How Chiropractic Began As A Ghost Religion
In September of 1895, Daniel David Palmer (D. D. Palmer), adjusted partially deaf man Harvey Lillard after finding a lump on his back. Liliard’s hearing reportedly improved since. Later sources showed that this adjustment did not happen quite as narrated by Palmer, the founder of chiropractic.
However, the story birthed one of the most well-known forms of alternative treatments in the world. Palmer was born in Canada in 1845 and emigrated to the US around 1865. He was an avid proponent of pseudoscientific alternative medicine such as magnetic healing.
Palmer began to teach chiropractic treatment and found the Palmer School and Cure in 1897 in Iowa, later renaming it to Palmer College of Chiropractic. Palmer lived during an era rich with spiritualism, mesmerism, and alternative-healing movements, and these heavily influenced his ideas about health and disease.
According to D. D. Palmer’s son, Bartlett Joshua Palmer, the founder received information from the deceased Dr Jim Atkinson.
‘The knowledge and philosophy given me by Dr. Jim Atkinson, an intelligent spiritual being […] appealed to my reason’, wrote Palmer Sr in his book ‘The Chiropractor.’
Palmer also regarded chiropractic as religious in nature, going on to say that the practice must have a religious head (himself) like Christ, Muhammad, Joseph Smith (Mormonism), Mrs. Eddy (Christian Science), etc. Facing legal challenges for practicing medicine without a license, Palmer once suggested that chiropractors might “hoist a religious flag” to distinguish their work from medicine.
This reflected his belief that chiropractic was not merely a medical technique but a spiritual philosophy of life — a way to restore the body’s “innate intelligence.” This post does not aim to debunk chiropractic, but to show how it arose from a spiritual and metaphysical worldview intertwined with 19th-century healing trends.
Over time, chiropractic split into two camps: Straights are practitioners who offer patients chiropractic alone, whereas mixers combine chiropractic with other forms of healing, alternative of otherwise.
Historian Holly Folk notes that D. D. Palmer and his son, Bartlett Joshua (B. J.) Palmer, had a notoriously tense relationship, yet both shaped chiropractic’s identity. Still, Folk notes how chiropractic maintains a very strong connection to esoteric and mystical practices.
She highlights Palmer Jr’s disagreement on the subject of religion as reflecting the son’s critical attitude towards organised religion and not as a rejection of the alternative currents chiropractic inhabited. Folk even writes in her book, subtitled ‘Populist Healing from the American Heartland’, how chiropractic forms part of a trend of healing which aims to give patients a ‘choice’ on how they are to be ‘treated.’
Today, chiropractors vary widely in practice:
Many focus on pain relief, musculoskeletal health, and relaxation, often referring serious conditions to medical doctors. Others make broader or unproven claims, reflecting the ongoing tension between science and alternative health.
It is worth noting D. D. Palmer’s views here. The founder rejected the germ theory of disease (despite it being corroborated and evidenced by the scientific consensus).
He also argued that misalignments, not microbes, caused illness. After a very sensational end to D. D. Palmer’s life, his son B. J. Became known as the ‘Developer’. B.J not only systematised chiropractic, expanding the curriculum and promoting it as a distinct profession…
He also became a charismatic (and controversial marketer) of the practice. In 1922, he founded radio station ‘World of Chiropractic’ (WOC) in Davenport. He even introduced the ‘Hole-in-One’ technique, that claimed correcting one spot at the top of the spine could fix all bodily ailments.
Chiropractic remains part of a highly profitable wellness industry, so it’s wise to understand a practitioner’s approach before beginning treatment. The spiritual and philosophical origins of chiropractic shouldn’t necessarily deter anyone seeking physical relief.
Instead, they remind us how belief, healing, and meaning have long been intertwined … And how people throughout history have sought control over their own wellbeing in diverse ways. So think about that you search up chiropractic ASMR or those weird AI videos of grannies at the chiropractor’s clinic.
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