Question
Dr. Healey,
I am currently a student at Wabash College (a small, all-male, four-year
college located in Crawfordsville, IN) double-majoring in Philosophy and
English.  After I graduate from Wabash, I plan to go to a school of
chiropractic to become a chiropractor.  I came across your name by surfing the
internet.  There are very few alums from my college
that are chiropractors.  Thus, I was advised to ask anybody out in the
field what a career of chiropractic is like.  If you don't mind, I would
like to ask you a couple of questions: First, why did you choose
chiropractic (did you know about this when you were an undergrad?)?  What was your
undergraduate
major/minor?  How did your undergraduate education prepare you for
chiropractic school?  What chiropractic school did you graduate from?  Why did you
choose this chiropractic school over the others?  If you were going to
choose a chiropractic school again, which one would you choose and why?
Are you happy with your choice?  What is your day/week like as a
chiropractor? What are some good sources of information to learn about
chiropractic and its scientific backing?  Are you familiar with Dr.
Homola?  What do you think about his claims that chiropractic is limited
to only being able to treat lower back pain?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to answer these questions.  I am
really interested in chiropractic and its philosophy.  To tell you a
little about myself, I am originally from Salt Lake City, Utah.  I have
also lived abroad for two years in Sao Paulo, Brazil where I learned to
speak Spanish and Portuguese fluently.  In January 2003, Kelsey, my wife
(who is from the Spokane, Wa area) and I were married.  I am currently a
senior at Wabash and enjoying every minute of it, while she is attending
Purdue University.  Currently, I am a research intern at the Center of
Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash.  I am working on a literature
review of wisdom and how it has been discussed and conceptualized in the
past 2,500 years.

Anyway, I thank you again.  

Sincerely,
Ryan Yates  

Answer
Dear Ryan Yates,

Thank you for your questions and, most importantly, best of luck in your research into chiropractic as a career.  There is some overlap in your questions, so rather than answer them as a list I will cover the information in something of a narrative.  I hope you don't mind.  

I appreciate that you provided some of your background, but since I have no information from you on how you were introduced to chiropractic, in order to give you the greatest benefit in answering your questions, I'll first need to give you some background on the chiropractic profession.

There are two branches or schools of thought in chiropractic.  Briefly, they are differentiated by whether they deal with the limited therapeutic approach for aches and pains (commonly termed "mixed" chiropractic because it represents a mixture of a chiropractor with a non-chiropractic matter) or a non-therapeutic approach to optimum body performance (termed "straight" chiropractic because there is no mixing of chiropractic with anything else and it is distinct from the field of medicine).  My expertise is in non-therapeutic straight chiropractic.

Therapeutic "mixed" chiropractic is an older approach based on a split from the founding principles of chiropractic about a century ago.  I have never met Dr. Homola, but it seems clear that he identifies with this branch of chiropractic.  I will address your question about his thoughts later on.  

Non-therapeutic "straight" chiropractic is the more modern of the two.  It deals with a particular, common situation called a vertebral subluxation.  The spine is made of many bone segments which house and protect the spinal cord and the smaller spinal nerve branches that come off the spinal cord and exit between the bones.  These nerve pathways carry information or messages between the brain and the cells of the body.  These messages are essential for the life of the cells.  Without vital brain messages, the cells immediately begin the process of dying; i.e., they can no longer function the way they should to maintain life.

Because the bones are moveable, they can misalign in such a way as to interfere with the messages and, ultimately, the ability of the person to function at their best or express their optimum potential.  People with vertebral subluxations are not able to get all they can out of life.

Vertebral subluxations can be caused by a wide variety of factors, what we'll generally call stresses.  These stresses can be physical (such as sleeping posture and mattress condition, the birth process, sneezing, falling down, etc.), mental / emotional (in its many forms, probably the most familiar use of the word stress), or chemical (such as pollution, drugs, etc.), which are, unfortunately, regular parts of daily living for all age groups.  In short, a vertebral subluxation can occur for a multitude of reasons.

