“CAN YOU HEAR ME? I SAID…. CAN YOU HEAR ME?” Yes, actually, I can now hear you!! THAT, my friends, is how Chiropractic came into existence. One single adjustment, on that single day, changed history.
It wasn’t from a person suffering with back pain or neck pain. It was an adjustment given by DD palmer to restore a man’s hearing. His name was Harvey Lilliard, and this story happened on September 18th, 1895 in Davenport, IA. With that very first adjustment, the rest is history and the chiropractic profession was born! Soon after the very first school, Palmer College of Chiropractic, was opened by DD Palmer in 1897.
Just last month I was back at Palmer College, my very Alma Mater. I have such a respect for the history of chiropractic and had an amazing visit that ended with a tour of BJ palmer’s mansion, the son of DD Palmer and the man who developed chiropractic. Hundreds of Chiropractors actually went to jail, some multiple times, for “practicing medicine without a license”. Thanks to their sacrifices, we today can practice chiropractic the way it was intended. It is our mission and purpose on this planet to continue to share chiropractic with the masses. See, we are up against giants. When I say this, I don’t mean Chiropractic VS. Medicine: we are not for or against medicine; it actually just has nothing to do with what we do. I would love for everyone in the world to know that! What we are up against is people thinking that all we do is treat low back pain. That is our biggest enemy. Not enemy in a bad way, but I want to enlighten them! We have such a bigger purpose! Miracles have happened in our office and THAT is what we want people to know! The power that happens after a chiropractic adjustment still, to this day, amazes me.
The sole purpose of what Chiropractic aims to do is RESTORE normal function. When the body lacks the ability to adapt to its environment, the body can’t function the way it was designed. When we RESTORE normal function and the body works the way it was designed to, we see MASSIVE changes! Migraines stop, seizures become nonexistent, fibromyalgia symptoms improve, multiple sclerosis into remission, blood pressure normalizes, asthma improves, anxiety GONE, and so on. Not because the adjustment makes it go away or cures it; because the body can now normalize and work as it was intended.
Does low back pain improve when we restore normal function? YES! But should we limit who we care for by treating a symptom? Of course not! As BJ Palmer said,
“The beauty of Chiropractic is that it works with natural means. It puts nothing new into the body, nor does it take away any natural gland or organ. Chiropractic simply releases life forces within the body, sets free rivulets of energy over nerves, and lets nature do her work in a normal manner.”
As we celebrate the very first chiropractic adjustment and show gratitude to those who sacrificed their “freedom” to practice chiropractic, let’s celebrate what chiropractic really does; “works with natural means to work in a normal manner”. How beautiful is that? This week we celebrate YOU; the best practice members in the world, because you all allow us to do what we love and let us call it a “job”.
As BJ says,
“I love you because you love the things I love”
Happy Birthday Chiropractic!
