UNION SPRINGS - A chiropractor's office today probably looks different than one did 100 years ago, considering all the changes in technology and design.
Jill Connor / The Citizen
Dr. Russ Ebbets, a chiropractor in Union Springs and teacher at the New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls, explains the use of manual therapy by Hippocrates and the Greek Olympians during his lecture on the history of chiropractic medicine at the Frontenac Museum Sunday.
Dr. Russ Ebbets, a chiropractor in Union Springs and teacher at the New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls, explains the use of manual therapy by Hippocrates and the Greek Olympians during his lecture on the history of chiropractic medicine at the Frontenac Museum Sunday.
But Russ Ebbets said Sunday that much of the experience you might get with a chiropractic practitioner would likely be similar.
The doctor will still look for and treat subluxation, which is the loss of range of motion in between vertebrae in the body, he said.
“As for the detection of the subluxation, that will not have changed” between then and now, Ebbets said.
A chiropractic doctor from Union Springs and a teacher at New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls, Ebbets discussed the history of his field during a talk Sunday. The presentation took place at the Frontenac Museum, and it was part of the Frontenac Historical Society's 2009 program schedule.
During his talk, Ebbets touched on the differences between the medical and chiropractic fields, and he touched on instances where the two have affected one another. Through much of that history there has been some friction, he said.
Modern medicine and chiropractic share common roots, Ebbets said. Hippocrates, the accepted founder of Western medicine, talked about manual therapy and the healing power of nature, he said.
“(Hippocrates) saw the body should be able to heal itself,” Ebbets said.
Founded in the late 1800s by D.D. Palmer, chiropractic is a form of health care that tries to use natural means instead of drugs to bring about health, Ebbets said. The field focuses on the nervous and skeletal systems' effects on overall health, using nutrition and manipulation of the spine and extremities to reach that goal.
Ebbets said one way the field differs from conventional medicine is it seeks to heal from the inside-out. Often in medicine, he said, you take a pill that comes from outside the body and bring it inside to treat a symptom. The chiropractor will look at how a patient's alignment or nutrition is off, he said.
“With an adjustment, the healing comes from inside the body and expresses outward,” Ebbets said.
During the presentation, Ebbets said it is no coincidence that chiropractic and the somewhat similar field of osteopathy were pioneered in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
At the time, Western civilization was undergoing the industrial revolution, and changes in lifestyle and environment meant people were always walking on concrete and wearing modern shoes.
“The incidents of lower back pain started to rise at the time,” Ebbets said.
Linda Zach, president of the historical society, said she worked as a registered nurse for many years. For a long time there was a lot of animosity between the medical and chiropractic fields, she said, and 10 years ago she would never have set foot in an chiropractic office.
But Zach said after the presentation that Ebbets is honest about the conflicts between the two fields without being prejudice. She has seen him a number of times as a patient, she said.
“I think explaining what the field is and its history is extremely interesting,” Zach said. “I'm a history buff.”
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net
The doctor will still look for and treat subluxation, which is the loss of range of motion in between vertebrae in the body, he said.
“As for the detection of the subluxation, that will not have changed” between then and now, Ebbets said.
A chiropractic doctor from Union Springs and a teacher at New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls, Ebbets discussed the history of his field during a talk Sunday. The presentation took place at the Frontenac Museum, and it was part of the Frontenac Historical Society's 2009 program schedule.
During his talk, Ebbets touched on the differences between the medical and chiropractic fields, and he touched on instances where the two have affected one another. Through much of that history there has been some friction, he said.
Modern medicine and chiropractic share common roots, Ebbets said. Hippocrates, the accepted founder of Western medicine, talked about manual therapy and the healing power of nature, he said.
“(Hippocrates) saw the body should be able to heal itself,” Ebbets said.
Founded in the late 1800s by D.D. Palmer, chiropractic is a form of health care that tries to use natural means instead of drugs to bring about health, Ebbets said. The field focuses on the nervous and skeletal systems' effects on overall health, using nutrition and manipulation of the spine and extremities to reach that goal.
Ebbets said one way the field differs from conventional medicine is it seeks to heal from the inside-out. Often in medicine, he said, you take a pill that comes from outside the body and bring it inside to treat a symptom. The chiropractor will look at how a patient's alignment or nutrition is off, he said.
“With an adjustment, the healing comes from inside the body and expresses outward,” Ebbets said.
During the presentation, Ebbets said it is no coincidence that chiropractic and the somewhat similar field of osteopathy were pioneered in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
At the time, Western civilization was undergoing the industrial revolution, and changes in lifestyle and environment meant people were always walking on concrete and wearing modern shoes.
“The incidents of lower back pain started to rise at the time,” Ebbets said.
Linda Zach, president of the historical society, said she worked as a registered nurse for many years. For a long time there was a lot of animosity between the medical and chiropractic fields, she said, and 10 years ago she would never have set foot in an chiropractic office.
But Zach said after the presentation that Ebbets is honest about the conflicts between the two fields without being prejudice. She has seen him a number of times as a patient, she said.
“I think explaining what the field is and its history is extremely interesting,” Zach said. “I'm a history buff.”
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net
Citizen
Hot Jobs
Off the Menu
The Citizens' Say
Post your comment - click hereThere are No comments posted.