Doctors of Chiropractic (DC) are sometimes mistakenly thought of as “pseudo doctors.” Though this reputation is earned by some DCs (there’s bad ones in every profession), this is largely a misconception.
Why such a perception? Lasting bias still hangs on after the illegal acts committed by the AMA trying to eliminate the chiropractic profession, a bias that has been resistant to change. In September 25, 1987, a U.S. Federal judge ruled that the AMA was guilty of conspiracy. Since then, Chiropractors have become increasingly accepted by the public, but misconceptions about what a DC is still abound.
DCs are one of many specialists in the field of medicine, and often have great working relationships with neurologists, spine surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, and primary care MD’s.
Chiropractors are real doctors. Take a look at how their hours of education compare to MD’s:
Average Minimum Required Classroom Instruction Hours During 1st two pre-clinical years *
| Chiropractic College | Traditional Medical School | |
| 366.4 | Anatomy/Embryology. | 184.6 |
| 561.2 | Physiology/Pathology | 542.3 |
| 197 | Microbiology/Public Health/Biostatistics | 155.3 |
| 312.8 | Physical Diagnosis/Clinical Medicine | 200.5 |
| 141.4 | Neuroscience | 114 |
| 105.9 | Cell biology/Histology | 130.7 |
| 66.7 | Nutrition | 21.5 |
| 29.4 | Pharmacology | 99 |
| 1900.8 | Average Hours for 1st two years | 1556.3 |
Chiropractors are primary care physicians, able to diagnose any disease. The difference is that MD’s will put more hours into pharmaceuticals and surgery, while DCs put them into adjusting.
Of course more school hours does not mean better doctors. It is up to the individual Chiropractor to be the best doctor they can be. The point is that Chiropractors are given more than enough training to make them competent doctors.
Good Information.
Thanks for the great information and “revelation” about a Doctor of Chiropractic’s education and training. My Dad had a “bad” chiropractor, that left a bad impression on my family. Later in life, while i was attending a “Mommy & Me” class, with my new baby girl, the instructor/leader mentioned that her Chiropractor had worked a small and gentle manipulation on her daughter to correct her cholic. My daughter never had cholic, but i recommended it to many friends, and the response was always great!
As you say, there are “bad eggs” in every profession. People need to do their homework, go by personal recommendations, and make educated choices. 🙂