 Modern chiropractic, marks its beginnings in the late 1800s when Daniel David Palmer, a self-educated teacher and healer, performed the first spinal adjustment on a patient. That patient was Harvey Lillard, a janitor who worked in Palmer's building. Lillard was almost completely deaf, and mentioned to Palmer that he lost his hearing many years ago when he was bending over and felt a "pop" in his upper back. Palmer was quite knowledgeable in anatomy and very interested in how the spine interacts with the rest of the body's systems. He felt strongly that the two events - the "popping" in Lillard's back and his deafness - must somehow be related. He examined Lillard's spine and found that one of his vertebrae was misaligned. After applying slight pressure, Palmer returned Lillard's vertebra to the correct position and an amazing event occurred - Lillard's hearing was restored! This procedure has become known as a chiropractic adjustment.
Although he never used drugs, under Palmer's care fevers broke, pain ended, infections healed, vision improved, stomach disorders disappeared, and of course, hearing returned.
Often surprised at the effectiveness of his adjustments, D.D. Palmer returned to his studies of anatomy and physiology to learn more about the vital connection between the spine and one's health.
He realized spinal adjustments to correct vertebral misalignments, or subluxations, were eliminating the nerve interference causing the patients' complaints.
Today, chiropractors are licensed in every state and province with over 56,000 practicing chiropractors in North America alone.
While the practice of chiropractic has come a long way since it's beginnings, its basic philosophies remain the same: the nervous system is involved in all bodily functions and a healthy nervous system is key to wellness. Disorders of the bones and muscles of the spine can cause interference in this delicate communications system and increases the risk of disease and other health problems. Diagnosing and eliminating this interference restores health.
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