Chiropractic is a health care therapy based on natural and holistic treatments and is founded on a philosophy that is conservative and naturalistic. It is drug-free and non-surgical and the core of the Chiropractic philosophy is that disease is a result of a lack lf normal nerve function. As such, Chiropractic employs manipulation and specific adjusment of body structures to treat diseas. Acknowledging the interrelationships of the body systems, Chiropractic therapy includes structural, spinal, musculoskeletal, neurological, vascular, nutritional, emotional and environmental components; and as a holistic discipline, Chiropractic promotes nutritional programs, exercise routines and lifestyle modifications as a component of optimal physical and mental well-being. Chiropractors strive to prevent disease by creating an environment in which the body is in optimum condition.
As on of the oldest forms of health care, Chiropractic practices date back thousands of years. Hippocrates, the famed Greek physician acknowledged the importance of the spine when he told his students, “In the first place, the structure of the spine known, for this knowledge is requisite in many diesases”. More recently, in 1895, Daniel David Palmer founded modern Chiropractic after he witnessed the benefits of manipulation in two patients: a deaf man and a patient with heart trouble. Both patients greatly improved following his Chiropractic manipulations. Since founded by Palmer, Chiropractic has become a leading and respected health care discipline. Chiropractic is safe, effective and affordable.
Doctors of Chiropractic are highly educated and intensively trained. After completing four to five years of training at an accredited college, Chiropractors are required to pass rigorous examinations: a national board exam and an exam specific to the state in which they wish to practice. Doctors of Chiropractic are trained in diagnostics and therapeutics, and while they often treat neuromusculoskeletal conditions like back pain, Chiropractors also diagnose and treat non-musculoskeletal conditions.
While Chiropractors do not use drugs or surgery in their treatments, they do collaborate with other health care practitioners when necessary. Chiropractors may consult with medical doctors, physical therapists or other professionals from a variety of disciplines to ensure comprehensive care for their patients.