Chiropractic is the third largest primary health care profession in the world (a primary health care professional being one who carries out both diagnosis and treatment) after medicine and dentistry.

Chiropractic is a healthcare discipline that emphasizes the innate recuperative power of the body to heal itself without the use of drugs or surgery. The main focus is the relationship between the function of joints, muscles and the nervous system (neuromusculoskeletal disorders) and the effects of these disorders on health. The spine is of central importance.

The principal treatment is joint adjustment or manipulation.  Management also includes rehabilitative exercises, patient education and lifestyle modification. The focus on education and patient empowerment is an important factor in the success of chiropractic management and the high levels of patient satisfaction.

Chiropractic is a natural and conservative form of health care, offering an alternative to medication and surgery. Accordingly it makes no use of drugs or surgery and has no aspirations to do so. Apart from high levels of general diagnostic skills, chiropractors are also trained how to take and analyze X-rays, when appropriate for use in establishing a diagnosis.

In addition, chiropractors recognize the value and responsibility of working in cooperation with other health care practitioners when in the best interest of the patient.

Chiropractic Education

In Europe, most chiropractic programmes are given at universities or affiliated with universities (Anglo-European College of Chiropractic affiliated with Bournemouth University, Welsh Institute of Chiropractic at the University of Glamorgan and the University of Southern Denmark); all new programmes are set within a university framework (Spain, Switzerland). The entry requirements are identical to the ones set for medical students. In fact, the bachelor programme at the University of Southern Denmark is identical for medical and chiropractic students (with extra classes for the chiropractic students).

Because there is no chiropractic programme in The Netherlands, a fair portion of the chiropractors here are foreigners such as myself; all have enjoyed their training outside of the country. This is why the Netherlands’ Chiropractic Association hosts a mandatory one-year Graduate Education Programme where the new graduate works under the supervision of an experienced chiropractor, attends seminars on technique, the Dutch health care system, laws and regulations, writes a case study and finishes off with a practical patient-based exam.

Due to the diversity in educational background, the titles of chiropractors practising in The Netherlands are many: BSc(Hons) - Bachelor of Science Honours or MSc of MChiro - Master of Science / Master of Chiropractic or DC - Doctor of Chiropractic. The level of educational standard, however, remains high and under regulation of the European Council on Chiropractic Education (ECCE).

The World Health Organization has recently issued an educational guideline regarding chiropractic called WHO Guidelines in Basic Training and Safety in Chiropractic, to be downloaded at this address:  http://www.chiroeco.com/50/bonus/WHOguidelines.pdf