Long before Chiropractic came along, people sought relief from health issues and back pain through manipulation. For instance, Hippocrates, the Father of Modern Medicine, wrote at about 450 BC, "It is most necessary to know the nature of the spine. One or more vertebrae may or may not go out of place very much and if they do, they are likely to produce serious complications and even death, if not properly adjusted. Many diseases are related to the spine." Hippocrates was not alone; even early Egyptian drawings depict spinal manipulation.
Dr. Daniel David Palmer and the start of Chiropractic
Centuries later Americans were made knowledgeable of the value of spinal manipulation. In the late nineteenth century 1895 Daniel David “DD” Palmer, a magnetic healer in Iowa, accidentally hit upon a technique that by the end of the twentieth century changed the lives of millions. Palmer's procedure involved what is widely known today as Chiropractic Adjustment. The Chiropractic Adjustment is the spinal manipulation or maneuvering of the spinal column to give the body a better ability to cure itself. Dr. Palmer two years later established the very first school of chiropractic in 1897 in Davenport Iowa where Dr. Kosek attended.
The first adjustment: On September 18, 1895 Dr. Palmer gave his first chiropractic adjustment to Mr. Harvey Lillard. Harvey Lillard was an African American who owned a cleaning company that cleaned the building where Dr.Palmer began practicing his art of magnetic healing. While talking to Harvey, Dr. Palmer asked about his hearing loss. Harvey explained that 17 years previously he was picking up a wagon wheel to put it back on a wagon and he heard a loud "pop" in his neck and then lost his hearing completely. Dr. Palmer examined his neck and found a Subluxation, a bone out of place, that was very tender. From Dr. Palmer’s observation he concluded the cause for Harvey Lillard’s soundless life was due to a vertebra being out of position. Palmer thought he could repair this problem by moving the vertebra back to its rightful place. Dr. Palmer gave a specific correction to the Vertebra that was misaligned and performed very first Chiropractic Adjustment. Harvey was able to hear again. Although not every deaf person had his/her hearing restored, people far and wide flocked to Iowa for the chance that Chiropractic could help their health problem.
Dr. Palmer's son B. J. Palmer advanced the Chiropractic profession through research and medical studies. Over the last 116 years the Chiropractic profession has grown to be the second largest health care profession in the world. It is a definite alternative to the standard medical way of treating health. Chiropractors believe in the bodies ability to heal itself if there is proper communication between the brain and all the parts of the body.
It is a misconception that Chiropractic is only for relief of pain in the back and neck. Patient's around the world seek help for a variety of health issues. Chiropractic adjustments are proven effective in helping a multitude of health issues because every organ is controlled by the nervous system.