QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Question:
Are Chiropractic practitioners doctors?
Answer:
Board-qualified and licensed chiropractic practitioners are entitled by law to the title “Doctor of Chiropractic” (D.C.).To become state licensed, the candidate must complete a minimum of six years of college study and clinic internship before entering into private practice.As of 1982, 14 colleges have received accreditation status through the Council on Chiropractic Education [C.C.E.), including all five schools in California.The C.C.E. is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation, a private non-profit educational association.
College accreditation is based on criteria similar to those required for medical schools — basic curriculum, faculty qualifications, faculty-student ratio, library holdings, and financial stability.
Question:
Are chiropractic doctors trained to diagnose?
Answer:
Chiropractic doctors are both qualified and recognized as having the right and obligation to render a diagnostic opinion prior to initiating treatment. A chiropractic doctor’s diagnostic training begins with at least two years of under-graduate work in the biological sciences, as required for admission by all accredited chiropractic colleges.During the next four years, he or she will take an average of 1,840 hours of science requirements, including anatomy, physiology, inorganic and organic chemistry, pathology and hygiene, and public health.The curriculum also features an average of 2,080 hours of clinical science, such as physical, clinical, laboratory and differential diagnosis; roentgenology, technique and interpretation; geriatrics; dermatology; syphilogy; and principles of chiropractic.In addition, students must complete 550 hours of internship in a clinic environment.The training is completed with courses in law, ethics and economics.
All sections of the practical portion and 75 percent of the written must be passed to qualify for a license.
The California Board of Chiropractic Examiners, a Governor-appointed, seven-member regulatory body, requires doctors of chiropractic to complete annual post-graduate study for license renewal.Is chiropractic care covered by insurance, Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO), and Preferred Provider Organizations?
Question:
Do doctors of chiropractic utilize drugs and surgery as part of their treatment?
Answer:
Dr. Dubrul uses many of the same diagnostic tools as other doctors, such as x-ray and physical, laboratory and instrument exams. Doctors of chiropractic follow the concept that the body is capable of maintaining and restoring health, given the proper food, water, rest, and properly-functioning nervous system. Those essential elements can be introduced without drugs or surgery.
Question:
Do chiropractors treat more than headaches, neck and back pain?
Answer:
Most people know chiropractic has to do with neck and back pain. However, what most people don’t realize is that chiropractors can also have a profound effect on the entire health of the human structure. This includes conditions such as: Ankle Pain, Arm pain, Arthritis, Automobile Accidents, Backs spasms, Degenerative Joint Disease, Strains, Sprains, Hip Pain, Knee Pain, Sciatica, Sports Injuries, Whiplash & even Wrist problems. Additionally, chiropractic doctors also help with conditions involving the nerves such as numbness and tingling.
Question:
Are chiropractic doctors respected by the medical community?
Answer:
In 1980, the American Medical Association revised its rules permitting medical doctors (M.D.s) to refer cases to chiropractic doctors (D.C.s).While this was their first official recognition of chiropractic, many M.D.s had already established close professional relationships with D.C.s over the years.In California, several doctors of chiropractic serve as members of medical boards, such as the Board of Medical Quality Assurance.
History
The chiropractic approach to healing dates back to Hippocrates, who said, “It is most necessary to know the nature of the spine, what its natural purposes are, for such a knowledge will be requisite for many diseases.” Dr. Daniel David Palmer was the father of modern chiropractic, utilizing the manipulative technique in 1895.
Today, there are over 50,000 doctors of chiropractic, serving millions of patients.A recent study estimated that the number of doctors of chiropractic will double by the year 2010 (to over 100,000), far exceeding the 16 percent increase projected for medical doctors. Thus, it appears that doctors of chiropractic will represent a substantially larger proportion of health care professionals in the coming years. (AHCPR Publication No. 98-N002, December 1997) The proportion of the United States population that uses chiropractic and the number of chiropractic visits per capita have approximately doubled in the past 15-20 years. (AHCPR Publication No. 98-N002, December 1997).
According to a study published in the November 11, 1998 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, approximately 11 percent of the population visited a doctor of chiropractic in 1997. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, today there are approximately 273 million people in the country. This translates into approximately 30 million patients who visited a doctor of chiropractic in 1997. Chiropractic is the third largest doctoral-level health care profession after medicine and dentistry. Official RecognitionChiropractic is officially recognized, acknowledged, or regulated in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, nine provinces of Canada, Switzerland, West Germany, New Zealand, Bolivia, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Japan and other countries.