My Future In Chiropractic

I have grown up around chiropractic and my family has always believed in its benefits.
However, as I have gotten older I have come into contact with people who think of it as no
more than a money-making scheme filled with bone crackers that don’t know what they are
doing and cause more harm than good. Healthdirect a government-run agency which
supplies information health care information to the public says “About half of people who
have seen a chiropractor say they felt dizzy, light-headed or numb afterwards, or had a
headache, or had more pain or stiffness” (Healthdirect, 2019). So if this is what the
government is telling people what is my future industry going to look like when I graduate?

The best place for me to look for some reliable information on what people really think
about Chiropractic would be online peer-reviewed articles. As they have been critiqued and
properly formatted to minimise bias in their research and will give a clear view of what the
public thinks of Chiropractic. All of this information can be found through the CQU library
research tool.

A study by Rondberg, T, A (2006) found that “The public is becoming disenchanted (finally!)
with the medical "drug it or cut it" approach. They're tired of paying hundreds of dollars for
a week's worth of pills that might do them more harm than good and they're sick (literally)
of being treated with less compassion and consideration than their dogs get from their
veterinarians”. Suggesting that while there is a community of people who don’t believe in
chiropractic and openly oppose it the public is coming to see the benefits of complementary
and alternative medicine options such as Chiropractic. A second study stated that “patients
want and need alternatives to disease treatment. They want to have "better function and
feeling," optimized health to remain disease-free and to live higher quality of lives daily.
They aren't looking for another clinic where they go to buy drugs” (Feuling, T. 2012).
Signifying that people are moving away from conventual medicine and this mentality in
health care to treat the symptoms rather than the issue itself.

While there are still many who don’t believe and fight against Chiropractic, the public is
beginning to see the benefits on a much larger scale. So as a future Chiropractor it is my
responsibility to not be disheartened by those people, but rather be ready to show the
benefits of my profession. Supplying the negative critics and nonbelievers with hard
evidence and proof of the good Chiropractic can do for everyone.
References:

Feuling, T. (2012). The future of chiropractic. Chiropractic Journal, 26(7), 6. Retrieved from:
https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.cqu.edu.au/docview/1011326062?accountid=10016

Healthdirect. (2019). Chiropractors. Retrieved from:

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/chiropractors

Rondberg, T. A. (2005). It's only natural that they hate us. Chiropractic Journal, 19(11), 8-38.
Retrieved from https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.cqu.edu.au/docview/194465610?accountid=10016