Happy Birthday!!! 120 Years of Chiropractic

Did you ever wonder how the healing art of Chiropractic got to where it is today?  Where did such a simple concept originate from that it helps millions of people on a daily basis?  Ever wonder why we celebrate Chiropractic’s birthday?

Every year, we learn more and more about how an adjustment helps the body heal itself.  Like all things scientific, our learning has been a progression of learning through trial and error, hypotheses proven and disproven, and artful observation by trained professionals and researchers alike.  But how did Chiropractic begin and who is responsible for thinking of it’s concepts?

On September 18, 2015, Chiropractic celebrates it 120th year.  With humble beginnings Dr. DD Palmer (above, right) delivered the first adjustment to Mr. Harvey Lillard (picture on left), a janitor in Dr. Palmer’s building, who was deaf for 17 years prior to their meeting.  Upon receiving that first adjustment, Mr. Lillard was able to hear again.  Thus the profession of Chiropractic was born.

How did Dr. Palmer devise the Chiropractic concept?  Necessity is the mother of all invention, and he reasoned that by “racking” a “bump” in Mr. Lillard’s neck, he would help restore Mr. Lillard’s hearing.  Mind you, it took a great deal of convincing on Dr. Palmer’s part (maybe you’re familiar with that) to allow him the opportunity to test his idea.

Gratefully, Mr. Lillard agreed and allowed Dr. Palmer to “rack” his “bump”.  We now call these items an “adjustment” and a “subluxation”.  I think we can all agree, that Mr. Lillard was the first Chiropractic miracle.  Over the past 120 years there have been many more “miracles” attributed to Chiropractic adjustments.

Every doctor on the planet agrees that the life in the body allows the body to heal.  While we often shorten this to “the body heals itself”, it is more appropriate to say, “The power that made the body, heals the body.”  This is the original idea that Dr. Palmer ask of himself and was researching; How can I harness the power that heals the body?  From that profound question developed an entirely new profession that has been growing for 120 years.

Thank you for being a part of it all!

Happy Birthday Chiropractic!!