Chiropractic History

In America, D.D. Palmer was the first to officially explore chiropractic methods. Through a profound and simple observation he noticed two people who were sitting next to each other, one sick and the other healthy. He asked himself,”Why isn’t the first guy sick also? What is the real cause of disease?”

Palmer theorized that decreased nerve flow might be the cause of disease, and that misplaced spinal vertebrae might cause pressure on the nerves. Thus, he reasoned, if the spinal column were correctly positioned, the body would be healthy. He then studied a lot of Eastern philosophy and TCM(Traditional Chinese Medicine) concepts to look at the body holistically instead of mechanically. As a result, in 1895, he initiated chiropractic methods in Iowa. Shortly after his discovery, he started his own school.

The concept that the body can be its own doctor shook the medical community. Because of that Chiropractors were repeatedly thrown in jail and had to defend their beliefs.

D.D. Palmer’s student and son, B.J. Palmer, assumed control of the Palmer School in 1906, and promoted professionalism and formal training in chiropractic, expanding enrolment to a peak of above 1,000 students in the early 1920s.

The whole battle of man versus medicine finally ended in the 1950s and Chiropractors were given the right to practice. Today Chiropractic is the preferred method of treatment for all sorts of musculo-skeletal and neurological conditions in north America.

Chiropractic has become a unique profession because there is a science, philosophy and art. The art is in the hands and skill of an individual, the talks about how powerful the body is, and the science explains us the natural mechanism of healing inside the body. All of them equally important and should never be forgotten by any Chiropractor. The Chiropractors job is to make your body the doctor. This method is meant to empower individuals.