Chiropractic: From Farce To Fact

Shortly before dying in 1913, D. D. Palmer wrote in a book about the spiritual duties of a chiropractor:

"By correcting these displacements of osseous tissue, the tension frame of the nervous system, I claim that I am rendering obedience, adoration and honor to the All-Wise Spiritual Intelligence, as well as a service to the segmented, individual portions thereof — a duty I owe to both God and mankind. In accordance with this aim and end, the Constitution of the United States and the statutes personal of California confer upon me and all persons of chiropractic faith the inalienable right to practice our religion without restraint or interference." 

Palmer himself, however, did not live to old age. Palmer either was run over by his son's car, or stepped in front of his son's car accidentally, or died of typhoid fever at the age of 68.

Is There Anything Legitimate About Chiropractic?

Over one hundred years after the self-aggrandizing claims of its founder, chiropractic is now practiced by sober, licensed, generally accepted practitioners who get real results in treating a limited number of real conditions.

A study published in the mainstream medical journal Annals of Internal Medicine in 2012 reported that for back and neck pain, chiropractic treatment and exercise are superior to prescription drugs. However, this study found that doing exercises at home was also more beneficial than doctor-prescribed medication.

There have also been studies that found that:

• Adding chiropractic to a treatment program increases relief from knee pain.
• Chiropractic is a useful part of treatment for whiplash.
• Chiropractic effectively treats short-term, acute pain in sciatica.
• Chiropractic is useful in treating short-term and long-term pain from tennis elbow ( lateral epicondylosis), and
• Chiropractic may be useful in treating rotator cuff and shoulder pain.

There is no evidence, however, that chiropractic methods can treat cancer, diabetes, hypertension, cluster headaches, hormonal imbalances, or neurological conditions. Chiropractors may be able to address medical issues affecting those conditions. In some states, chiropractors can even receive additional training that allows them to be certified to supervise natural childbirth and to do minor surgery.

However, if your chiropractor claims, as many have been taught, that Universal Intelligence has dictated that body physiology is maintained by spinal alignment, realize that you are seeing a practitioner whose stock in trade does not have a testable, scientific basis. That doesn't mean that the treatments will have no effect. You can feel subjectively better after receiving a treatment that has no scientific basis.

See Also: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Improves Learning Abilities in Pilots

Most chiropractors recognize the limits of their abilities and do an outstanding job of treating problems within their field. If your chiropractor is trying to sell you nutritional supplements or bioidentifcal hormones or herbal medicines, however, ask about the evidence that the treatments work and make sure that your chiropractor and your other doctors can work together for your best results.