Tragically, vertebral subluxations are rarely obvious to the individual they affect.  They usually have no symptoms.  The reason is that most of what goes on inside you happens without your awareness.  As an example, try to "feel" your liver.  What's it doing right now?  You can't know, so you can't know if it's functioning at its best or something less.  To complicate things, nerve pathways that carry messages of control (termed "motor" nerves) have no way of transmitting ache or pain messages, so your body function may be far from perfect and you'd not have any alerting signal whatsoever.  The branching of the nerve pathways is complex and extensive, making it exceedingly difficult to predict or determine exactly how the person will be affected.  In order to know if someone has a vertebral subluxation, it is necessary to have that person's spine checked by a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor using a method of "analysis."  When a vertebral subluxation is detected this way, it is obviously important to correct it as soon as possible.

Since vertebral subluxations are caused by so many different things, people choose to go to a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor on a regular basis to enjoy the most time free of the life-robbing effects of vertebral subluxation. There's a saying that non-therapeutic straight chiropractic is not about your back, it's not about your pain, it's about your life.  Each person has a unique potential in life.  With vertebral subluxation, it's impossible to realize that potential.

In summary, then, a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor has the professional objective of checking the spine on a regular basis for vertebral subluxations and safely correcting those that are found so that the individual may express their optimum potential on all levels.  

It is important to discuss objectives here.  It is actually the objective that determines one profession from another.   Ask someone, 揥hat profession uses x-ray?? Consider that dentists, podiatrists, medical doctors, osteopaths and even chiropractors may employ x-ray methods in their work, yet they are not interchangeable professions.  It is the goal or reason ?in other words, the objective ?for which the x-ray is used that determines which profession it is.

When considering chiropractic as a career, others have asked me such things as the educational and licensure requirements.  I had known from a very early age that I wanted to get into the field of non-therapeutic straight chiropractic and structured my education accordingly.  I attended Gettysburg College and The University of Chicago for my undergraduate degree in biology.  I also double-majored, in music and biology, but chose not to perform a senior recital for my music degree.  Majoring in biology was the most effective way for me to pursue my career and fulfill the prerequisites.  Majoring in music was simply because of a love for composing.  It didn't fulfill specific prerequisites, but I believe having broader knowledge helps me in every aspect of my life, including my chiropractic career.  I then chose Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic for my Doctor of Chiropractic degree.

An important consideration in choosing or investigating chiropractic colleges is the type of chiropractic you wish to study.  I attended Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic (on the web at www.sherman.edu or toll-free at 1-800-849-8771) in Spartanburg, South Carolina, but that reason alone is not why I would recommend it to someone.  As I mentioned earlier, not all chiropractors adhere to the non-therapeutic straight chiropractic division.  Naturally, neither do the colleges.  It is important that you be able to distinguish between the colleges' programs if you're going to seek this type of education.  To my knowledge ?and I've been involved with straight chiropractic college accreditation over the years ?Sherman College is the only college at this time that dedicates its program to straight chiropractic.  It is a unique chiropractic educational opportunity.

Preparation for entering chiropractic college consists of an assortment of pre-requisites.  Generally, the undergraduate college pre-requisites for most programs have an emphasis on the sciences (but within a liberal arts curriculum) and licensure requires certain testing after graduation.  As far as specific choices for undergraduate courses, I suggest you contact the chiropractic college you are interested in to determine their particular requirements.  You can find most of this information for Sherman College on their web-site or there are contact links there for more detailed inquiries.  It is possible that your double major means that you will have satisfied some of the pre-chiropractic educational requirements as well, though I suspect you will need to fill in some of the sciences.  Again, it is best to check with the chosen chiropractic college directly for this type of information.  

The exact educational requirements for graduation from chiropractic college and subsequent licensure, beyond choosing the appropriate type of chiropractic college to suit your career goals and preferences, may vary depending upon the college and the jurisdiction where you seek to be licensed.  There is no universal standard for these and it is always best to verify the requirements with the specific institution or agency involved.

Licensure ?the final rite of passage before professional life - is through a state board of examiners.  There is also a national board of chiropractic examiners (which administers a multi-part test that most states require an individual to pass before they may sit for state licensure examinations), but there is no national licensure.  The requirements for each state can vary greatly.  Generally, however, preparation for the field consists of completing an assortment of pre-requisites and graduating from chiropractic college.  

