Alternative medical systems - edit Ayurveda Chiropractic Homeopathy Naturopathic medicine Osteopathy Traditional Chinese medicine NCCAM classifications Alternative Medical Systems Mind-Body Intervention Biologically Based Therapy Manipulative and body-based methods Energy Therapy See also Complementary and alternative medicine Alternative medicine Complementary medicine Glossary of alternative medicine Chiropractic (from Greek chiros and praktikos meaning "done by hand") is a health care profession whose purpose is to diagnose and treat mechanical disorders of the spine and musculoskeletal system with the intention of affecting the nervous system and improving health.[1] It is based on the premise that a spinal joint dysfunction can interfere with the nervous system and result in many different conditions of diminished health. While some chiropractors use the term vertebral subluxation to describe what they treat, others have dropped this concept and concentrate mostly on the musculoskeletal components of spinal injury and rehabilitation of the spine.[2] In contrast, the term subluxation as used in conventional medicine is usually associated with specific conditions which are a direct consequence of injury to joints or associated nerves. Chiropractic was founded in 1895 by D. D. Palmer, and it is now practiced in more than 100 countries.[3][4] Chiropractic treatments vary depending on the patient's condition and the type of approach taken by the particular chiropractor. They commonly include spinal adjustments, although other interventions may be used as well. Today there are four main groups of chiropractors: "traditional straights", "objective straights", "mixers", and "reform". All groups, except reform, treat patients using a subluxation-based system. Differences are based on the philosophy for adjusting, claims made about the effects of those adjustments, and various additional treatments provided along with the adjustment. Since its inception, Chiropractic has been the subject of controversy, criticism, and outright attacks from critics, both from within and outside the profession, and from researchers in the scientific community. Historically, these have indirectly led to the scientific investigation of chiropractic and an antitrust suit against the American Medical Association. As a direct result of this criticism, as well as the relative dissatisfaction with its medical counterpart, surveys show that chiropractic patients have the highest satisfaction rate among the various healthcare disciplines.[5][6]