Chiropractors are well educated.
Today’s chiropractic education has an emphasis on science.
The fact is, educational requirements for today’s chiropractor are among the most stringent of any of the health care professions.
Today’s chiropractor receives a broad and inclusive education. In fact, it’s quite comparable to that received by medical practitioners.
Before acceptance to a five-year chiropractic college, prospective chiropractors must complete a minimum of three years of undergraduate work with a heavy emphasis on the basic sciences.
This focus on science continues during the first two years of study, emphasizing classroom and laboratory work in anatomy, physiology, public health, microbiology, pathology and biochemistry. Later, the focus is on specialized subjects, including chiropractic philosophy and practice, along with chiropractic diagnosis and adjusting methods. Since chiropractors don’t prescribe drugs, instead of studying pharmacology and surgery, they receive an even deeper training in anatomy, physiology, rehabilitation, nutrition, diagnosis, X-ray and a variety of adjusting techniques that aren’t taught in any other health care field.
In addition, Chiropractors do additional training outside of the classroom setting in their area of interest such as: Nutrition, Pediatrics, Sports to name a few.
Chiropractors are also required to take 24 hours of continuing education each year.
Disparaging the educational achievements of today’s chiropractor is an outdated belief from another era.
References
- John McMillam Mennell, MD, Medicine, Monopolies and Malice, 1996, Avery Publishing, Garden City, NJ pp. 121, 154-155.
- Chiropractic Education, http://www.chirotips.com/chiropractic_education.htm
Chiropractic adjustments are safe.
By any definition, chiropractic adjustments are safe.
The argument about safety concerns is an example of “junk science” and a favorite by those who have an interest in discouraging people from seeking chiropractic care.
Because of the popularity of this tactic, year after year it has been the subject of countless research projects. The result of these studies show complications from neck adjustments, the supposedly “riskiest” chiropractic procedure, are exceedingly rare:
1972 – One death in several tens of million adjustments
1978 – One in 10,000,000 neck adjustments
1981 – One in a 1,000,000 neck adjustments
1983 – Two to three per 1,000,000 adjustments
1985 – One in 400,000 neck adjustments
1993 – One in 3,846,153 neck adjustments
1995 – One in 2,000,000 neck adjustments
1996 – One in 900,000 neck adjustments
The most recent in-depth review of the relationship between stroke and chiropractic care, was published in the February 15, 2008 issue of Spine Journal. It looked at 10 years of hospital records, involving 100 million person-years.
The verdict?
There was no evidence of an increase in vertebral artery dissection risk with chiropractic, compared with medical management. Based on this review, stroke, particularly vertebrobasilar dissection, should be considered a random and unpredictable complication of any neck movement, including cervical manipulation.
In other words, cases of serious injury are practically nonexistent. By comparison, it makes the deaths caused by over-the-counter-pain-relievers to be considerably more troubling! Although reports vary, annual deaths in the United States attributable to NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, ketoprofen and tiaprofenic acid) range from 3,200 to higher than 16,500 deaths and 76,000 hospitalizations.9
Even risk-adverse insurance companies recognize the safety of today’s chiropractic care. The premiums for malpractice insurance paid by chiropractors are a mere fraction of what medical practitioners must pay. Chiropractic care is safe.
References
- Maigne R. Orthopedic Medicine: A New Approach to Vertebral Manipulations. Springfield, Illinois, Charles C. Thomas. 1972; 155, 169.2 Cyriax J. Textbook of Orthopaedic Medicine. Vol 1. Diagnosis of soft tissue lesions (7th edition). London, Bailliere Tindall. 1978; 165.3 Hosek RS, Schram SB, Silverman H, Meyers JB. Cervical Manipulation. J Amer Med Assoc. 1981; 245:922.4 Gutmann G. Verletzungen der arteria vertebrailis durch manuelle therapie. Manuelle Medizin 1983; 21:2-14.
- Dvorak J, Orelli F. How dangerous is manipulation of the cervical spine? Manuel Med 1985; 2:1-4.