Consider this: it's easy to imagine there are many factors that go into whether someone will stay with a profession of any kind.  Success factors are typically not external factors, but are within the individual to maximize.  How many businesses have you ever seen that come and go, yet others, in the same town, seem to endure and thrive?  It may be a matter of business ability, for instance, or burn-out or level of passion for their professional mission.  I find non-therapeutic straight chiropractic to be enormously satisfying in many ways and would recommend it to anyone who understands that they can make an impact on the future of generations to come by contributing to a world filled with subluxation-free people today!  Most non-therapeutic straight chiropractors, I believe, work in solo practices, that is, they own and operate their own private offices.  Some are employed as associates and still others share offices but run separate practices.  More non-therapeutic straight chiropractors are self-employed than are employees.  In fact, self-employment is often considered one of the desirable aspects of the field.  Those who do enter an employment usually leave to open their own office at some point.  This allows the chiropractor to set his/her own work conditions and hours.  There is no standard office set-up or usual schedule of office hours since each chiropractor has his/her choice about such things.

Many chiropractors are self-employed.  They are the sole determinants in how their business operates.  As a result, though there may be published statistics on various characteristics for chiropractic as a field, the actual individual levels of success can vary widely.  Suffice it to say that there are those who are able to be successful in this field.  It is very much dependent upon the individual.  

You may also benefit to know what is expected of a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor in practice, apart from business decisions.  Well, that goes back to the objective.  Someone who seeks the services of a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor would expect to be checked for vertebral subluxations on a regular basis for a lifetime.  Other non-therapeutic straight chiropractors expect a commitment to that objective so that, if a referral is made, for instance, there are assurances that the person being referred will actually be checked for vertebral subluxations.  There is also an expectation that comes from a common high regard for the professional goal; i.e., to help each other excel in the field, whether through technical or professional guidance and support.  The reason is because the goal - helping people live a lifetime without persistent vertebral subluxations - contributes to a better world, overall.  It's in everyone's best interest for non-therapeutic straight chiropractors to be at their best.  I believe there are few careers where there is so much mutual concern for the success of one's colleagues.

Consider that if you were to ask, Who would benefit from being free of vertebral subluxation?, you would easily see that this service is critical to every person on the planet.  Once someone understands what is offered by non-therapeutic straight chiropractic, they typically make it part of their lifelong pursuits.  This alone does not mean that these people will come banging down your door to find it ?they don't even know about it in some communities!  They may initially come in to my office with therapeutic concerns ?it's a very common misconception about my field based upon the split that exists between the therapeutic and non-therapeutc viewpoints - but they choose to become life-long users for a much different and larger purpose.  It may be said that they come in WITH many different circumstances, but not FOR them.  That's why I'm glad to have you investigate chiropractic and hopeful that you may even choose to practice non-therapeutic straight chiropractic as a career or simply share this information with others.  

With much that could be said, here are some key points from the profession's history.  Chiropractic was founded in Davenport, Iowa, on September 18, 1895 by Daniel David (揇.D.? Palmer.  Palmer had studied the human body extensively, by nineteenth century standards, with particular focus on the relationship of the various nerve pathways to the spine.  Harvey Lillard worked as the custodian in the building where Palmer's office was located.  Lillard had been deaf for 17 years when he related to Palmer the story of the incident that led to his hearing loss.  He reported that he was lifting something heavy beneath a stairwell and felt something 損op?in his neck or upper back and immediately lost his hearing.  Palmer noted a 搇ump?in Lillard's neck and reasoned that it was a vertebra that had been 搑acked?out of position.  He further reasoned that it was this vertebra that was interfering with Lillard's hearing in some way by affecting the nerves of the spinal cord or spinal nerve trunks.  Palmer devised a method to 搑ack?(his word) the vertebra back toward its proper position, following which Lillard regained his hearing.

At first, Palmer thought he had discovered a cure for deafness.  So did others!  He had many people come to him in the next several months for this cure.  The problem was that not everyone who had hearing loss had vertebrae out of place like Lillard and those who did didn't always regain their hearing.  He noticed, though, that often these people experienced other changes.  Some who limped beforehand could now walk more easily; so Palmer then modified his thinking to include that it was also a cure for the lame.  Again, though, not all had the same vertebrae out of place and those who did didn't always experience the same changes.  Similar patterns happened with other ailments.  He had to amend his thinking again, now believing that his new method was a cure for some problems.  But the list of ailments he saw respond to his method kept growing, until he came to a new conclusion that it was a cure for all ailments.  What still puzzled him, though, was that there were others, even with vertebrae out of place, who had no problems whatsoever.  

