The profession of chiropractor
Chiropractic aims at getting to know the state of the spine and its relationship with health, as well as the application of vertebral adjustment aimed at correcting "vertebral subluxations" or column problems.
Becoming a chiropractor means dealing mainly with painful spinal disorders : stiff neck, sciatica, crushing of intervertebral discs, leg disorders, shoulder and arm pain.
A professional chiropractor finds the cause of various disorders by going to investigate the irregular position of the vertebral joints: everything passes through a careful listening to the clinical history, the control of eventual radiographs and particular tests to evaluate the symmetry of the two halves of the body, the posture and the spine.
At that point the expert intervenes with a specific manual treatment aimed at correcting the alterations of the single elements of the spine.
Become a chiropractor
For those wishing to become a chiropractor, great passion and above all a spirit of sacrifice is necessary. To this must be added the availability and the possibility of studying abroad . In the current state of affairs, the future Italian chiropractor has only one path ahead of him: attending a foreign university (17 Americans, 2 Canadians, 2 Australians, 3 English, 1 Japanese, 1 Danish, 1 French, 1 Swedish, 1 new Zeeland) recognized by the CCE , the Council on Chiropratic Education .
In all the aforementioned universities, teaching is taught in English, with the exception of the Danish, French and Japanese universities and one of the two Canadian universities where the basic language is French; from the fact that in the vast majority the teaching language is English, that all the main textbooks are in that language, it follows that 90% of Chiropractors are English speakers.
Before being able to enroll in a chiropractic university, the Italian student must achieve scientific maturity and must demonstrate a good knowledge of the English language.
In the six years of study it is also included a training period to be carried out in university clinics that use chiropractic methodologies. The study program, which consists of 5, 000 class hours, is divided into basic science, clinical science and internship. After finishing his career, he obtained the title of Doctor of Chiropractic .
The chiropractor in Italy and abroad
Chiropractic is one of several natural techniques that, in many countries, has been recognized by classical medicine . In the United States, it consists of a therapy widely accepted and reimbursed by the public health system. The WHO , the World Health Organization, has set the guidelines for becoming a chiropractor and, even in Italy, the most prestigious medical faculties have organized joint conferences of doctors and chiropractors to improve collaboration for the benefit of patients.
Since December 2007, chiropractic has also been legally recognized in Italy, with the inclusion of an amendment within the 2008 financial law (art. 2, com. 355): It is established at the Ministry of Health, without charges for the public finance, a register of doctors in chiropractic. Enrollment in the aforementioned register is permitted to those who are in possession of a master's degree in chiropractic or equivalent qualification. The graduate in chiropractic has the title of doctor in chiropractic and exercises his duties freely as a primary health professional in the field of the right to health, in accordance with current legislation. The chiropractor can be inserted or contracted in or with the structures of the National Health Service in the ways and in the forms provided for by the law .
Find information
For your safety, as this profession has not been protected for more than 30 years in Italy, you can contact the Italian Chiropractors Association, established in 1974, both to protect the profession and to protect patients, asking for information on courses, qualifications and professionals in the area.
The Italian Chiropractors Association, founded in the seventies, today estimates 250 members of which, however, only 60 are of Italian origin. On the net, an inexhaustible source of news and information on chiropractic is the site of the AIC. A portal with an elegant and effective aesthetic where you will find the map of the studios open in Italy, useful info for those who want to train in the methodology and carry out internships in specialized clinics, as well as many reports of sites of interest, such as the portal of the World Federation of Chiropractic and the website of the International Chiropractors Association.
