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In this era of living
longer, living better, and understanding the role
that both body and mind play in health care, chiropractic
has truly come of age. Teaching that the health
of the spine is essential to the health of a person,
and through a healthier spine comes a healthier
mind/body relationship, chiropractic colleges
offer an exciting and unique healthcare and career
opportunity.
 Chiropractic
has been international from the beginning. Daniel
David Palmer, who was born in Canada, discovered
the basic principle of chiropractic in Iowa, USA
in 1895. From the outset, students came from all
over the world to study this innovative contribution
to healthcare, and to take this knowledge to the
four corners of the globe.
Chiropractic care, by removing interference
caused by a misaligned spine bone (vertebra) that
interrupts communication between the brain and
the body, offers a person greater awareness of
their own potential, and the help necessary to
reach that potential.
The brain and the nerve system assemble
and transmit information necessary to ensure the
proper coordination of the body. The spinal system,
consisting of the vertebrae, the spinal cord,
and the spinal nerves which exit through holes
in the sides of the vertebrae, carry this information
from the brain to all parts of the body.
The anatomy of the body is magnificent
in design, with all parts engineered to work efficiently.
The nerve system is the communication network
of the body. When this communication system is
functioning properly, the body works in a coordinated
manner. The proper position, or alignment, of
the vertebrae is integral to this communication.
The misalignment of even one of the vertebrae
could cause pressure on the spinal cord or small
spinal nerves. This interference - called a vertebral
subluxation - causes an alteration of body function
that lessens the body's ability to maintain its
own health. Adjusting subluxated vertebrae to
their proper position helps to restore the body's
internal harmony.
Most of the chiropractors in the
world today have earned their doctor of chiropractic
degrees in North America. To attend North American
chiropractic colleges, a student must have completed
the equivalent of 60 United States undergraduate
semester hours at a liberal arts or science college.
The chiropractic curriculum is a minimum of four
and a half years, or approximately 4600 classroom
hours, and is designed to offer, in sequence,
all the courses pertinent to a complete chiropractic
education.
The Immigration and Naturalization
Service has approved all eighteen chiropractic
colleges in North America to issue Form I20AB,
which is necessary to obtain a student visa. International
scholarships are also available for students who
qualify. The study of chiropractic not only teaches
how to safely and gently restore the misaligned
vertebrae to their proper position, it also teaches
how to take and read x-rays. It develops the art
of spinal palpation and incorporates the biological
and clinical sciences necessary to assume the
role of a primary health care provider. Upon completion
of the program, the student is awarded the doctor
of chiropractic degree.
A career in chiropractic allows graduates
to be in charge of their own future. A relatively
young profession, chiropractic abounds in career
opportunities. The majority of graduates joining
the profession enter private or associate practice.
Practicing chiropractic offers the personal satisfaction
of helping individuals achieve a healthier, more
fulfilling life. To help people express more of
their inborn potential is something words alone
cannot describe.
Additionally, each chiropractic
college needs competent educators and chiropractic
researchers. The interest in chiropractic is such
that research projects have been established at
large universities in the United States and other
countries. There are also opportunities to lecture
and write about chiropractic. Thus we see that
chiropractic, founded on a unique healthcare perspective,
leads to a variety of career options, and allows
freedom of location and lifestyle in creating
a life filled with purpose and service. Today,
chiropractic is one of the fastest growing professions
in the world, and offers a career and a future
as dynamic and vital as life itself.
Author
Dr. Janine K. Dobson, from New Zealand,
is a 1982 graduate of Sherman College of Straight
Chiropractic in Spartanburg, South Carolina, U.S.A,
has practiced in both New Zealand and the United
States, has authored numerous articles about chiropractic,
and has lectured both in the United States and
Europe. She has been on the faculty at the Sherman
College of Straight Chiropractic, and currently
works in the college's Institutional Advancement
Office.
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