Chiropractic – A brief history
Chiropractic started in the late 1800s, and it has come a long way since then. As a profession, it began in 1895 when its founder, Daniel David Palmer, “adjusted” the spine of a deaf janitor and claimed to restore his hearing. Although spinal manipulation was not a known treatment back then, and Palmer never claimed to be the first to use manipulation for the cure of disease. However, he believed that the human body had an ample supply of natural healing power transmitted through the nervous system.
Spinal Manipulation – history
Interestingly, depictions and writings of spinal manipulative therapy can be traced back to many ancient cultures. For example, around 400 B.C., Hippocrates, the father of Greek medicine, used manual treatments to treat spinal conditions. There are also temples dating back over 2000 years which contain depictions of lumbar spine manipulation. More recent history of spinal manipulation was commonly associated with “bone-setters,” in Europe in the 16th century. Today, Spinal Manipulation / Chiropractic Adjustment has been studied and researched, showing various health benefits, not limiting to addressing musculoskeletal health complaints but also help to improve balance, positively affect neurological pathways, and more.
Growing as a profession – Chiropractic
Despite being frequently criticized as non evidenced-based practice, chiropractic continues to flourish becoming one of biggest natural healthcare industry bringing benefits to millions of people worldwide. Chiropractic is a licensed health care profession which mandate practicing chiropractors to earn a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree, pass Chiropractic board exam in order to obtain a license. In Singapore, many licensed Chiropractors earned their qualification in countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United States, UK, Japan, and more. To earn a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree, it takes on average 5 – 6 years of tertiary studies, depends on different requirements of the country.
Subluxation / mis-alignment
Today, chiropractors help to manage many musculoskeletal problems by mobilizing a fixated spinal joint complex, commonly named Bio-Mechanical Joint Dysfunction (BMJD) in medical term. This fixation is termed “subluxation” in Chiropractic profession, which stemmed from the old concept of “Bone out of place” by Palmer. While it definitely does not sound intelligent in 21st century; however, with the help of medical technology in the 21st century, spinal radiography imaging has helped to quantify the measurable distance of spinal misalignment. Ask an orthopedic specialists, he or she would know the normal degrees of curve in which a healthy spine should have, and a Neuro surgeon would appreciate an abnormal spinal alignment could cause spinal cord tension, interfering nerve functions. Just like your blood pressure, heart rate, glucose level, your spine functions best when it falls within the normal physiological range.
Introducing Chiropractic BioPhysics
From the concept of “Bone out of place” initiated by the founder to being able to quantitatively evaluate spinal mis-alignment, Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) continues to conduct and publish scientific research data, helping clinicians to better manage different spinal conditions. More importantly, provide an opportunity for those who are in need to rehabilitate abnormal spinal curvature, to allow proper joint mobility, slow down the wear and tear process, and potentially better nerve functions. To date, thousands of CBP-trained chiropractors across the world have helped many individuals to live a better quality of life through the spinal structural rehabilitation.
