When all of your body's inter-related systems-including your musculoskeletal, nervous and vascular systems-are in balance and functioning properly, your body possesses a remarkable knack for healing itself. This state is called homeostasis.

Stress, accidents, sports injuries, even over-exertion, can cause your spine to fall out of its natural alignment. When this happens, your nervous system ceases to function properly, and this could lead to back and neck pain, headaches, and other kinds of problems. Moreover, many types of pain and disease can be linked to problems with your spinal cord and nervous system. It is this "mind-body" connection that forms the tenet of the principles under which chiropractors practice their healing art.

The two major, underlying principles are:

• The structure and condition of the body influences how it functions and heals.
• The mind-body relationship is essential in maintaining health and healing.

Put another way:

• Your body's functions are all interrelated, and its ability to heal is contingent on these interrelationships.
• A healthy body comes from a healthy nervous system, especially a healthy spine.

Chiropractors believe in a holistic approach to patient care by focusing on a patient's total wellness, or well-being, instead of specific diseases, or ailments. It is this intricate physiological and biochemical interrelationship among various parts of your body-including its spinal, musculoskeletal, neurological, and vascular systems-that chiropractors dedicate themselves to exploring and treating, with special attention to nutrition, exercise, and healthy emotional and environmental relationships. When one or more of these systems is impaired, your body ceases to function normally and your resistance to disease is compromised.

The educational requirements for chiropractors are similar to that of medical doctors. In general, chiropractors must complete four years of undergraduate study from one of the nation's 17 accredited chiropractic colleges. During the first two years of study, students receive classroom and laboratory work in anatomy, physiology, public health, microbiology, pathology, and biochemistry; the final two years involve courses in manipulation and spinal adjustments, as well as clinical experience in areas that may include physical and laboratory diagnosis, neurology, orthopedics, geriatrics, physiotherapy, and nutrition, biomechanics, radiology, and natural medicine.

Undergraduate study is followed by a one-year internship at a college clinic. Many chiropractic colleges rotate interns through hospital rounds with medical students. Many chiropractors also undertake four to five additional years of advanced or post-graduate study in a clinical area.

After obtaining their Doctor of Chiropractic degree, chiropractors must complete at least two board exams-the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) exam and the board exam from the state in which they practice.

Credentials

All 50 states license Doctors of Chiropractic to practice. All chiropractors must meet certain requirements, including:

• Completion of a four- or five-year chiropractic college course of study at an accredited program leading to the Doctor of Chiropractic degree.
• Satisfactory completion of board exams.
• Ongoing continuing education courses or programs offered by accredited chiropractic programs and institutions, as well as chiropractic associations.

Chiropractors also are able to obtain certification in such areas as orthopedics, neurology, sports injuries, occupational and industrial health, nutrition, diagnostic imaging, thermography, and internal disorders.

For centuries, scientists, physicians, even philosophers, have believed that the body's spinal cord is at the root of many ailments that have nothing to do with back or neck pain.

But the birth of the chiropractic profession was not to occur until the late 19th century - September 18, 1895, to be exact - in the small offices of the Palmer Cure & Infirmary in Davenport, Iowa. Late that day, Canadian-born Daniel David Palmer was in his office, trying to have a conversation with the building's janitor, Harvey Lillard.

Palmer noticed that Lillard was nearly deaf, and asked the man what caused him to lose his hearing. Lillard didn't know, but told Palmer his hearing began diminishing after a back injury he sustained while stooping in a cramped position. Lillard remembered hearing a "pop" in his back, and suffered hearing loss for years after that.

It was a revelation that capped what Palmer had long suspected - an indubitable connection between the spine and disease -- that misalignment of the spinal column interferes with normal nerve function, and thus, leads to a host of maladies. Palmer suspected that if he were able to return the popped vertebrae in Lillard's back to its original position, it would also restore his hearing. Using a technique called the "spinous process," Palmer gently repositioned the vertebra with a firm thrust.

Lillard's hearing began to return. Over the next week, Palmer continued his spinal manipulation treatment on Lillard; each day, his hearing gradually improved. Palmer coined a term for his new technique - chiropractic (from the Greek words, "chiro," meaning hand, and "practic," meaning practice - and dedicated his practice from that point forward to use of the new therapy.

In the ensuing months, Palmer treated flu, sciatica, migraine headaches, stomach complaints, epilepsy and heart trouble with adjustments he called "hand treatments" - all without the use of drugs, medications, or surgery.

Despite Palmer's early successes, chiropractic adjustments were not readily accepted by the medical community. Palmer was later indicted for practicing medicine without a license and was sentenced to 105 days in jail and ordered to pay a $350 fine.

Palmer is the author of two well-known books-The Science of Chiropractic and The Chiropractors Adjuster. He died at the age of 68 in Los Angeles.

His son, Bartlett Joshua, carried on his father's work and was instrumental in getting chiropractic recognized as a licensed profession.

In the 20th century, the chiropractic profession has grown into a respected branch of the healing arts - largely through research and recognition by the government and medical community. Here are some milestones:

• In 1944, the Chiropractic Research Foundation (CRF) was created by the National Chiropractic Association to promote and obtain research funding.
• In the 1960s, the National Chiropractic Association became the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and the CRF became the Foundation for Accredited Chiropractic Education, whose main purpose was to assist chiropractic colleges in gaining accreditation.
• In 1974, the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare recognized the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE), and the Foundation for Accredited Chiropractic Education was reorganized as the Foundation of Chiropractic Education and Research (FCER).
• In 1975, the U.S. Department of Health Education and Welfare sponsored a research conference on spinal manipulation, an event that raised awareness of the need for research. Out of that, the Chiropractic Research Council (CRC) was born to assimilate research directors from the nation's chiropractic colleges.
• In 1979, the Foundation of Chiropractic Education and Research expanded its research program and established a competitive scientific review process for submitted proposals.
• Today, 14 English peer-reviewed chiropractic journals routinely publish the results of chiropractic research.

The word chiropractic comes from the Greek words, "chiro," meaning hand, and "practic," meaning practice, or treatment. Thus, "treatment by hand" is an appropriate definition since chiropractors typically use their hands to manipulate different parts of the body in an effort to promote healing and wellness.

A chiropractor, also known as a doctor of chiropractic ("D.C."), diagnoses and treats a broad range of physical conditions in patients with muscular, nervous, and skeletal problems, especially the spine.

A branch of the healing arts concerned with disease processes, chiropractic care is a recognized form of therapy that focuses on improving your overall health and well-being?without the use of drugs or surgery.

Chiropractors make use of conventional diagnostic tests, such as X-rays, MRIs, and lab work, as well as specific procedures that involve manipulation by hand of various parts of the body. Chiropractors are best known for their ability to correct misalignments of the spine, which are called subluxations. But spinal manipulation is only a small part of what chiropractors do as part of an overall plan to relieve pain and mitigate many kinds of ailments. Other kinds of treatments chiropractors are capable of providing include:

• Acupuncture
• Electric muscle stimulation
• Exercise programs and instruction
• Heat/cold therapy
• Herbal therapy
• Lifestyle and nutrition counseling
• Manipulation under anesthesia
• Massage
• Physical rehabilitation
• Physiotherapy
• Stress management
• Traction
• Ultrasound

Best known for their treatment of back and neck pain, chiropractors sometimes specialize in areas such as sports medicine, orthopedics, neurology, nutrition, internal disorders, and diagnostic imaging. Many back specialists consider chiropractic an integral part of an overall care plan toward treating injury and disease.