Chiropractic and Public Health

This article caught my eye: “Why Public Health Matters“.

Mostly we don’t think about Public Health per se. It’s just there. And yet it has such huge ramifications to most aspects of our lives. I remember as a Chiropractic student learning about water purification and the safe slaughtering of cattle; those were just the field trips. And even then I wondered what relevance this had to my future avocation as a Doctor of Chiropractic.

This article brought it all back. It also reinforced the necessity of seeing the bigger picture. “Public health is prevention, treatment and mitigation, and chiropractors are involved intimately.”
This is where I and my profession are coming from:

Reduction of incidence, prevalence, morbidity and mortality are critical components of public health concepts of wellness, and are equally important to chiropractic practice. Prevention can reduce the incidence of a given disease or condition, treatment may reduce the prevalence of a disease or condition, and intervention may limit the morbidity or the mortality associated with a chronic condition. Chiropractors often try to use these concepts with their patients. Physical activity and nutritional guidelines may be given to a patient to attempt to prevent episodes of back pain or overcome a current pain episode. Ongoing care may be provided to limit or control chronic back pain while striving to improve activities of daily living. These are public health roles.

So when you think about health and public health, think about Chiropractic. It’s all about prevention of dis-ease by keeping things working properly without interference.

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2. Back Care Myths IV – Rest
3. Chiropractic a profession, not a technique.
4. Invest in your health
5. What exactly is Chiropractic medicine?