Palmer, with his son, Bartlett Joshua (揃.J.? Palmer, and at his urging to expand the base of people who could provide this service to others, took on apprentices but were quickly overwhelmed with requests.  Many of the early apprentices of the Palmers were actually medical doctors or medical students from the colleges in the east who were interested in learning the 揷ures?they had heard about or seen for themselves.  D.D. was even invited to lecture at the medical colleges but declined.  In his response, he noted that it was not enough to simply learn the method because his new profession (by that time having been given the name chiropractic) was not intended simply as a borrowed method alone to be used for a non-chiropractic goal, it was an entire system of reasoning as well.  In fact, he stated, 揑 don't mix my chiropractic with anything else, I practice it straight,?which is where we get parts of today's terminology, as I explained above.  Ironically, the Palmers opened a school to teach the Palmer Method.  Despite D.D.'s admonition and charge, many of the therapeutically-minded, medically-trained students and apprentices went on to mix the method with a therapeutic objective and therapeutic mixed chiropractic split away and continued in its model, going progressively further from the thinking that would ultimately lead to modern non-therapeutic straight chiropractic.

The Palmers never actually solved the problem of why vertebral subluxations and ailments didn't always correspond.  It wasn't until the 1970's that Reggie Gold, D.C., a chiropractor of enormous insight, brought the profession to the next and highest evolution yet.  He was the first to define chiropractic by its objective; i.e., detecting and correcting vertebral subluxations because, in and of themselves, they were a detriment to the fullest expression of life and individual potential.  Gold proposed that chiropractic concerned every aspect of human performance.  He reasoned that it was not necessary to connect vertebral subluxation and disease at all, that health (meaning the contrast between sickness and disease) was merely one aspect of human performance.  Chiropractic, in this model, was not a treatment for anything.  This was the origin of non-therapeutic straight chiropractic.  

There is also a wonderful text on the history of straight chiropractic, Refined By Fire, by Joseph Strauss, D.C., available at www.F-A-C-E.com, the web site of the Foundation for the Advancement of Chiropractic Education, or perhaps at your library.

Recommending resources for the scientific aspects of this profession is not terribly easy because there will be a difference in your findings and the suitability of data depending on which branch is being addressed ?and, unfortunately, that is not always made overtly clear!  Even the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (JVSR) publishes papers or studies from both branches.  You can start there, but it will be more important, then, for you to employ the information above when evaluating the nature of data than for you to rely on the particular resource.  As an example, since non-therapeutic straight chiropractic does not venture outside its professional boundaries into the medical realms of diagnosis and treatment of ailments, there will be no comparison studies to show that it is safer or more effective for, say, ear infections or backaches.  Since mixing chiropractic does cross into other fields, there may be some relevance in such analyses and other sources may try to provide you with such data.  Even data pertaining to the application of and risk associated with manipulative therapy, used by some in mixing, would not have much standing when talking about the unique and quite different matter of specific vertebral adjustment for the sole purpose of correction of vertebral subluxation.  

As to claims, regardless of their source, that chiropractic is limited to treating back pain or similar conditions, recognize that such is the viewpoint of some within therapeutic mixing chiropractic.  As we saw when discussing the history of this profession, this type of conclusion comes from an earlier, less-evolved understanding of the principles and reasoning.  I don't say that to be disparaging.  It simply illustrates that this has no relevance to or connection with non-therapeutic straight chiropractic.  Therapeutic mixing chiropractic and non-therapeutic straight chiropractic are not at opposite ends of a spectrum of chiropractic.  The therapeutic mixing and non-therapeutic straight chiropractic spectra are entirely separate and do not intersect or adjoin each other at all.  

I hope to welcome you someday to what I already find, that non-therapeutic straight chiropractic is a very low-stress career choice, immensely rewarding in that I have the opportunity to work with individuals of all ages in their pursuit of optimal life expression and peak performance.  Ultimately, like me, many of my colleagues see their careers in non-therapeutic straight chiropractic as something much larger than their job ?we see it as making a difference in the world one person at a time.

Incidentally, if you are interested in finding out how to locate a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor in your area for your chiropractic needs, please contact me at this site again.  You may also visit www.gschiro.com, a site that represents non-therapeutic straight chiropractic on a state level in New Jersey.  

Ryan, it has been my pleasure to provide you with some information.  I wish you the best in whatever will be your chosen career path and good luck to you and your wife in your studies.  

Sincerely,
James W. Healey, D.C.