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Chiropractic
A Dynamic and Vital Career
In this era of living longer, living better,
and understanding the role that both body and mind play in
health care, chiropractic has truly come of age. Teaching
that the health of the spine is essential to the health of
a person, and through a healthier spine comes a healthier
mind/body relationship, chiropractic is an exciting and unique
healthcare and career opportunity.
 Chiropractic
has been international from the beginning. Daniel David Palmer,
who was born in Canada, discovered the basic principle of
chiropractic in Iowa, USA in 1895. From the outset, students
came from all over the world to study this innovative contribution
to healthcare, and to take this knowledge to the four corners
of the globe.
Chiropractic care, by removing interference caused by a misaligned
spine bone (vertebra) that interrupts communication between
the brain and the body, offers a person greater awareness
of their own potential, and the help necessary to reach that
potential.
The brain and the nerve system assemble and transmit information
necessary to ensure the proper coordination of the body. The
spinal system, consisting of the vertebrae, the spinal cord,
and the spinal nerves which exit through holes in the sides
of the vertebrae, carry this information from the brain to
all parts of the body.
The anatomy of the body is magnificent in design, with all
parts engineered to work efficiently. The nerve system is
the communication network of the body. When this communication
system is functioning properly, the body works in a coordinated
manner. The proper position, or alignment, of the vertebrae
is integral to this communication. The misalignment of even
one of the vertebrae could cause pressure on the spinal cord
or small spinal nerves. This interference - called a vertebral
subluxation - causes an alteration of body function that lessens
the body's ability to maintain its own health. Adjusting subluxated
vertebrae to their proper position helps to restore the body's
internal harmony.
Most of the chiropractors in the world today have earned
their doctor of chiropractic degrees in North America. To
attend a North American chiropractic college, a student must
have completed the equivalent of 60 United States undergraduate
semester hours at a liberal arts or science college. The chiropractic
curriculum is a minimum of four and a half years, or approximately
4600 classroom hours, and is designed to offer, in sequence,
all the courses pertinent to a complete chiropractic education.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service has approved all
eighteen chiropractic colleges in North America to issue Form
I20AB, which is necessary to obtain a student visa. International
scholarships are also available for students who qualify.
The study of chiropractic not only teaches how to safely and
gently restore the misaligned vertebrae to their proper position,
it also teaches how to take and read x-rays. It develops the
art of spinal palpation and incorporates the biological and
clinical sciences necessary to assume the role of a primary
health care provider. Upon completion of the program, the
student is awarded the doctor of chiropractic degree.
A career in chiropractic allows graduates to be in charge
of their own future. A relatively young profession, chiropractic
abounds in career opportunities. The majority of graduates
joining the profession enter private or associate practice.
Practicing chiropractic offers the personal satisfaction of
helping individuals achieve a healthier, more fulfilling life.
To help people express more of their inborn potential is something
words alone cannot describe.
Additionally, each chiropractic college needs competent educators
and chiropractic researchers. The interest in chiropractic
is such that research projects have been established at large
universities in the United States and other countries. There
are also opportunities to lecture and write about chiropractic.
Thus we see that chiropractic, founded on a unique healthcare
perspective, leads to a variety of career options, and allows
freedom of location and lifestyle in creating a life filled
with purpose and service. Today, chiropractic is one of the
fastest growing professions in the world, and offers a career
and a future as dynamic and vital as life itself.
Author
Dr. Janine K. Dobson, from New Zealand, is a
1982 graduate of Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic
in Spartanburg, South Carolina, U.S.A, has practiced in both
New Zealand and the United States, has authored numerous articles
about chiropractic, and has lectured both in the United States
and Europe. She has been on the faculty at the Sherman College
of Straight Chiropractic, and currently works in the college's
Institutional Advancement Office.
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