The Chiropractic Profession

Introduction Chiropractic is very important in the United States health care system; it is one of the largest forms of alternative medicine used (Kaptchuk, 2000). Chiropractic has been in the United States since the 1890s. It was founded by Daniel David Palmer and his son, Bartlett Joshua Palmer, helped to expand it. Chiropractic focuses on the treatment of the musculoskeletal system. It focuses on spinal manipulation to help with certain illnesses. The most common things it is used to help are back pain, headaches, and neck pain. Chiropractors usually go to approximately 8 years of school and are regulated and licensed in the United States in the same way as medical physicians. For much of its time, chiropractic has been looked down upon compared to mainstream health care. Many people argue about whether chiropractic should be used over conventional medicine.
History
Chiropractic can be traced all the way back to 2700 B.C. in China and Greece. Writings from these countries mention using spinal manipulation to help with back pain. A Greek physician even published texts about chiropractic. In one of the texts published he said, “Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases.” (American Chiropractic Association, 2008).
In the United States, chiropractic was believed to be started in 1895 by Daniel David Palmer in downtown Davenport, Iowa. Palmer was well educated in the medical field and knew many of the new developments regarding physiology and anatomy. David Palmer began the Palmer School of Chiropractic in 1897. His son Bartlett Joshua Palmer, who was also a student at the Palmer School of Chiropractic, took over the school in 1906. At this time, many chiropractors were being prosecuted for practicing without a license. This is when it was decided, with the help of Bartlett Joshua Palmer, that chiropractic and medicine were separate (American Chiropractic Association, 2008).
Daniel David Palmer and Bartlett

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