The following is a sample of some research studies which prove the cost effectiveness of Chiropractic treatment:

Manga, Pran. "Enhanced Chiropractic coverage under OHIP ( Ontario Health Insurance Plan) as a Means for Reducing Health Care Costs, Attaining Better Health Outcomes and Achieving Equitable Access to Health Services." Report to the Ontario Ministry of Health, 1998.

This study demonstrates the ways in which individuals in Ontario are deterred from the use of Chiropractic care because it is not covered under OHIP. Greater Chiropractic coverage under OHIP would result in a greater number of individuals visiting chiropractors and going more often. The study shows that despite increased visits to DCs, this would result in net savings in both direct and indirect costs. It is very costly to manage neuromusculoskeletal disorders using traditional medicine. If individuals were able to visit chiropractors under OHIP, a great deal of money would be saved by the government. Direct savings for Ontario 's healthcare system could be as much as $770 million and at the very least $380 million.

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Numerous studies throughout the world have shown that Chiropractic treatment, including manipulative therapy and spinal adjustment, is both safe and effective. Many other studies have shown that Chiropractic care contains costs and get workers back on the job in less time than other treatments. The following are excerpts from a few of the more recent studies:

For Acute Low-Back Problems:

"For patients with acute low-back symptoms without radiculopathy, the scientific evidence suggests spinal manipulation is effective in reducing pain and perhaps speeding recovery within the first month of symptoms." - Clinical Practice Guidelines, AHCPR (1994)

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As a profession, the primary belief is in natural and conservative methods of health care. Doctors of Chiropractic have a deep respect for the human body's ability to heal itself without the use of surgery or medication. These Doctors devote careful attention to the biomechanics, structure and function of the spine, its effects on the musculoskeletal and neurological systems, and the role played by the proper function of these systems in the preservation and restoration of health. A Doctor of Chiropractic is one who is involved in the treatment and prevention of disease, as well as the promotion of public health, and a wellness approach to patient healthcare.

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The proper title for a Doctor of Chiropractic is "Doctor" as they are considered physicians under Medicare and in the overwhelming majority of states. The professional credentials abbreviation "D.C." means Doctor of Chiropractic. The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) also advocates in its Policies on Public Health that DCs may be referred to as (Chiropractic) physicians as well.

Doctors of Chiropractic must complete four to five years at an accredited Chiropractic college. The complete curriculum includes a minimum of 4,200 hours of classroom, laboratory and clinical experience. Approximately 555 hours are devoted to learning about adjustive techniques and spinal analysis in Chiropractic college. In medical schools, training to become proficient in manipulation is generally not required of, or offered to, students. The Council on Chiropractic Education requires that students have 90 hours of undergraduate courses with science as the focus.

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The roots of Chiropractic care can be traced all the way back to the beginning of recorded time. Writings from China and Greece written in 2700 B.C. and 1500 B.C. mention spinal manipulation and the maneuvering of the lower extremities to ease low back pain. Hippocrates, the Greek physician, who lived from 460 to 357 B.C., published texts detailing the importance of Chiropractic care. In one of his writings he declares, "Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases."

In the United States , the practice of spinal manipulation began gaining momentum in the late nineteenth century. In 1895, Daniel David Palmer founded the Chiropractic profession in Davenport, Iowa . Palmer was well read in the medical journals of his time and had great knowledge of the developments in anatomy and physiology which were occurring throughout the world. In 1897, Daniel David Palmer went on to found the Palmer School of Chiropractic, which is still in existence today.

Throughout the twentieth century, Doctors of Chiropractic gained legal recognition in all fifty states. A continuing recognition and respect for the Chiropractic profession in the United States has led to growing support for Chiropractic care all over the world. The research that has emerged has yielded incredibly influential results, which have changed, shaped and molded perceptions of Chiropractic care. The 1979 report, Chiropractic in New Zealand , strongly supported the efficacy of Chiropractic care and elicited medical cooperation in conjunction with Chiropractic care. The 1993 Manga study published in Canada investigated the cost effectiveness of Chiropractic care. The results of this study concluded that Chiropractic care would save hundreds of millions of dollars annually with regard to work disability payments and direct health care costs.

Doctors of Chiropractic have become pioneers in the field of non-invasive care promoting science-based approaches to a variety of ailments. A continuing dedication to Chiropractic research could lead to even more discoveries in preventing and combating maladies in future years.

Chiropractic is a branch of the healing arts which is concerned with human health and disease. Doctors of Chiropractic are physicians who consider man as an integrated being and give special attention to the physiological and biochemical aspects including structural, spinal, musculoskeletal, neurological, vascular, nutritional, emotional and environmental relationships.

The practice and procedures which may be employed by Doctors of Chiropractic are based on the academic and clinical training received in and through accredited Chiropractic colleges and include, but are not limited to, the use of current diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Such procedures specifically include the adjustment and manipulation of the spinal column and adjacent tissues.

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