chiropractic facts

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."

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.

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."

did you know

Chiropractic is the largest, most regulated, and best recognized of the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) professions.

It is the third largest doctoral-level health care profession after medicine and dentistry.
(Meeker, Haldeman; 2002; Annals of Internal Medicine)

Doctors of Chiropractic provide care in hospitals and other multidisciplinary health care facilities. A few notable examples of chiropractic integration into today’s health care system include the chiropractic department at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and the care provided to veterans, active-duty military personnel, and Medicare patients.

  • Chiropractic was founded in 1895
  • There are approximately 85,000 chiropractors around the world. Approximately 65,000 practice in the United States.
  • Health insurance coverage is provided in policies of most major health plans, workers compensation plans, and auto insurance policies.
  • Doctors of chiropractic have been known to provide exceptional treatment for many spinal related conditions. Some of these conditions include neck pain, back pain, and headaches to name a few. Many doctors of chiropractic have taken additional training and have become certified in the treatment of sports injuries, as well as the care of auto injuries, and extremities (shoulders, hips, knees, etc.)
  • The main philosophy of chiropractic is to utilize a treatment method that seeks to help the patient restore normal physiological function. This, in turn, helps the patient improve his or her health and decrease or eliminate symptoms. Also, advice can be given regarding proper nutrition and exercise as it relates to the total picture of one's health.
  • Over the last 100 years, chiropractic has enjoyed increasingly higher acceptance by the public. This has occurred because of a number of reasons. There have been more and more research studies that have proven that chiropractic is the most helpful and cost-effective treatment for a variety of conditions. And, more importantly, patients have seen for themselves that chiropractic, in many cases, simply helps for many conditions. Many patients like the fact that they have an alternative to the use of drugs and surgery.

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