September 18th is Chiropractic Founder’s Day! It’s pretty much like Christmas for us chiropractors. Well, ok, that is a huge exaggeration. But it is the day that we recognize as the first chiropractic adjustment and celebrate DD Palmer’s birthday.
The first chiropractic adjustment was in 1895. That often surprises people to hear that chiropractic has been a form of treatment for almost 125 years.
Initially chiropractors practiced with no license since the state and national boards didn’t know what to do with chiropractors. Unfortunately, these chiropractors suffered a lot of persecution for practicing medicine without a license. They were jailed and fined. Over the past century the profession has done a tremendous amount of research and clinical trials to validate chiropractic care as a form of health care.
In today’s world chiropractors pass National Board exams that are five sections from anatomy, physiology, cell biology, chemistry, pathology, radiology, clinical procedures, diagnosis, and adjusting techniques to name a few of the topics. All chiropractors have a state license, a Bachelor’s degree, have to complete continuing education every year and practice with ethics and standards just the same as your family doctor.
My sister is a neonatologist and we compared our educations in doctorate programs. We had the same core of classes the first two years. Then we deviated as she moved toward learning medicines/drugs and surgical type procedures. We moved toward learning adjusting techniques in chiropractic school.
Chiropractic is a mainstream, safe, effective, gentle and drug free treatment for pain.