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Chiropractic
Quick Facts
 Chiropractic
is the fastest-growing and second-largest primary health care
profession.
There are approximately 60,000 doctors of chiropractic
(DCs) in active practice in the United States spread from rural
areas to inner cities. More than 10,000 students are currently
enrolled in chiropractic educational programs accredited by a
federally-recognized body (CCE).
Chiropractic services are in high demand.
Tens of millions of Americans routinely opt for
chiropractic services and this number is rapidly growing. In 1993,
more than 30 million consumers made chiropractic a regular part of
their health care program.
Doctors of
Chiropractic receive extensive, demanding professional education
on par with medical doctors (MDs) and osteopaths (DOs).
To receive the doctor of chiropractic degree, candidates must
complete extensive undergraduate prerequisites and four years of
graduate-level instruction and internship at an accredited
chiropractic institution. Comprehensive knowledge of all systems
of the body and diagnostic procedures enable the DC to thoroughly
evaluate a patient, address disorders relating to the spine and
determine the need for referral to another health care provider.
Doctors of
Chiropractic are primary health care providers.
According to the Center for Studies in Health Policy, "The DC can
provide all three levels of primary care interventions and
therefore is a primary care provider, as are MDs and DOs. The
doctor of chiropractic is a gatekeeper to the health care system
and an independent practitioner who provides primary care
services. The DC's office is a direct access portal of entry to
the full scope of service."
Doctors of
Chiropractic are licensed in all 50 states in the US.
DCs have been licensed and recognized for many decades in all
states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Chiropractic is recognized by governmental health care programs.
Chiropractic is included in Medicare, Medicaid, Federal Employees
Health Care Benefits Programs, Federal Workers' Compensation and
all state workers' compensation programs. Chiropractic students
are qualified to receive federal student loan assistance and DCs
are authorized to be commissioned as health care officers in the
U.S. Armed Forces.
The
practice of chiropractic is based on sound scientific principles.
The existence of the nervous system as the primary control
mechanism of the body is an undisputed scientific fact. Its
relationship with the spine is the focus of the practice of
chiropractic. The spine develops in utero to provide two primary
functions: (1) allow for freedom of movement and (2) house and
protect the spinal cord. When the vertebrae of the spine become
misaligned through trauma or repetitive injury, two major
consequences will result: (1) the range of motion becomes limited
and (2) spinal nerves emerging from the spinal cord are
compromised. DCs use the term "subluxation" to describe such
disruptions. Interruption of nerve flow can eventually lead to
pain, disability, and an overall decrease in the quality of life.
Conversely, the removal of that interference has been shown to
have significant, lasting health benefits. Through the adjustment
of the subluxation, the doctor of chiropractic endeavors to
restore normal nerve expression. The body is then able to respond
appropriately to any imbalance in the system, thus relieving
symptoms and restoring health.
Doctors of
chiropractic provide effective, low-cost health care for a wide
range of conditions.
Studies conducted according to the highest scientific standards
and published by organizations not affiliated in any way with
chiropractic institutions or associations continue to show the
clinical appropriateness and effectiveness of chiropractic care.
One of the most recent, funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health,
stated emphatically that:
"On the evidence, particularly the
most scientifically valid clinical studies, spinal manipulation
applied by chiropractors is shown to be more effective than
alternative treatments for low back pain...There would be highly
significant cost savings if more management of low back pain was
transferred from physician to chiropractors."
The doctor
of chiropractic is an effective source of preventative and
wellness care.
The anatomical focus of the DC on the human spine has created the
perception of the DC as just a "back doctor." Although this
perception is not entirely incorrect, it is very much incomplete.
Doctors of chiropractic are a highly appropriate resource in
matters of work-place safety, stress management, injury
prevention, postural correction and nutritional counseling."
The process
of chiropractic adjustment is a safe, efficient procedure which is
performed nearly one million times every working day in the United
States.
There is a singular lack of actuarial data that would justify
concluding that chiropractic care is in any way harmful or
dangerous. Chiropractic care is non-invasive, therefore, the
body's response to chiropractic care is far more predictable than
its reactions to drug treatments or surgical procedures. Of the
nearly one million adjustments given every day in this country,
complications are exceedingly rare. Perhaps the best summary
statement on the subject of safety was published in 1979 by the
Government of New Zealand which established a special commission
to study chiropractic. They found:
"The conspicuous lack of evidence
that chiropractors cause harm or allow harm to occur through
neglect of medical referral can be taken to mean only one thing:
that chiropractors have on the whole an impressive safety record."
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