Chiropractor – the opportunities and the industry landscape and benefits to the society and the individual

Chiropractic is a branch of medicine and health care that deals with health practices, disease control, skeleton, bone and nervous system. It is an alternative medicine for many ailments. It was founded by Palmer in early 1890s and his son expanded the knowledge to several parts of the world. The practitioners of chiropractors are doctors of chiropractors or physicians who diagnose various diseases and treat problems on nervous system, musculoskeletal system and general health. This approach mainly focuses on overall health of a patient. The advantage of chiropractor is that it provides natural care. It is a drugless vaccination and a nonsurgical health treatment which will not be prone to any side effects hence forth.

The complete body is tested using X-rays to diagnose a patient’s health problems. The complete health history is studied to get a better picture of the body. The most commonly observed practices during chiropractor are therapies using light, water, heat, massage, acupuncture and ultrasound with varying amounts of electric currents. Chiropractors are also specialized in injuries which occur during sports, accidents, fire, water, natural calamities, neurology, internal disorders, nutrition lacking, pediatrics, etc. Chiropractic doctors work on an average for 40 hours per week and normally work in a group.

In order to be qualified as a chiropractor doctor, one needs to undertake the chiropractic course which is minimum of 4,200 combined hours of classroom including laboratory and clinical experience. The subject matter includes public health, microbiology, pathology, and biochemistry. Licenses are granted for those who complete the course successfully. Some states in US have agreements to obtain chiropractic license. There were roughly 50,000 jobs in this field in 2008 in US. There are many chiropractors located in groups and small communities. Approximately 45% of chiropractors are self employed but still prefer to work in groups as it mutually benefits them. On an average, chiropractors earn about $65,000 per year. Salaried ones receive health and general insurance form their employers. One should be able to choose chiropractor based on experience in the relevant field.