Chiropractic was founded in 1895 by Daniel David Palmer (D. D. Palmer). Palmer practiced magnetic healing in the rural heartland of the USA, without medical training. By accident or design, he treated a deaf friend to correct a spinal distortion and noted that the man's hearing subsequently improved. Palmer (who had no formal education in science), conceived of a new theory of disease.

1. Peoria Chiropractor | Founder
Chiropractic was founded in 1895 by Daniel David Palmer (D. D. Palmer). Palmer practiced magnetic
healing in the rural heartland of the USA, without medical training. By accident or design, he treated a
deaf friend to correct a spinal distortion and noted that the man's hearing subsequently improved.
Palmer (who had no formal education in science), conceived of a new theory of disease. Taking a
vitalistic approach, he proposed that a misaligned spine might impair the flow of natural 'healing power'
(which he later coined "Innate Intelligence") from mind to body, and named these theoretical
misalignments "subluxations". Speculating that the nerve carried this energy, he considered that
blockage of the nerve might allow 'dis-ease' or disharmony, and that healing might occur if the block
was removed. He later acknowledged, however, that no other adjustment had been able to reproduce
the results of that first adjustment. Today, chiropractors and physicians agree that Chiropractic is not a
treatment for deafness.
Palmer's early methods were not novel; they had been used by bonesetters since the time of
Hippocrates, but he further developed methods of 'cracking' the back which he called spinal
adjustments. He likened his methods to watering a garden, the misaligned spinal joint was like a crimp in
a hose that slows the flow of water: uncrimp the hose, the flow returns, and the garden will flourish.[2]
While chiropractors have mostly abandoned the 'pinched garden hose theory', some still use the
metaphor to explain the concept of subluxations to their patients. Today, chiropractors use several
types of manual therapies and spinal adjustments mostly to treat conditions such as low back pain, neck
pain and headaches. Some no longer use the word subluxation to describe the spinal conditions that
they treat, but most still think that the spine has a role in all health and disease.
Palmer's theories have not been accepted outside chiropractic, but the efficacy of chiropractic for some
conditions has been supported by large studies published in the health science literature. Chiropractic
manipulation (a form of spinal adjustment) relieves back pain as well as conventional treatment with
physical therapy, and patients tend to be more satisfied with chiropractic care (even though chiropractic
care does not include the use of pain-relieving drugs). The overall cost of back pain care is similar for
both types of treatment courses. However, for general medical conditions, like allergy, there is no
agreement that chiropractic is any more efficacious than placebo. Chiropractic treatment of adults (and
especially children) for these general medical conditions has been contentious both within the
profession and between chiropractors and physicians.
There are about 70,000 chiropractors in the USA, 5000 in Canada, 2500 in Australia, 1300 in the UK, and
smaller numbers in about 50 other countries. Some chiropractors specialize in musculoskeletal problems
or sports injuries, others combine chiropractic with physiotherapy, nutrition, exercise, or other
complementary and alternative (CAM) methods. Chiropractors do not prescribe drugs or perform
surgery, and do not recommend 'over-the-counter' medications. They believe that this is the province of
conventional medicine, while their role is to pursue drug-free alternative treatments in an effort to
avoid the need for surgery.