Chronic health problems have multiple causes. As a chiropractor, first I look to the spine being out of alignment. Then I look for food allergies, pathogens in the gut, hormone imbalances and energy imbalances.
Spinal Misalignments (subluxations)-When the spine is out of alignment, it causes a lack of nerve and blood flow to the organs. This causes the organs to get tired and get symptoms, which then leads to disease.
Pathogens in the gut: I order a Comprehensive Stool Specimen Test which does a DNA scan of your bowel movement. This checks for bacteria, parasites, candida albicans overgrowth and which probiotics are low. The lab tests to see what natural and medical treatment works best against whatever they find. I then give you whatever suplements you need to correct the problem or refer you to a medical doctor for the more serious cases.
Food allergies: Most people eat the same 10-15 foods every day. Often 2 or 3 of these are food allergens. To help determine which foods you’re allergic to I’ll give you a list of the most common food allergies and ask you to circle the ones on the list you eat at least once a week. I then muscle test to see which of those foods shows up. You then avoid those foods for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks a provocative test is done where you eat only one of the offending foods at a time to see if you get a reaction. We then do a treatment to fix the underlying emotional cause of the food allergies. Lastly you eat the offending food again and should have no reaction.
Hormone Imbalances-To check for hormone imbalances first we have you fill out the Metabolic Assessment Form to determine which organs are out balance. This is followed up initially by the Adrenal Stress Index test. This is a saliva test which tell us which stage of exhaustion your adrenal glands are in. This helps us determine which supplements you need to help strengthen your adrenal glands. This is often followed up by male or female hormone saliva tests.
Energy Imbalances-The energy in the body flows in four different major pathways: chakras, armor, acupuncture and polarity energy flows. First I muscle test to see which energy pathways are out of balance. Then I determine which imbalance is causing the chronic health problem. Next, with Applied Kinesiology or muscle testing, I test to see which homeopathic flower essences (Bach Flower Remedies) are needed to help release the energy imbalance. This process moves the energy up and out the body. Lastly I work on the spiritual level, testing for which passage from the Psalms or the Tao Te Ching needs to be read in order to get a spiritual release and complete the healing.

You might ask "When should I opt for drugs or surgery and when should I try chiropractic?"  When it comes to health problems there are always two options drugs and surgery (the allopathic medical model) or chiropractic, massage or nutrition-the holistic natural model. Common sense would tell you to try the least invasive, safest procedure first and the riskiest, more possible side effects option second. 
If you are suffering from chronic health problems please call me for a free consultation at 510-558-0164 or e-mail me at drrettner@sbcglobal.net I would love a chance to relieve your symptoms and help you to achieve a happier, healthier life style. Thank you. http://www.youtube.com/user/drrettner

Author's Bio: 

Dr. Raphael Rettner is a Palmer College of Chiropractic West graduate and has been in practice since 1982. Dr. Rettner is one of the most highly skilled and respected chiropractors in the United States. He has made numerous radio and T.V. appearances, is the author of Vegetarian Cooking for People with Allergies and has produced several DVDs including: End P.M.S Now!, The Ultimate Diet, and Twelve Causes of an Unstable Spine. He has studied both force and non-force techniques such as Advanced Biostructural Correction, Applied Kinesiology, Biophysics, Gonstead, S.O.T. and over a dozen others. With a combination of creative thinking and an insatiable quest for knowledge, Dr. Rettner has developed several new and exciting chiropractic techniques. Since 1994 he has taught these in his Applied Trigger Points seminar to chiropractors all across the United States, Australia, Canada and England.
You can reach Raphael at drrettner@sbcglobal.net