Definition of Chiropractor
Chiropractor: Someone who practices chiropractic. Chiropractic
defined as a system of
diagnosis and treatment that is based upon the concept that the
nervous system coordinates all of the body's functions and holds that
disease results from a lack of normal nerve function and employs
manipulation and specific adjustment of body structures such as the
spinal column so that pressure on nerves coming from the spinal cord
due to displacement (subluxation) of a vertebral body may, it is
believed, cause problems not only in the back but some distance from
it as in the leg. Chiropractors therefore work to manipulate the
spine with their hands to realign the vertebrae and relieve the
pressure on the nerves. Chiropractic treatment is believed
effective for muscle spasms of the back and neck, tension headaches,
and some sorts of leg pain.
Modern chiropractic was founded by Daniel
David Palmer, a grocer, who performed his first chiropractic
adjustment in 1895. The term "chiropractic" derived from the Greek
"chir-" referring to the hand + "prassein", to do = to do with the
hands (to manipulate) dates to 1898, the year Palmer founded the
Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa.
Not all
chiropractors are alike in their practice. The International
Chiropractors Association believes that patients should be treated by
spinal manipulation alone while the American Chiropractors
Association advocate a multidisciplinary approach that combines
spinal adjustment with other modalities such as physical therapy,
psychological counseling, and dietary measures. For some years the
American Medical Association (AMA) opposed chiropractic because of
what it termed a "rigid adherence to an irrational, unscientific
approach to disease." However, Congress amended the Medicare Act in
1972 to include benefits for chiropractic services and in 1978 the
AMA modified its position on chiropractic. To become a doctor of
chiropractic (D.C.) requires minimally 2 years of college and 4 years
in a school of chiropractic.
Last Editorial Review: 3/26/1998 2:24:00 PM
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