The State of Chiropractic

Although there is still friction between mainstream medicine and chiropractic, there is also growing acceptance. In the last twenty years, the number of chiropractors in the U.S. has increased by 48 percent, resulting in more than 58,000 in practice today. Some surveys estimate that around 40 million Americans visited a chiropractor in 1997.

Why such a dramatic increase? Part of the answer lies in the willingness of insurance companies to pay for chiropractic treatments. In the last few decades, too, favorable legislation has paved the way.

In all, there is new acceptance of chiropractic, although this was not always so. Since its founding in1895 by Daniel David Palmer, chiropractic has sustained fierce criticism. Chiropractors were seen as charlatans and hacks.

Today however, despite lingering dissent, chiropractic has found credibility. In all 50 states, chiropractors must be licensed and must hold degrees from accredited chiropractic schools. They must receive at least six years of education and training to be licensed.

Many obtain further degrees in specialized fields such as radiology, sports medicine, or neurology. Overall, more and more mainstream doctors see chiropractic as a legitimate health care system.