It’s that time of year again—family gatherings and good times ahead! But if your family is anything like mine, there’s always that one person. You know the one I’m talking about: all the facts, zero clue.
Well, this week, I thought I’d help you be “that person” with some fun facts about chiropractic to share, alongside your tales of great times at Epoch this year.
Here are my Top 5 Chiropractic Facts for you:
Did you know the first chiropractic adjustment was delivered in 1895 in Davenport, Iowa? And no, it wasn’t for back pain.
The first adjustment was performed by D.D. Palmer, a magnetic healer, on his janitor, Harvey Lillard. After the adjustment, his janitor, who was deaf, could once again “hear the horses on the cobbles outside.”
Yes, you read that right—the first chiropractic adjustment restored hearing.
Yes, chiropractic is a little different, but things got quite heated in the 1980s. The Rockefeller Institute published an agenda to “eradicate and eliminate the practice of chiropractic worldwide.”
This led to intense pressure on the profession and gave rise to the heavy use of the term “quack.” Fortunately, a landmark court case—Wilks v. the American Medical Association—changed everything. Wilks won, and chiropractic thrives to this day.
Herbert Ross Reaver, a chiropractor in the early 1900s, earned the title of the “most jailed chiropractor.”
Why? Chiropractors were often charged with “practicing medicine without a license.” These brave professionals defended themselves by asserting that, although they were helping sick people heal, they were not practicing medicine and were therefore not breaking the law.
Records show hundreds of patients showing up at courthouses in support, and it’s said that chiropractors continued adjusting their fellow inmates while serving time.
At the base of your skull, there’s an opening called the foramen magnum, where the brain stem connects to the spinal cord. This opening leads to the atlas, the first bone of the spine.
In Eastern cultures, this area is referred to as the “Mouth of God” because of its vital role in the body’s overall function.
As a chiropractor, being able to restore alignment here and influence the total health and well-being of a patient is truly amazing.
This term refers to a misalignment of the spine that interferes with nerve communication and reduces the brain’s ability to regulate the body.
Everyone, at some point, is walking around with subluxation without even knowing it—and it’s impacting their health.
If only they knew.
I hope that in my lifetime, everyone has the opportunity to have their spine checked for subluxation and adjusted. This simple step could transform global health.
So, go enjoy your parties, and I challenge you to share some of these facts along the way!
With love,
Tom
