As we mentioned in the X-Ray section, "Modern" Chiropractic was "discovered" in 1895. Before we move forward with that, let's spend a moment on a brief history of "spinal manipulation." There are ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs clearly depicting manipulation of the spine as a remedy for back pain. These annotations and early drawings date back to nearly 4000 BC. Very interestingly, the Egyptians also discovered a recipe for the use of dried myrtle leaves (that contained salicyclic acid-"aspirin") that relieved back pain. More "recently", around 200 BC, Hippocrates actually wrote a book on spinal manipulation called "On Joints." Writings and other documents tell us Hippocrates was a big believer in what is called "Whole-istic" health care. That is to say, he believed in treating the "whole" body. And he did so utilizing natural healing methods including spinal manipulation as opposed to the early drugs, alixers and other quasi medical applications of his day. Although known as the so-called "Father of Medicine", it would be fair to say that he was also the father of Chiropractic. Interestingly, Hippocrates was one of the the first to use "Aspirin." He had found a substance in the leaf of a Willow tree that seemed to ease pain and reduce inflammation. He used it quite a bit. *Thousands of years later, Felix Hoffman, a chemist for the Bayer Company (a dye business) in Germany came across a chemical they called acetyl-salicyclic-acid: ASA or Aspirin. The year was 1899. Bayer, of course, wisely switched course and opted to get into pharmaceuticals with their "dicsovery" and leave the Dye business for good. Although Aspirin worked well, no one had a clue as to how it actually inhibited pain and reduced inflamation. It wasn't until 1973 that British pharmacologist John Vane finally figured out what this stuff actually did, to make pain go away. Vane discovered that Aspirin inhibited prostaglandins. This hormone-like substance is given off during injury and adds to the pain signal racing through the nervous system. Aspirin deadens that effect. Vane would go on to win the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1982 for that discovery. But I digress, let's get back to our discussion.

John Vane, British pharmacologist who unlocked Aspirin's secrets

As for "modern" chiropractic, let's flash back to 1895. A bone setter (as they were called) named D.D. Palmer (see picture below) had a small office in Davenport, Iowa. He understood basic anatomy and he would reset bones and use other means of the times to treat ailments. One day a janitor came to D.D.'s office and stated that he had hearing most of his life but remembers hearing a click in his neck and noticed his hearing vanished. This scenario happened several years before, he explained to DD Palmer.   D.D., realizing that perhaps, if the bone in this man's neck was replaced, the man's hearing would return. D.D. Palmer palpated (touched) Harvey Lillard's neck, looking for anything that seemed out of place. He located a particular vertebrae (no one knows exactly which segment it was to this day) and "adjusted" the bone back into it's normal alignment. Harvey Lillard's hearing returned shortly thereafter. D.D. Palmer was so astonished by this that he created a new word for what he had just done. He chose two Greek words and put them together: Chiro (hand) Practicum (practice). Thus, D.D. Palmer named this thing he stumbled upon, Chiropractic; to give expression to the wonderful healing art he had just "discovered." He furthermore decided to name the bones that were out of place, "subluxations." This indicated that the vertebrae were slightly out of place; not a full luxation, but instead, a sub-luxation. That word is still in vogue today. While this story seems to make no anatomical sense at first blush, recent published articles and research tell us that there is indeed an anatomical connection between the cervical spine (neck), the sympathetic nerves in the C-spine and some of the cranial nerve functions such as hearing and eyesight via blood flow to these areas. (Gilman, G, Bergstrand, J, "Visual Recovery following Chiropractic Intervention," J Behav. Optometry, Vol. 1 (3), 1990). So, although it was a seemingly new procedure back then, as we have discovered, manipuation of the spine has been with us in one form or another for literally thousands of years. In 1896, D.D. Palmer opened the first school of Chiropractic in Davenport and named it appropriately, Palmer College of Chiropractic. This great school remains in Davenport to this day and is considered one of the best chiropractic colleges. Chiropractic itself has long been in the vanguard of wholistic thinking and healing; that is to say, looking at the whole picture of what a patient is doing and experiencing. This would include knowledge of a patient's job, exercise or lack thereof, nutritional profile, family situation, stress levels and so forth in addition to performing a complete physical that might include X-Rays or other advanced imaging. Once your chiropractor knows all the important facts in a patient's profile, he/she can make better recomendations to possibly modify certain issues that may be affecting the person's spinal and/or overall health. Just reacting to the point of pain is not going to heal patients. Chiropractors, generally speaking, are not simple "pain" doctors; but rather wholistic practitioners who seek to modify, when appropriate, a person's way of life in addition to correcting spinal subluxations. Think about it.