work, and balance is displayed.
We live by the principles of creation. Our Life Force generates motion as seen in the actions of our living human body. If we were to diagnose the normal physiological adaptation of my patient’s spine as abnormal, diseased, or pathological—and then use surgical measures to tamper with it—we would not be solving it but rather creating many other adverse challenges.
A combination of chiropractic spinal care, Standard Process nutritional recommendations, and Neuro-Emotional Technique methods did not “straighten” her spine. But it did afford her greater movement as well as relief from many of her symptoms. Stress can be felt internally in our body and in our immune response if we perceive we are different from others in our circle. This affects our immune defenses as well. As reported at the Ninth International Conference on Spinal Manipulation October 5, 2002, “Patients undergoing spinal adjustments displayed dramatic decreases of cortisol through the post treatment period, suggesting that there were physiological consequences to their adjustments reflecting increased immunological capacities.”
Stress reduces our immune defenses, the three stressors being structural, chemical, and emotional, as explained by D.D. Palmer. These three stressors are vividly expressed in our spinal structure, posture, and physiology, which, in turn, directly affects our nervous system and response to our environment.
Correction of vertebral subluxation and restoration of movement parameters allows greater expression of health. Providing the essential building materials of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals ensures the body has a strong foundation. Begin today to correct the weak links in the foundation of health.
Support your spinal tower with the following Standard Process nutritional supplementation:
Calcifood (6–8 per day): Provides calcium, phosphorous, and amino acids essential for bone strength.
Biost (3–6 per day): Aids calcium assimilation.
Drenamin (3–6 per day): Supports resistance to stress—physical, chemical/toxic, and emotional.
Some things to think about:
- Take the steps to build a strong, level foundation for your health.
- Locate your weakness with the purpose of strengthening and reinforcing it.
- Ask and learn. Learn and do. Do and become.
“Life is something like this trumpet. If you don’t put anything in it, you don’t get anything out.”
—W.C. Handy
Main image from iStock/Wavebreakmedia. Post image from Dr. Dority.
