Apr
1
Written by:
Dr. Cherniawski
4/1/2009 1:45 PM
The facts may surprise.
Below are basic science and pre-clinical requirements as reported by 14 chiropractic colleges and by the American Medical Association (AMA).
| Chiropractic |
Subject |
Medicine |
| 366.4 |
Anatomy/Embryology |
184.6 |
| 120.0 |
Biochemistry |
108.4 |
| 197.0 |
Microbiology/Public Health |
155.3 |
| 105.9 |
Cell Biology/Histology |
130.7 |
| 312.8 |
Physical Diagnosis |
200.5 |
| 141.4 |
Neuroscience |
114.0 |
| 561.2 |
Physiology/Pathology |
542.3 |
| 66.7 |
Nutrition |
21.5 |
| 29.4 |
Pharmacology |
99.0 |
| 1,900.8 |
Total Hours |
1,556.3 |
It is clear that chiropractic students receive more classroom instruction than medical students. Chiropractic colleges require an undergraduate degree to begin courses, approximately 600 hours of externship for graduation, and passing scores on national board exams for licensure. In addition, doctors of chiropractic (D.C.) must meet individual state requirements before beginning practice and for continuing education.
Their extensive education allows doctors of chiropractic to treat a wide range of health problems without drugs or surgery. Problems include headache, back and joint pain, allergies, digestive problems, and sleeping problems. Many doctors also specialize in areas such as nutrition, sports injuries, stress management, weight loss, and pediatrics.
Doctors of chiropractic are the only health care professionals who specialize in treating areas of imbalance especially as they relate to the nervous system (the brain, spine, and nerves) which controls and coordinates all other organs and tissues of the body. Misalignments of the spine or pressure on nerves can cause trouble anywhere in the body. For example, proper digestion requires proper communication between the brain and the stomach via the spine and nerves. A misalignment of the spine or pressure on the nerves prevents proper communication and can lead to ulcers, heartburn, or other digestive problems.
Many healthcare professionals can diagnose a health problem. If the cause of the problem falls in the realm of chiropractic, only a chiropractor has training to diagnose and treat it.