 |
 |
|
Home |
Current Issue |
Past Issues |
Audio/Video |
CME |
Collections |
In the Clinic |
Mobile |
Subscribe |
Tools |
Help |
ACP Online
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 February 2002 | Volume 136 Issue 3 | Pages 216-227
Chiropractic is a large and well-established health care profession in the United States. In this overview, we briefly examine the development of chiropractic from humble and contentious beginnings to its current state at the crossroads of alternative and mainstream medicine. Chiropractic has taken on many of the attributes of an established profession, improving its educational and licensing systems and substantially increasing its market share in the past two decades. The public increasingly uses chiropractic largely for spinal pain syndromes and appears to be highly satisfied with the results. Of all the so-called alternative professions, chiropractic has made the largest inroads into private and public health care financing systems and is increasingly viewed as an effective specialty by many in the medical profession. Much of the positive evolution of chiropractic can be ascribed to a quarter century–long research effort focused on the core chiropractic procedure of spinal manipulation. This effort has helped bring spinal manipulation out of the investigational category to become one of the most studied forms of conservative treatment for spinal pain. Chiropractic theory is still controversial, but recent expansion in federal support of chiropractic research bodes well for further scientific development. The medical establishment has not yet fully accepted chiropractic as a mainstream form of care. The next decade should determine whether chiropractic maintains the trappings of an alternative health care profession or becomes fully integrated into all health care systems.
Author and Article Information
From Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, Davenport, Iowa; and University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California.
Acknowledgments: The authors thank Ted Kaptchuk, OMD, and David Eisenberg, MD, for encouraging them to write this paper; Cheryl Hawk, DC, PhD, for her incisive criticism and excellent advice; and the experts who reviewed the manuscript, to its great benefit.
Grant Support: In part by grant U24 AR45166, "Establishing the Consortial Center for Chiropractic Research," from the National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine; and the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, Davenport, Iowa.
Requests for Single Reprints: William C. Meeker, DC, MPH, Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, 741 Brady Street, Davenport, IA 52803; e-mail, Meeker_b{at}palmer.edu.
Current Author Addresses: Dr. Meeker: Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, 741 Brady Street, Davenport, IA 52803.
Dr. Haldeman: 1125 East 17th Street, Suite 127, Santa Ana, CA 92701. ACADEMIA AND CLINIC
Chiropractic: A Profession at the Crossroads of Mainstream and Alternative Medicine
Related articles in Annals:
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  J. P. Rathmell A 50-Year-Old Man With Chronic Low Back Pain JAMA, May 7, 2008; 299(17): 2066 - 2077. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 R. Chou and L. H. Huffman Nonpharmacologic Therapies for Acute and Chronic Low Back Pain: A Review of the Evidence for an American Pain Society/American College of Physicians Clinical Practice Guideline Ann Intern Med, October 2, 2007; 147(7): 492 - 504. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. Vohra, B. C. Johnston, K. Cramer, and K. Humphreys Adverse Events Associated With Pediatric Spinal Manipulation: A Systematic Review Pediatrics, January 1, 2007; 119(1): e275 - e283. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 E Ernst and P Canter Systematic review of spinal manipulation: Authors' reply. J R Soc Med, June 1, 2006; 99(6): 279 - 280. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. Byfield and P. McCarthy Systematic review of spinal manipulation: Flaws in the review. J R Soc Med, June 1, 2006; 99(6): 277 - 278. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
E Ernst and P H Canter A systematic review of systematic reviews of spinal manipulation. J R Soc Med, April 1, 2006; 99(4): 192 - 196. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 W-L Chen, C-H Chern, Y-L Wu, and C-H Lee Vertebral artery dissection and cerebellar infarction following chiropractic manipulation Emerg. Med. J., January 1, 2006; 23(1): e01 - e01. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 P. Curtis and S. Gaylord Safety Issues in the Interaction of Conventional, Complementary, and Alternative Health Care Complementary Health Practice Review, January 1, 2005; 10(1): 3 - 31. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. Ness and N. Nisly Cracking the Problem of Back Pain: Is Chiropractic the Answer? Arch Intern Med, October 11, 2004; 164(18): 1953 - 1954. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 E. H. Morreim A Dose of Our Own Medicine: Alternative Medicine, Conventional Medicine, and the Standards of Science J. Law Med. Ethics, June 1, 2003; 31(2): 222 - 235. [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 E Ernst and M M Sran Chiropractic spinal manipulation for back pain * Commentary Br. J. Sports Med., June 1, 2003; 37(3): 195 - 196. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 L. S. Williams and J. Biller Vertebrobasilar dissection and cervical spine manipulation A complex pain in the neck Neurology, May 13, 2003; 60(9): 1408 - 1409. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. Smith and L. Carber Chiropractic Health Care in Health Professional Shortage Areas in the United States Am J Public Health, December 1, 2002; 92(12): 2001 - 2009. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. L. Fredrickson Chiropractic Ann Intern Med, October 15, 2002; 137(8): W1 - W1. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. Ernst Chiropractic Ann Intern Med, October 15, 2002; 137(8): 701 - 701. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. A. Chotkowski Chiropractic Ann Intern Med, October 15, 2002; 137(8): 702 - 702. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. J. Fink Chiropractic Ann Intern Med, October 15, 2002; 137(8): 701 - 701. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. Ernst Chiropractic Care: Attempting a Risk-Benefit Analysis Am J Public Health, October 1, 2002; 92(10): 1603 - 1604. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. Markman Safety Issues in Using Complementary and Alternative Medicine J. Clin. Oncol., September 15, 2002; 20(90001): 39s - 41. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
Article
