The idea of pulling an aching tooth as a first resort seems absurd by today’s standards. The fact that the American Medical Association (AMA) spent eight decades attempting to destroy Chiropractic sounds just as ludicrous. The AMA attacked Chiropractic care by planting seeds of scrutiny in the minds of many potential patients. Medical doctors did not want patients to discover preventative health care that freed people from the shackles of drugs and pharmaceutical solutions. The AMA manufactured lies and false claims against both Chiropractic and the highly educated doctors practicing the profession. The AMA saw such a threat to profits and medical expenditures that the organization actually attempted to destroy the existence of Chiropractic. Common sense dictates that any movement not based on truth and society’s best interest will eventually die on its own. Chiropractic refused to die, instead becoming stronger and with more and more people seeking optimal health care through the restorative power of the body. The AMA resorted to lies and even petty name calling as a means of preventing the growth and success of Chiropractic to such an extent that the United States Supreme Court issued a statement confirming the underhanded decisions of the medical field.

On August 27, 1987, Federal Judge Susan Getzendanner of the U.S. District Court found the American Medical Association (AMA), the American College of Surgeons, and the American College of Radiologists guilty of “conspiring to destroy the profession of Chiropractic.”

The decision proved a victory for Chiropractic, but the profession needed to overcome plenty of damage. People across the country heard negative and derogatory hearsay from uneducated medical professionals who feared a health care option they could not control. Thirty years later finds Chiropractic thriving while striving to reach those who might still misunderstand the power of a properly functioning spine and nervous system when fighting disease and bodily decay. Chiropractors continue to utilize a combination of 120 years of science and results to educate every patient that walks through the door in hopes of a health care solution not tied to drugs and surgery. Chiropractic now represents the second largest health care choice in the world and the largest drug free health provider available to the public. Any movement driven by truth and results can withstand adversity and come out stronger on the other side. Millions of people who benefit from an adjustment’s positive influence on brain function, hormones, and human performance continue to testify to the success and bright future of Chiropractic.

Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy November 2009

(38) pp. 166-175

“The intermedius nucleus of the medulla: A potential site for the integration of cervical information and the generation of autonomic responses.”

Edwards, Ian J., Deuchars, Susan A., Deuchars, Jim.