Who are Doctors of Chiropractic? This question depends on many variables, one being the state in which you are located. In the state of Florida, it is required that chiropractors attain a 4 year bachelors degree. During pursuit of this degree, prospective chiropractic students must take pre-required curriculum of math & sciences. Once accepted into a chiropractic college, future chiropractors engage in extensive learning and rigorous testing in the core understanding of anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, etc. The remaining time in chiropractic college is then dedicated to patient evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment through internships and externships. After completing the national boards, the state of Florida then requires that you take a separate board exam, testing knowledge of state laws & rules, x-ray reading ability, and physical diagnosis & technique. As evidenced by this board exam, chiropractors in the state of Florida must be able to diagnose and either properly treat or refer any person with any condition who wishes to be seen. They may choose from a variety of treatments but are prohibited from performing surgeries or prescribing /administering medications. For more info on Florida examinations and regulations, click here.
Summary of Chiropractic Education - http://www.chirotips.com/chiropractic_education.htm

What is Chiropractic? Chiropractic is a hands-on, holistic (whole body) approach to helping people pursue health and wellness. There have been many changes in the understanding of the human body since chiropractic was first established over 100 years ago. Dr. Wilner approaches chiropractic care through this scientific understanding of the body and knowledge of sports medicine. To understand how chiropractic works, you must understand what causes pain and symptoms.

“What Causes My Pain?” Acute injuries (e.g.. Car accident, direct trauma, etc.) cause damage to various tissues in the area. When this occurs, the body releases edema and chemicals of inflammation to protect against infection and begin the healing process. These tissue changes increase sympathetic system activity (e.g.. Constrict the blood vessels) and send signals to the brain that are interpreted as pain to alert us that we have been injured. This is the acute inflammation phase, and is necessary for the healing process. From here, the tissues should undergo repair and remodeling, allowing the inflammation to resolve. However, many times tissue debris and poorly formed scar tissue remain to induce chronic inflammation. This then can become a chronic injury affecting mobility and creating a vicious cycle of pain.
“What Reduces My Pain?” Pain may be reduced by minimizing excessive inflammation, reducing tissue debris, and improving the mechanics of the local tissues. The stimuli of touch & vibration actually inhibit the pain signals from reaching the brain (e.g.. Rubbing your elbow after bumping it), reduce sympathetic activity, and stimulate reduction of inflammation.
Altered Body Mechanics - Chronic pain can also occur in the absence of acute trauma. Susceptibility to chronic inflammation and pain may be the result of microtrauma from overuse injuries due to poor posture & biomechanics, muscle imbalances & adhesions, and a sedentary lifestyle. Rehabilitation, improving motion patterns & proprioception, strengthening/stretching, and reducing tissue adhesions help resolve these issues, which may prevent further problems.
“What About My Other Symptoms” - Inflammation may be able to affect other aspects of the body without necessarily causing pain. Chronic inflammation may induce excessive responses in the immune system through increased stress hormones (cortisol), chemical responses, and gene signals. This may even result in stimulation of cold & flu symptoms in the absence of microorganisms (e.g.. bacteria, virus, etc.). Excessive or chronic inflammation has also has been linked to promoting a long list of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. It, therefore, would seem beneficial to minimize chronic inflammation
Chiropractic Care - The assessments & treatments of the chiropractor, including the adjustment, focus on accomplishing all these changes mentioned above. The adjustment itself, whether manual or instrument, may stimulate debridement/scar tissue breakdown, touch/vibration signals (through motion & proprioception), nerve/muscle growth & repair (through muscle stretch), reduction in sympathetic system activity, and changes in stress hormones. This would all aid in the reduction & prevention of chronic inflammation, and its associated disorders.
Nutrition’s role - With the chemical nature of inflammation and the body’s reactions, it should now be apparent how food & nutrients can have a large effect. Much of the Western/American lends itself to being pro-inflammatory. Dr. Wilner has spent extensive time researching to discover how you may reduce your levels of chronic inflammation through changes in diet and supplementation.