Chiropractic care is based upon the understanding that complete wellness depends upon a properly functioning nervous system, especially within the spine and spinal nerves. These nerves form a vastly complicated network that influences every living tissue in the body.
Dr. David Daniel Palmer performed the first recorded chiropractic adjustment in 1895. One of his patients, a minister, is credited with creating the name “Chiropractic” for the art and science of manipulation. He took the words for “hand” (cheros) and “done by” (praktos) and put them together to create Chiropractic, meaning “done by hand”.
With about 63 percent of the population seeking treatment for complimentary alternative medicine (CAM), chiropractic care is the largest alternative health care profession in North America. In fact, 76 percent of healthcare workers utilize CAM. According to a study at Dartmouth, the total number of adults in the United States who visited a chiropractor increased 57 percent from 7.7 million in 2000 to 12.1 million in 2003. It is currently the 3rd largest doctored profession in the United States, Canada, and Australia only behind medicine and dentistry. The tremendous growth in utilization in chiropractic care has continued to grow through advancements in health care policy, modern treatment equipment, peer-reviewed scientific research, and acceptance amongst various health care professionals.