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Chiropractic Medicine
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Name:
Chiropractic Medicine

Founder:
Name: D.D. Palmer, Daniel David Palmer
Born: 1845
Died: 1913

Profile:
Traditional chiropractic medicine is based upon the premise that all illness is caused by some sort of misalignments of the spine (called "subluxations"). A person who knows how to re-align the spine to its proper shape and position, called a chiropractor, can thus restore a person to good health.

Created in 1895 by Daniel Palmer and later promoted by his son, B.J. Palmer, chiropractic medicine uses the not-unreasonable notion that, because our spine leads to all of the nerves to the rest of our body, then anything which affects it will also affect other parts of our body. And it is true that back problems can lead to problems elsewhere - but not in the sense that is traditionally asserted by chiropractors.

In the end, chiropractic medicine can be a more materialistic version of ancupuncture, with little to support it beyond anecdotes. At its best, it can be very useful for someone who is actually suffering from back problems, but some times is not clear that a trained and experienced masseuse couldn't do the same. Any attempt to use a chiropractor for more serious illnesses like cancer is dangerous and wasteful.

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