Many think of chiropractic medicine as a very new discovery due to the growth of chiropractic offices and the increase in public familiarity over recent decades. While it’s true that chiropractic has lately evolved by leaps and bounds, the idea of the spine being the key to health goes back millennia.
In fact, Hippocrates, one of the ancient Greek “fathers of medicine,” said, “Look well to the spine for the cause of disease.” Even before the discovery of the new world, the basis for modern chiropractic medicine was recognized as a legitimate cause for all sorts of disease, pain and dysfunction.
Modern Chiropractic
The vast majority of historians credit Daniel David Palmer for the founding of contemporary chiropractic medicine in 1895. Palmer originated chiropractic with a simple hypothesis – that a visibly misaligned vertebra in his janitor was connected to the man’s hearing loss. Sure enough, the janitor’s hearing was restored upon Palmer’s correction of the misalignment. This initial success started Palmer upon his path of researching and teaching chiropractic methods.
BJ Palmer
Palmer’s work was continued and expanded by his son, BJ. The younger Palmer became the “Developer” of chiropractic, founding many schools and instructing thousands of new chiropractors throughout the first half of the twentieth century. Under BJ, chiropractic became more open to scientific techniques, such as the use of x-rays. His goal was to bring legitimacy and respectability to the new field of chiropractic by refining both treatment and diagnostic methods.
Clarence Gonstead
Dr. Clarence Gonstead led a revival of chiropractic medicine throughout the 1960s and 70s. Prior to this, chiropractors had frequently suffered attack from the medical establishment with claims of charlatanism. Gonstead fought against this with the development of his Gonstead Technique, a method that used modern scientific principles and technology to accurately diagnose and treat patients. In particular, Gonstead used several devices, such as x-rays and the Nervoscope, to precisely locate spinal misalignments, or subluxations. Dr. Gonstead was also a strong advocate of treating only the exact areas of subluxation, rather than adjusting the entire spine without evidence.
Today, Dr. Grimes continues to use the Gonstead Technique to provide healing, pain relief and a better quality of life to his patients.
For expert family chiropractic care, contact Grimes Family Chiropractic in Las Vegas. Call us at (702) 233-2372 or contact us via our webpage.
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