Doctors Are Doctors. Chiropractors are Chiropractors.

Your notion of a "real" doctor probably conforms to a prototype generated by the mass media. Many have come to think of a doctor as someone who prescribes advice and drugs or performs surgery. Sporting a white lab coat or surgical scrubs with a stethoscope at the neck, doctors are seen as all-knowing, omnipotent and able to save patients in 60 minutes, less commercials.

A medical doctor (MD) and a chiropractor (DC) while different, have both received a degree from a government accredited medical school or chiropractic college and are licensed to practice.

But that’s where the similarity ends because each discipline looks at health and healing in very different ways.

Medical Doctors Chiropractors
  • Sees the disease
  • Studies the blood
  • Relies on drugs
  • Treats symptoms
  • Sees the person with the disease
  • Improves nervous system integrity
  • Reduces causes of nerve interference
  • Promotes proper bodily function

Clearly, these are two very different philosophies. Yet, each has its place. If you have broken bones or you’re bleeding by the side of the road, you want the heroic lifesaving measures of emergency medical treatment. But if you have chronic aches and pains or an interest in wellness, you may want the health restoration possible that is the focus of chiropractic care.

 

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Dr. Ryan Asks some important questions of interest to Grand Rapids residents - Chiropractor Grand Rapids Dr. Ryan Asks...

How come medical doctors don't recommend chiropractic?
That's changing. Years of prejudice and bias are giving way to research showing the benefits of chiropractic care. As more and more Grand Rapids folks seek alternatives to drugs and surgery, more and more medical practitioners are referring their patients to chiropractors.
Do nerves actually get pinched?
Chiropractors recognize two types of nerve disorders involved in vertebral subluxation. The least common is a pinched nerve that diminishes nerve supply to an affected organ or tissue. More common is the irritated nerve (facilitative lesion) which overexcites nerve communications to an affected organ or tissue. Chiropractic care has been shown to help with both types.