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.
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 adjusment 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."