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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.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
What is Alternative Medicine?
There's an awful lot in the news and in society about "alternative medicines" these days. By some estimates, it's an industry doing between $15 and $20 billion annually - and growing! But what is alternative medicine - how does it differ from scientific medicine and why do people use it?Skepticism & Critical Thinking
This is the main index for issues dealing with skepticism, critical thinking, logic and arguments. The first section is Critical Thinking itself - how to think about claims and arguments you hear, how to critique arguments, and how to formulate your own arguments such that they are more likely to be sound and valid. The second section is about Skeptical Investigations - the practical application of the critical thinking skills covered in the first section. Here you will find critiques of things like astrology, alternative medicine, parapsychology, the New Age and more.

