The History of ChiropracTIC

The first Chiropractic Adjustment was given in 1895 by a hands-on healer named Daniel David Palmer - or "D. D." for short.

The first person to receive a chiropractic adjustment was named Harvey Lillard and worked for D. D.  Mr. Lillard had become deaf after working in a stooped and cramped position. D. D. deduced that if he examined Mr. Lillard's neck and was able to correct whatever had happened that Mr. Lillard might regain his hearing. This is exactly what happened. Since the very beginning chiropractic has not been about bad backs or bad necks, it's been about improving function.

D. D. reasoned that within each of us is an abundance of healing energy and wisdom, which he called "Innate Intelligence." The information and directions sent by our Innate Intelligence is carried along nerve pathways. By correcting subluxations along the spine, nerve pressure is relieved and the nerves begin to function at a higher level. When your Innate Intelligence is able to communicate well from brain to body and body to brain you function more effectively, thus allowing the inner wisdom and healing energy to perform optimally.

At the time that Chiropractic was discovered there was no dominant health care system in the country. The practice of medicine was very primitive as there were no anesthetics, antibiotics, or many of the drugs used commonly today. Even common practices of sanitation such as hand washing were not practiced regularly by surgeons. The most common form of treatment for symptoms and disease was homeopathy.

People were faced with many mysteries about life and health. D. D. wondered:
"Why do people get sick?"
"Why do some people get well?"
"Why in the same house can one person get sick and others remain healthy?"
"Where does health come from?"

D. D. wrote that Chiropractic is founded on "tone", and dis-ease in the body is created by abnormal tone, or vibration, of nerves. The chiropractic adjustment is designed to restore normal tone and function to the body and allow the Innate Intelligence to coordinate bodily functions more efficiently and effectively.

D. D. deduced that there is an Innate healing force within all of us. This Innate Intelligence constantly strives for our well being and highest function. The messages of our Innate Intelligence flows through nerve pathways. When we hold distortions in our bodies from trauma, chemical stress (toxins), and/or mental/emotional stresses the messages from our Innate Intelligence become compromised. This leads to body dis-ease and a reduction in health.

D. D.'s son, Bartlet Joshua Palmer or "B. J.", continued to develop Chiropractic science, art and philosophy. B. J. had a very colorful life and was a tireless advocate for Chiropractic. B. J. was an innovator in early radio and television broadcast because he saw them as effective tools to spread the chiropractic message. He also employed many new technologies to help chiropractors do a better job. Thanks to B. J., Chiropractic was the first health care profession to use X-rays for analytical purposes. B. J. took his father's ideas and advanced them through research and advertising to expand the impact of chiropractic from one clinic and school in Davenport, Iowa to a global health care discipline.

Throughout the decades, D. D.'s ideas and thoughts have shown to be way ahead of their time. Modern discoveries in fields as diverse as cellular biology, to quantum physics, support D.D.'s concept of Innate Intelligence and tone as being the primary sources of life and health. While D.D. Palmer suffered many criticisms in his time, including being jailed for "practicing medicine without a license", today the majority of information about how the body works and how we heal is in agreement with D.D. Palmer's earliest ideas of Chiropractic.