History and Development of Chiropractic
Chiropractic, though a relatively modern profession, is not a new health care practice. For over 2,000 years, healers have adjusted the skeleton, including the spine, to stop pain and improve health.
Adjustments in Ancient History
Healers in ancient times understood the relationship between health and the spine, long before Dr. Palmer, discoverer of chiropractic, began his experiments. In Greece, the healer and philosopher Herodotus was said to have cured disease by manipulating the spine, both with his hands and with exercise. Aristotle was critical of this practice because it "made old men young and thus prolonged their lives too greatly."
In China, Japan and India, "bone-setting" was practiced by healers. A bone-setter is one who manipulates the skeleton, including the spine, both adjusting the structure for health and also reducing dislocations and fractures. To a bone-setter, the skeleton is the rock upon which the body is built, and it must be aligned and balanced to support good health.
Today, Bhagna (bone-setting) remains part of Ayurvedic medicine. In Japan it is called Sekkotsu, and in China it is Dit Da (Ti Ta). These ancient traditional practices are still used in hospitals and other health care settings in the East.
D.D. Palmer and the Growth of Chiropractic in America
Chiropractic, as a professional system of health care, began in 1895. It was discovered by Daniel David Palmer, a Canadian by birth who established a "magnetic healing" clinic in Davenport, Iowa in 1887. In the course of seeing many patients, D.D. Palmer discovered the basics of chiropractic almost by accident, during the diagnosis of a deaf janitor. The janitor, Harvey Lillard, had become deaf after feeling a "crack" in his back. On examination, Palmer found a vertebra that felt out of alignment. Using his hands and the lever principle to push against the spinous process, he manipulated the vertebrae back into place. The man's hearing reportedly returned immediately.
At the time, Palmer called his method "hand treatments," later renaming it chiropractic from the Greek chiro (hand) and practic (practice or treatment).
Palmer enjoyed great success in his practice, and drew patients from across the country to his clinic. He also came to the attention of the orthodox medical community and the press, who labeled him a "charlatan." He was eventually convicted of practicing medicine without a license and in 1905 he was sentenced to 105 days in jail.
Upon his release, he wrote two books about his health care system: "The Science of Chiropractic" and "The Chiropractors Adjuster."
D.D. Palmer died in California in 1913. His son, Bartlett Joshua Palmer, a graduate of the school D.D. Palmer established in 1898, continued his father's work. He expanded the Palmer school substantially, and played an important role in the establishment of chiropractic as a licensed profession.
Critics and Battles
Chiropractic has a long history of conflict with the U.S. medical establishment. Beginning in the early 1900's with accusations of fraud and charges of practicing medicine without a license, the struggle reached its height in the 1960's and 1970's.
In 1962 the Iowa Medical Society published a list of recommendations to counter "The Chiropractic Menace." These recommendations were adopted by the American medical Association (AMA) in 1963, labeling the profession of chiropractic "an unscientific cult."
After decades of struggle to maintain the legal right to treat patients, in 1976 four chiropractors filed suit in U.S. District Court against the AMA and other co-conspirators for violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Following several years of litigation, and two trials, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Getzendanner ruled that the AMA had engaged in a "lengthy, systematic, successful and unlawful boycott" designed to eliminate the profession of chiropractic as a competitor.
Following this legal victory, chiropractic has continued to expand as a professional health care system. Inclusion in federal health programs, state health programs and insurance plans quickly followed, establishing chiropractic as we know it today.
Chiropractors vs. Osteopaths
In 1864, Andrew Taylor Still, a Kansas medical doctor, established a new health care system called osteopathy. Like chiropractic, osteopathy is based on the concept that manipulation of the spine may improve health by triggering the body's own healing powers. Osteopathy and chiropractic have many similarities, but differ in approach and in some methods. Osteopathy focuses on improving constricted blood flow through manipulation; chiropractic focuses on constricted nerves. Osteopaths use longer movements and stretching; chiropractic uses short, forceful movements based on the lever principle. Chiropractic remained clearly rooted in spinal manipulation, developing a wide range of techniques; osteopaths adopted many other techniques, reducing the role of spinal manipulation.
Over time, osteopaths began to incorporate more ideas and methods from physicians. During the 1960's, while chiropractic battled the medical establishment in court, osteopathy was assimilated. It began in California, where osteopaths had the opportunity, for $65 and a weekend seminar, to trade their Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) degrees for Medical Doctor (M.D.) degrees. Not surprisingly, 85% of California osteopaths accepted the offer. Other states took different approaches to the assimilation of osteopathy, and today osteopaths are licensed in all 50 states to do almost anything an M.D. can do.
Education and Licensing
Chiropractic colleges in the United States require a minimum of four academic years of professional residential study, including supervised clinical experience. The Council on Chiropractic Education accredits chiropractic programs and institutions.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia regulate the practice of chiropractic; some have their own state board examinations. Most state chiropractic boards also require all or part of the board examination administered by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Like many licensed professionals, chiropractors may only practice in states where they are licensed.
Beyond the United States, chiropractors can be found in over 100 countries, including Canada, Mexico, England, France, Germany, and Australia.