Chiropractic
history began in the mid-west town of Davenport, Iowa on on September
18, 1895. On that day, a
magnetic healer, named Daniel David Palmer, discovered
chiropractic while treating
one
of his patients, a janitor, who worked in his building, named
Harvey Lillard. Mr. Lillard had a hearing loss problem. One
day, Dr. Palmer noticed a bump on Mr. Lillard's back, near the
base of his neck. Mr. Lillard explained
the bump occurred several years ago, after working in a strained
position. Mr. Lillard recalled suddenly hearing a
loud popping sound in his back and shortly after his back was strained
is when his hearing loss began.
Dr.
Palmer successfully manipulated the misaligned vertebra, which reduced
the bump on Mr. Lillard's neck. The adjustment also brought about
a restoration of Mr. Lillard's hearing. Dr. Palmer began to
notice similar correlations in other patients. He discovered that
relieving the pressure on pinched nerves, that exit the spine between
misaligned vertebra, often resulted in the improvement or eradication
of the patient's complaint. Dr. Palmer
continued his practice and studies and developed a system of
spinal
manipulation he called Chiropractic, from the Greek word,
"Chiropraktikos" meaning, "To Perform With The Hands.”
In 1897 Dr. Palmer opened the Palmer School of Chiropractic and in the years that followed he also opened chiropractic schools in Oklahoma, Oregon, and California. The Palmer school was later sold to Dr. Palmer's son, B. J. Palmer, who further developed the school into what eventually became known as The Palmer College of Chiropractic, regarded amongst the Chiropractic profession as the Fountainhead of Chiropractic.
Chiropractors
take an alternative approach to medicine by helping our bodies heal
themselves. Chiropractic is based on the premise that we all have an
innate intelligence that keeps our bodies in balance, heals wounds,
and fights infections.
Chiropractors
believe healing is a natural process and provided this process is not
interfered with, our bodies will be able to heal without the need for
drugs or surgeries.
Chiropractic enjoys a diverse applications of this natural healing philosophy. Some doctors of Chiropractic concentrate on only aligning aligning the first two vertebrae, called the atlas and the axis, which they believe will allow the brain to better transmit messages throughout the body. Others take a "full spine" approach and believe a vertebral misalignment anywhere in the spine needs to be reduced.
Some Chiropractors will utilize adjunctive therapies, like physical therapy, massage therapy, exercise, etc. to help the body hold an adjustment better and to aid the healing process.
What all
chiropractic approaches share in common is a belief that
disease comes from an inability our innate intelligence to heal our
bodies. This interference is believed to come directly from pressure on
the nervous
system and is caused by a misalignment of the vertebrae
surrounding the nerve. By aligning the
vertebra, Chiropractors remove the nerve interference, which
enables the natural healing process.
Chiropractors
are best known for a high success rate in the treatment of
back pain, but did you know many other
conditions can be successfully treated with chiropractic?
Chiropractors a licensed as primary health care provides, which means a Doctor of Chiropractic is licensed to diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries without the need for medical referral.
The Chiropractic Profession has many post-graduate degree programs, making it possible for Chiropractors to specialize in fields like orthopedics, pediatrics, nutrition, exercise physiology, kinisiology, advanced radiology and sports medicine.
Chiropractors must take several health and science courses to enter leading towards a degree in the field of chiropractic. While in college, Chiropractic students complete the same pre-med requirements as MD's.
Chiropractic students complete over 4000 hours of Chiropractic college, which slightly more time than MD's spend in Medical School.
Chiropractors
also take extra
courses in x-ray diagnosis and complete the typical health courses in
physical examination and diagnosis with extra course study in x-ray
diagnosis.
While in college, each chiropractic
student is required to pass a National Board exam. Upon graduation, the
chiropractic student must also pass a state board examination to obtain
a license to practice Chiropractic.
... through
the Grapevine
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