Rejuvenation of the Healthy Mind
A Medical Maverick
Dr. Frank Gorman is not your typical medical oph-thalmologist. In the 1970’s, working with Eric Milne, another medical doctor, they discovered that they could help tunnel vision and other visual disturbances by using “spinal manipulation”. Dr. Gorman went on to publish several studies show-ing recoveries by using electrophysiological measures. His research led him to conclude that spinal adjustments helped improved blood flow to the brain and, as such, could be beneficial as a non-specific intervention for many health problems where the brain is involved. He even published a book called “Chiropractic Medicine for the Rejuve-nation of the Healthy Mind”. For many years, Dr. Gorman tried to have his ideas accepted by the medical establishment. But to no avail. Despite his research, he was ostracized and persecuted by the medical powers of Australia.
Gorman’s 6 Steps to Disease
In a study published in 1998, Dr. Gorman summa-rized his research and proposed that illness or disease was the final consequence of a 6-step process. First, the patient undergoes some form of spinal trauma, either physical such as falls, accidents or poor posture, or emotional in nature. This spi-nal trauma leads to a spinal derangement, which appears as improper spinal function (we chiroprac-tors call this a vertebral subluxation). The spinal derangement negatively influence the function of the nervous system, leading to suboptimal blood flow to the brain. Gorman calls this a “migrainous brain illness”. Brain function is altered but is still reversible at this point. If nothing is done, the situa-tion will worsen and give rise to brain failure. Since the brain controls everything else in the Healthy Body, brain failure leads to Healthy Body system failure. This then leads to the last step, which is secondary Healthy Body part failure.
Chiropractic adjustments act early on!
Dr. Gorman criticized medicine because the main intervention, drug therapy, intervenes between the 5th and 6th step, when the process had already be-come pathological and irreversible. For more than 30 years, based on his research, he tried to show his medical colleagues that chiropractic adjustments were of immense value because they could intervene early on, between the 2nd and 3rd step. By correct-ing spinal derangement, chiropractic adjustments were able to stop and reverse the process of “migrainous brain illness” and prevent brain failure and its consequences.
Dr. Gorman and his team truly believed that chiropractic adjustments rejuvenate the mind and were and essential component of any health and wellness lifestyle and regimen. At 80 years of age, when many of his detractors are no longer alive, he vibrantly continues to promote his revolutionary medical ideas, which he borrowed from the chiropractic profession.
