What is a Doctor of Chiropractic?
It’s a common misconception that chiropractors are uneducated, or that they don’t hold the title of “doctor”. While it’s true that a chiropractor is not the same as a medical doctor, a chiropractor still has to go to medical school in order to earn their degree. And just as with a medical doctor, a chiropractor cannot legally practice without being licensed and going through the correct schooling.
Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.)
When a Medical Doctor gets their degree, they earn the title M.D. The Chiropractic equivalent of this title is a Doctor of Chiropractic, or D.C. In order for a chiropractor to earn their degree, they have to go through school which usually takes an additional 4 years in addition to the minimum of three years at an undergraduate school in order to be accepted into the chiropractic program. After finishing at school, they still have to test for their license in order to become a licensed practitioner and legally be able to practice and work on patients.
Main differences between an M.D. and a D.C.
Both MD’s and DC’s are fully licensed health care providers. They both go through specific schooling and training for their fields. They will each examine, diagnose, and treat their patients. The way that they treat their patients is one of the biggest areas that they differ. The reason for this is because the schooling they received had a few key differences. To achieve an MD degree, most students will train for more hours in physiology. Most doctors of chiropractic will have studied and trained for more hours in human anatomy of the body.
Your chiropractor will be more knowledged on why the body performs a certain way than your family medical doctor will. Neither of these doctors should replace the other in your life, rather, they should work in conjunction to keep you healthy and living your best life at the highest possible quality.
Benefits of visiting a Chiropractor regularly
Chiropractic is all about preventative health. They can help you with a variety of issues and areas of pain, and they’ll work to naturally get you to a pain free place. Once they’ve helped alleviate your symptoms, they’ll recommend you continue care. This is to prevent your chronic issues from returning. If you discontinue care and these issues return, you’ll have to do more intensive care to return your life to a healthier state. Continuing care means that you’re going to be living comfortably, and pain free, longer.