With over 50,000 practitioners, Chiropractic is the third largest health profession, used by 15 to 20 million Americans. Chiropractors, also known as Chiropractic physicians, diagnose and treat patients whose health problems are associated with the body's muscular, nervous, and skeletal systems, especially the spine. Chiropractors believe interference with these systems impairs normal functions and lowers resistance to disease. They also hold that spinal or vertebral dysfunction alters many important body functions by affecting the nervous system.

The chiropractic approach to health care is holistic, stressing the patient's overall well-being. It recognizes that many factors affect health, including exercise, diet, rest, environment, and physical stress. Chiropractors use natural, drugless, non-surgical health treatments, and rely on the body's inherent recuperative abilities. They also recommend lifestyle changes - in eating, exercise, and sleeping habits, for example - to their patients. When appropriate, chiropractors consult with and refer patients to other health practitioners.

Chiropractic Adjustments
Chiropractic adjustments allow your spine to function the way nature intended. Nerves that connect your brain with every cell in your body, exit the spinal cord through openings between each vertebrae of the spine. If the spine is not functioning properly or is misaligned (subluxated) pressure (interference) is placed on these nerves. This in turn causes the nerves to send mixed communications between your brain and muscles, organs, and tissues of the body...which in turn causes numerous symptoms, aches, pains, etc. When chiropractic adjustments realign the vertebrae taking pressure off the nerves your body can heal itself naturally from illness and injury.

Chiropractic Education
The Doctor of Chiropractic is a highly trained health practitioner. In North Carolina, chiropractors are required to have a bachelor's degree prior to entering chiropractic school. Chiropractic college is a 5-year program, with one year being devoted to a clinical internship. Below is a graph comparing the amount of instructional hours chiropractors and medical doctors receive in various subjects. Chiropractors are licensed by all 50 states. They have to pass a 4-part national board test in order to be licensed. North Carolina also requires that all of its chiropractors receive 24 hours of continuing education per year in order to maintain their licenses.

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