The History of Chiropractic Care

The roots of chiropractic care can be traced all the way back to the beginning of recorded time. Writings from China and Greece written in 2700 B.C. and 1500 B.C. mention spinal manipulation and the maneuvering of the lower extremities to ease low back pain. Hippocrates, the Greek physician, who lived from 460 to 357 B.C., also published texts detailing the importance of spinal care.

The first recorded chiropractic adjustment was performed on September 18,1895, by Dr. Daniel David Palmer, a Canadian-born teacher and healer. D.D. Palmer was born in 1845 on the Ontario frontier. At age 11, a business failure forced his family to move to the U.S. He and his younger brother stayed behind and worked in a factory until 1865. Then they rejoined their family. By the 1880s, Palmer's thirst for knowledge led him to learn magnetic healing. This therapy used the body's magnetism to heal others. Palmer opened his first magnetic healing practice in Burlington, Iowa. A year later, in 1887, Palmer moved to Davenport, Iowa, where he started another practice.

Dr. Palmer was studying the cause and effect of disease. In Palmer's building, was a janitorial service, owned by Harvey Lillard, who had been deaf for 17 years. Palmer asked how he had become deaf. Lillard replied that one day, when he had strained his back, he heard something "pop" in his back. For over 17 years Mr. Lillard complained of hearing problems

.Palmer examined Lillard's back and found a spinal vertebrae out of position. Reasoning this to be the cause of Lillard's deafness, Palmer pushed the vertebrae back into place. To everyones delight, Lillard's hearing improved. Palmer theorized that decreased nerve flow may be the cause of disease, and that misplaced spinal vertebrae may cause pressure on the nerves. He reasoned, if the spinal column were correctly positioned, the body would be healthy.

This dramatic beginning caused a great deal of excitement, and soon exaggerated claims surfaced from activists and zealots. At first Dr. Palmer thought that he had discovered a cure for deafness. Because chiropractic challenged the traditional medical concept of health, a campaign was begun to discredit and eliminate the profession. This campaign is less active today.

One of Dr. Palmer's patients, a minister, took the Greek words for "hand" (cheiros) and "done by" (pracktos) and put them together to spell chiropractic, meaning "done by the hand."

Palmer decided to open a chiropractic school in 1897. By 1902, 15 people had graduated from the Palmer Infirmary and Chiropractic Institute, which was renamed the Palmer School of Chiropractic (PSC) in 1907. One of these graduates was Palmer's son, Bartlett Joshua (B.J.) Palmer, DC, who would become as memorable a figure in chiropractic history as his father.

Daniel David Palmer began some travels to the West Coast, and little by little, his son, Bartlett, took over running the daily activities of the school. Chiropractors, just as early medical doctors, were not licensed by the government. Chiropractors simply opened a practice after graduating from chiropractic schools. By that time, however, medical doctors were required to have licenses. This discrepancy caused continual problems for chiropractors throughout the first half of the 20th century. In 1906, when Daniel Palmer returned to Davenport, he and hundreds of other chiropractors were convicted of practicing medicine without a license. He was released after serving 23 days of a 105-day sentence, and paying a $350 fine. A year later, one of Palmer's former students, Shegataro Morikubo, DC, was arrested in Wisconsin for practicing medicine, surgery and osteopathy without a license. In a landmark decision, the judge and jury agreed that Morikubo was not practicing medicine, surgery and osteopathy. Rather, he was practicing something different - chiropractic.

In 1910, B.J. Palmer introduced the use of X-rays. In 1924, he introduced the Neurocalometer to reveal more scientifically the location of out-of-position spinal bones. Through the end of World War II, chiropractic became controversial under B.J. Palmer, the son of the profession's founder. He administrated the largest chiropractic college at that time, owned radio and TV stations, traveled extensively, and even hosted three U.S. Presidents - Coolidge, Hoover and Truman - at his home.

In 1924, B.J. had the first radio station west of the Mississippi , WOC (or, Wonders Of Chiropractic). In 1928 he purchased WHO (With Hands Only) in Des Moines. However history will judge B.J. Palmer, it can be certain that without B.J. Palmer, chiropractic would not have survived the early ruthless attempts to discredit its healing ability.

Starting in 1944, World War II veterans could get government benefits. Using the G.I. Bill, returning soldiers enrolled in chiropractic colleges by the thousands.

Chiropractic is now second only to medicine as the largest primary health care provider in the western world.

Since Dr. Palmer's first primitive chiropractic adjustment, the art and science of chiropractic has progressed significantly. Acceptance among other health care professionals has resulted from advanced diagnostic procedures, scientific research,and sophisticated equipment.

Doctors of chiropractic have become pioneers in the field of non-invasive care promoting science-based approaches to a variety of ailments. A continuing dedication to chiropractic research could lead to even more discoveries in preventing and combating maladies in future years.

What is the difference between physicians and chiropractors?

They are different professions within the health care spectrum. Both chiropractors and physicians are legally entitled to use the title "doctor". As the appellation MD means "Doctor of Medicine", so DC means "Doctor of Chiropractic". The role of chiropractic is complementary to other areas of primary health care. Chiropractic is not, for example, a replacement for medical care, but may offer an alternative to medication and surgery in appropriate circumstances. Recognition by health science that many illnesses of our modern society are lifestyle based has shown us that we, as individuals, can influence our own health and well being. Many people, therefore, welcome chiropractic's emphasis on healthy lifestyle, as well as its help in improving the body's functions and ability to fight off disease.

Does chiropractic treatment require a referral from an MD?

No. A patient does not have to be referred. Chiropractors are legislated as primary contact health care professionals in every state in USA. This means that patients can consult them directly. However, chiropractors often work closely with MDs. The majority of MDs refer their patients to chiropractors when they believe chiropractic treatment will help alleviate a patient`s condition. Similarly, chiropractors frequently refer to medical doctors when necessary.

Do chiropractors take a medical history?

Like MD’s, the DC will take a detailed health history during the first visit, prior to initial treatment. This will include details on lifestyle and risk factors to give the chiropractor a full picture of the patient’s health in order to determine the best treatment. As well, a detailed health history is important to rule out any contraindications and fully investigate risk factors before a diagnosis and treatment recommendation can be reached.

Does chiropractic treatment require x-rays?

Guidelines have been developed by the chiropractic profession with regard to the use of X-rays as a diagnostic tool. X-rays provide vital information to help determine a diagnosis but they are not required in every case. X-rays can play an important role in diagnosis but are only taken when a need has been determined by a careful case history and physical examination. Chiropractors receive 360 hours of education in radiology covering a full range of topics from protection to X-ray interpretation and diagnosis. Governments in every state have recognized the training and competence of chiropractors to perform X-rays and have granted them this right.

Is chiropractic evidence-based?

Chiropractic is a healing discipline firmly grounded in science. Few other health care interventions have been assessed as extensively as chiropractic manipulation, both in terms of safety and effectiveness. There have been at least six formal government inquiries into chiropractic worldwide over the last 25 years and all have concluded that contemporary chiropractic care is safe, effective, cost-effective and have recommended public funding for chiropractic services. In addition, there have been countless scientific clinical studies assessing the appropriateness, effectiveness, and/or cost-effectiveness of spinal manipulation or chiropractic manipulation, most notably for low back pain.