The Chiropractic Point of View

D.D. Palmer, Founder of Chiropractic writes, “The principles which compose the science of chiropractic have existed as long as animals have had backbones.” 

In the mid 1880’s, D.D. Palmer desired to know why some people suffered from symptoms and disease. He wanted to know the difference between two individuals living in the same community and conditions, yet two different physical states of well-being. He desired to learn the differences between two individuals, one who was healthy and one who was sick. He wanted to learn the cause of disease.

The development of the philosophy, science and art of chiropractic were brought on by D.D. Palmer, and were founded on the principles of the body’s physiological functions, not just the study of anatomy or structure.

D.D. Palmer created a new profession from the philosophy of principles relating to well-being or biological life, one that understood the principle of health and well-being and what interfered with normal function.

Early viewpoints on health and well-being centered on the relationship between normal function of the body equating to healthy, and signs of disease in the body equating to unhealthy. In these early viewpoints, health was the non-entity and disease was the entity. Entities and non-entities are a scientific terms to describe things with distinct and independent existence.

For example, darkness is the non-entity and light is the entity. Darkness is only present when light is absent. The manifestation of darkness is only perceivable with the absence of light.

Early viewpoints of health being the non-entity and disease being the entity didn’t suffice: people who had no signs of disease, physical or mental weakness have suffered life ending biological processes. 

D.D. Palmer had a different viewpoint about health and well-being. He proposed that disease is not the entity, but rather a process that has veered away from health, which is the entity. 

For example, if you used light and darkness and health and disease as the entity and non-entity, disease would be the darkness in the room. When you use the dimmer switch to lower the amount of light, which is health, you have more opportunity for disease to manifest or express itself.

D.D. Palmer spent years of research and clinical practice to create a profession with a new viewpoint: disease, or infirmity, being the non-entity and health, or function, the entity. Disease or infirmity are present when health or function are absent. 

When the body creates new cells, tissues and overall well-being through the inner-recuperative power of the body, the coordinated function within the body can take over the location of the altered structure, position or function and drive the emptiness of the infirmity out of the body with new structure, position or function. 

The body innately has an intelligence of self-healing, self-coordination and self-function. The physiology wants to express normal function, it just needs a complete state of structure, position or functional efficiency in order to do so.

Functional efficiency is how your body operates as the entity, and how much vital force is within. 

The modern consensus in the health care world, including the chiropractic profession, is that health or well-being are not related to the absence of disease or symptoms, but rather, are correlated to levels of functional efficiency. 

The Chiropractic Viewpoint on well-being within the human body has a perspective that merges the vitalistic and mechanistic proponents to biological processes. 

The 1948 definition of health by the World Health Organization also agrees with the early teachings of D.D. Palmer: “health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

D.D. Palmer founded this new profession on the viewpoint that biological life within the human body is guided by intelligence, and this principle has existed as long as animals have had backbones.