Editing Chiropractic (section)

=== Origins in "folk medicine" ===
Chiropractic is generally categorized as [[complementary and alternative medicine]] (CAM),<ref name=Chapman-Smith/> which focuses on manipulation of the [[musculoskeletal system]], especially the [[vertebral column|spine]].<ref name=Nelson /> Its founder, D.{{nbsp}}D. Palmer, called it "a science of healing without drugs".<ref name=Ernst-eval/>

Chiropractic's origins lie in the [[folk medicine]] of [[bonesetter|bonesetting]],<ref name=Ernst-eval /> and as it evolved it incorporated [[vitalism]], [[spirituality|spiritual inspiration]] and [[rationalism]].<ref name=Keating05 /> Its early philosophy was based on [[deductive reasoning|deduction]] from [[dogma|irrefutable doctrine]], which helped distinguish chiropractic from medicine, provided it with legal and political defenses against claims of practicing medicine without a license, and allowed chiropractors to establish themselves as an autonomous profession.<ref name=Keating05 /> This "straight" philosophy, taught to generations of chiropractors, rejects the [[Inference|inferential reasoning]] of the [[scientific method]],<ref name=Keating05 /> and relies on deductions from vitalistic first principles rather than on the [[materialism]] of science.<ref name=Chiro-Beliefs /> However, most practitioners tend to incorporate scientific research into chiropractic,<ref name="Keating05" /> and most practitioners are "mixers" who attempt to combine the materialistic [[reductionism]] of science with the [[metaphysics]] of their predecessors and with the [[Holistic medicine|holistic paradigm of wellness]].<ref name=Chiro-Beliefs /> A 2008 commentary proposed that chiropractic actively divorce itself from the straight philosophy as part of a campaign to eliminate [[Testability|untestable]] dogma and engage in [[critical thinking]] and evidence-based research.<ref name=Murphy-pod>{{cite journal | vauthors = Murphy DR, Schneider MJ, Seaman DR, Perle SM, Nelson CF | title = How can chiropractic become a respected mainstream profession? The example of podiatry | journal = Chiropractic & Osteopathy | volume = 16 | page = 10 | date = Aug 2008 | pmid = 18759966 | pmc = 2538524 | doi = 10.1186/1746-1340-16-10 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

Although a wide diversity of ideas exist among chiropractors,<ref name=Keating05 /> they share the belief that the spine and health are related in a fundamental way, and that this relationship is mediated through the [[nervous system]].<ref>{{cite book|vauthors=Gay RE, Nelson CF |chapter= Chiropractic philosophy|chapter-url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=altrehab.section.336|veditors=Wainapel SF, Fast A |title= Alternative Medicine and Rehabilitation: a Guide for Practitioners|year=2003|isbn=978-1-888799-66-8|location= New York|publisher= [[Demos Medical Publishing]]}}</ref> Some chiropractors claim spinal manipulation can have an effect on a variety of ailments such as [[irritable bowel syndrome]] and [[asthma]].<ref name=nhs-choices>{{cite web |url=http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chiropractic/Pages/Introduction.aspx |title=Chiropractic |publisher=[[NHS Choices]] |date=20 August 2014 |access-date=19 September 2016}}</ref>

Chiropractic philosophy includes the following perspectives:<ref name=Chiro-Beliefs>{{cite book|chapter-url=http://chiroweb.com/archives/ahcpr/chapter2.htm|chapter= Chiropractic belief systems|vauthors=Mootz RD, Phillips RB |year=1997|title= Chiropractic in the United States: Training, Practice, and Research|pages=9–16|veditors=Cherkin DC, Mootz RD |location= Rockville, MD|publisher= [[Agency for Health Care Policy and Research]]|oclc=39856366}} AHCPR Pub No. 98-N002.</ref>

[[Holism]] assumes that health is affected by everything in an individual's environment; some sources also include a spiritual or [[Existentialism|existential]] dimension.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Freeman J | title = Towards a definition of holism | journal = The British Journal of General Practice | volume = 55 | issue = 511 | pages = 154–55 | date = February 2005 | pmid = 15720949 | pmc = 1463203 }}</ref> In contrast, reductionism in chiropractic reduces causes and cures of health problems to a single factor, [[#Vertebral subluxation|vertebral subluxation]].<ref name=Murphy-pod /> [[Homeostasis]] emphasizes the body's inherent self-healing abilities. Chiropractic's early notion of innate intelligence can be thought of as a metaphor for homeostasis.<ref name=Keating05>{{cite book|author= Keating JC Jr|chapter= Philosophy in chiropractic|pages=77–98|title= Principles and Practice of Chiropractic|edition=3rd|veditors=Haldeman S, Dagenais S, Budgell B |publisher=[[McGraw-Hill]]|year=2005|isbn=978-0-07-137534-4|display-editors=etal}}</ref>

A large number of chiropractors fear that if they do not separate themselves from the traditional [[vitalistic]] concept of innate intelligence, chiropractic will continue to be seen as a fringe profession.<ref name=Kaptchuk-Eisenberg>{{cite journal |vauthors=Kaptchuk TJ, Eisenberg DM |title=Chiropractic: origins, controversies, and contributions |journal=Archives of Internal Medicine|volume=158 |issue=20 |pages=2215–24 |date=November 1998 |pmid=9818801 |doi=10.1001/archinte.158.20.2215 |doi-access=free }}</ref> A variant of chiropractic called naprapathy originated in Chicago in the early twentieth century.<ref name="Gardner1957">{{cite book|author=Martin Gardner|author-link=Martin Gardner|title=Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TwP3SGAUsnkC&pg=PA227|date=1 June 1957|publisher=Courier Corporation|isbn=978-0-486-20394-2|pages=227–}}</ref><ref name=napra-qa/> It holds that manual manipulation of soft tissue can reduce "interference" in the body and thus improve health.<ref name=napra-qa>{{cite web |url=http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/dictionary/mdglos.html |publisher=Quackwatch |title=Dictionary of Metaphysical Healthcare&nbsp;– Glossary |year=1997 |author=Raso J |access-date=12 February 2016}}</ref>