Objectives and procedures, inconsistent with the above definition, have been embraced by a faction of the profession. This faction has historically been known as "mixing" chiropractic, while that faction which adheres to the traditional objective of chiropractic has been designated as "straight" chiropractic. Although the "mixing" faction has deviated strikingly from the chiropractic objective, it has not been well explained to the public. For this reason, the adjective "straight" (as defined by Webster: "...undeviated, unmixed...") has been employed to distinguish those who adhere to the above definition from those who do not ("mixers").
The term chiropractic literally means "done by hand" and was adopted by chiropractic's founder, Daniel D. Palmer, to describe a system of therapy that involved the physical manipulation to move joints and organs that are out of position, a condition Palmer termed "subluxation." Palmer, a layman with an interest in the metaphysical health philosophies of his day such as magnetic healing, phrenology, and spiritualism, embued the term "subluxation" with a metaphysical meaning holding that Palmer's "subluxations" interfered with the body's "Innate Intelligence" (spark of life or spirit).
In 1895, Palmer claimed to have restored the hearing of a nearly deaf janitor by manipulating his spine. Palmer believed that he had discovered the primary cause of disease and theorized that 95 percent of all disease was caused by spinal subluxation and the others by luxated bones elsewhere in the body. Accordingly to a survey of Canadian chiropractors conducted by the University of Saskatewan, about one third of chiropracters still believe in Palmer's philosophy. [1]
The term straight chiropractic is used to more strictly associate with adherents of Daniel D. Palmer's chiropractic theory, and of those chiropractic schools who believe that subluxations are the cause of most or all diseases. Outside of treatment (not cure) of a limited set of symptoms associated with the spine, there is no medical evidence supporting the efficacy of straight chiropractic, and some techniques in the past have not been safe. Doctors who have submitted research backing up the medical benefits of spinal manipulation have found their claims incorrectly applied to the entire field of chiropractic manipulation, including straight chiropractic.
History
Further reading