The history of chiropractic philosophy can be traced back to the beginning of time. Chinese and Greek texts mention spinal manipulation as a treatment for lower back pain, and general ailments of the physical body. As Hippocrates stated in ancient Greek medical texts, “Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases.”
In the Western world, chiropractic medicine was formally introduced by Daniel David Palmer, who hypothesized that manual manipulation of the spine could cure disease, and began to administer the first chiropractic treatments to patients as a means to cure conditions of pain and ailments of the physical body.
Chiropractic medicine originally competed with its’ predecessor, osteopathy, another medical system based on magnetic healing and bonesetting. Both systems postulated that manipulation of the musculoskeletal system had the ability to improve general health and well-being.
Chiropractic treatment is the largest, most regulated, and most widely recognized form of complementary and alternative medicine in practice today. The popularity of chiropractic treatment is at an all-time high, as is the number of licenses practitioners.
Today, there are over 77,000 Doctors of Chiropractic in the U.S. alone, and it is estimated that over 27 million Americans will seek chiropractic care this year!