Chiropractors

For purposes of choosing a chiropractor, you only need to understand that all chiropractic care falls into three general categories: straight, mixing, and allopathic chiropractic.

The terms straight and mixing have been used to describe two traditional schools of chiropractic thought. Allopathic chiropractic is used to describe a more recent direction some practitioners have taken. Straight or "subluxation-based" chiropractic is most closely related to the original premises of B. J. Palmer. It regards subluxations of the spine as one of the primary causes of ill health in the body, and its practitioners focus very closely on using the chiropractic adjustment to eliminate subluxations and restore the flow of Innate Intelligence. Subluxation-based chiropractors offer adjustments as their specialty. They may recommend that their patients receive massage or physical therapy to support the effects of adjustments, but they will not usually expand their practice beyond these areas. The straight school of chiropractic believes that the body has the ability to heal itself with the least amount of intervention. "All we do is adjust the bone, remove the nerve interference, and then allow the body to heal," they say. "We simply adjust the subluxation and then let the body take care of the rest. The more precise the adjustment, the greater the benefit." Subluxation-based chiropractors consider that they have a focused scope of practice, and their expertise is in adjusting the spine. Although they believe the health benefits of this focused approach are widespread, they do not offer themselves as a replacement for traditional medical care.

Mixing chiropractic, on the other hand, refers to those practitioners who choose to perform additional services for their patients beyond adjustments. A more modern and descriptive term for these chiropractors would be "broad scope" practitioners. A broad scope chiropractor asserts that while treatment of subluxation may still form the primary treatment of a patient, there are other modalities that can support the correction of the subluxation and the healing process. Broad scope chiropractors often draw upon a wide range of alternative and conventional medical techniques as part of their practice. Some of them offer medical diagnosis, iridology, homeopathy, naturopathy, massage, nutritional counseling, and sometimes even emotional and behavioral support. If you choose a broad scope chiropractor, you may receive another kind of treatment in addition to, and sometimes instead of, an adjustment. Correction of subluxation is only one modality among a number of other therapies. But all broad scope chiropractic treatments still aim to restore the health of the body naturally. This approach offers a one-stop option for the patient and is often viewed by the practitioner as a replacement for traditional medical care.