BACKGROUND

What is chiropractic and who founded it?

The term “chiropractic” literally means “done by hand.” The word was adopted by chiropractic’s founder, Daniel D. Palmer, a layman with an intense personal interest in the metaphysical health philosophies of his day such as magnetic healing, phrenology, and spiritualism. Palmer believed that he had discovered the primary cause of disease and theorized that 95 percent of all disease was caused by spinal subluxation and the others by luxated bones elsewhere in the body. Palmer was not employing the term “subluxation” in its medical sense, but with a new metaphysical meaning.

Palmer’s “subluxations” supposedly interfered with the body’s expression of the Universal Intelligence (God) which Palmer dubbed the Innate Intelligence (spark of life or spirit). Thus, D.D. Palmer invented chiropractic, named it, and established a guild of practitioners to further its development. For this reason chiropractic fits the dictionary definition of a cult (i.e. a system for the cure of disease based upon dogma sent forth by its promulgator) Webster’s New Seventh Collegiate Dictionary).

Hazardous Practices

Chiropractic’s lack of science has led it to violate the basic Hippocratic principle of “first of all, do no harm.” The conviction held by chiropractic true-believers that every spine will benefit from an adjustment causes them to manipulate spines inappropriately. Among the concerns about chiropractic manipulation is the widespread use of the explosive “dynamic thrust” which takes the patient by surprise, as opposed to more conservative techniques. This maneuver has a greater potential for inflicting injury.

The practice of greatest concern is the rotary neck movement (sometimes called “Vaster cervical” or “rotary break”). This type of neck manipulation has led to trauma, paralysis, strokes and death among patients. Even chiropractic’s legal advisors have warned against its use.

Source: The National Council Against Health Fraud Inc., a private nonprofit, voluntary health agency that focuses upon health misinformation, fraud and quackery as public health problems. www.ncahf.org/pp/chirop.html

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