Today’s date marks 116 years since the first chiropractic adjustment was given in Davenport, Iowa. On September 18, 1895, it was Daniel David Palmer (the Father of Chiropractic) making a hands on healing connection and curing a deaf janitor named Harvey Lillard. The Ryan building janitor had been plagued by years of deafness following an injury, and the hands-on thrusting and realignment of spinal vertebrae, provided a miracle today known as a chiropractic adjustment.

The following arrived the other day via email. The person’s name has been excluded, but I felt this topic should be addressed publicly, as it may help more than one person make a conscious and educated decision about a career in chiropractic.

Effective, well-documented care exists for the most common spinal disorders, yet nearly 87% of all Americans who have subluxations fail to seek chiropractic care, according to the first ever Surgeon General’s Report on Chiropractic. The report, commissioned by the Health and Human Services Secretary, focuses on the connection between spinal health and overall health, barriers to receiving chiropractic, and the specific issues of children, adults, and the elderly.