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Here I'll include a short description of the contents of this website as it relates to Doctor T. Shane Palmer, Chiropractic
Forensic Examiner.
Chiropractic (from Greek chiros and praktikos meaning "done by hand") is an alternative health care profession whose
purpose is to diagnose and treat mechanical disorders of the spine and musculoskeletal system with the intention of affecting
the nervous system and improving health. It is based on the premise that a spinal joint dysfunction can interfere with the
nervous system and result in many different conditions of diminished health. While some chiropractors use the term vertebral
subluxation to describe what they treat, others have dropped this concept and concentrate mostly on the musculoskeletal components
of spinal injury and rehabilitation of the spine. In contrast, the term subluxation as used in conventional medicine is usually
associated with specific conditions which are a direct consequence of injury to joints or associated nerves.
Chiropractic treatments vary depending on the patient's condition and the type of approach taken by the particular chiropractor.
They commonly include spinal adjustments, although other interventions may be used as well.
Today there are four main groups of chiropractors: "traditional straights", "objective straights",
"mixers", and "reform". All groups, except reform, treat patients using a subluxation-based system. Differences
are based on the philosophy for adjusting, claims made about the effects of those adjustments, and various additional treatments
provided along with the adjustment.
Chiropractic was founded in 1895 by D. D. Palmer in the USA, and it is now practiced in more than 100 countries. Since
its inception, Chiropractic has been the subject of controversy, criticism, and outright attacks regarding the metaphysical
approach that the early profession had taken. This same criticism may well have been the catalyst that allowed some within
the profession to take a more neuromuscular approach in their educational standards (see Council on Chiropractic Education),
leading them away from the more metaphysical explanations of their predecessors..
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