Is a doctor of chiropractic a real doctorate?

Because “doctorate” is a mutable concept, I would say yes, as it requires a specific type and level of post-grad training and education.

As far as being respected by medical professionals, that depends on the individual medical professional. I have had some physicians recommend chiropractic for certain things, and heard others scoff at the idea that a chiropractor could help at all.

“Chiropractic” is generally a medical sham. There are reputable “chiropractic” “doctors” who are really like physical therapists doing real physical therapy under the guise of this fake medical pseudoscience so they can have their own practice. The origins of will make you mad but I think what has happened is that schools offering a degree in chiropractic have move away from the quackery and have replaced it with real education as a way to combat the wacky side of it. Who you get depends, if you get an old school palmer chiropractor it’s possibly just folk medicine. You may even get a snake oil peddler. Someone new may be a damn good physical therapist. Their medical training is considerably less than a traditional medical doctor though.

It is not the equivalent to a medical doctor, we could say DO and MD are equivalents but not chiropractors and MD’s.

A chiropractor does have a doctorate though. Doctorate can be in many fields and some it’s commonplace to use the title Dr. and some not. We don’t call lawyers doctors, but they have a doctorate. Unless, they are professors, then maybe they use the Dr. title.

I guess it depends on what you mean by “real doctorate.” Chiropractors, like most lawyers and medical doctors, earn a professional doctorate. It’s not a research doctorate like a PhD, but it is still an advanced degree that represents extensive practical study in a particular field (much like an MD or JD, both of which are also professional degrees). Depending on the program, one might not think much of what they studied. Nevertheless, it demonstrates a certain level of mastery over the skills of the profession (as understood by other members of that profession).

My health insurance recognizes Chiropractic doctors among healthcare professionals as it paid for 10 visits per year.

My chiropractor is excellent (been going to him for over 15 years). He keeps my sacroiliac joint in line. When it slips out I can hardly walk without a lot of pain. Twice I’ve hobbled into his office in great pain and walked out feeling terrific and jogged a full marathon the next day with no pain. He also is very helpful in helping my upper back vertebrae healthy. I was developing kyphosis (runs in my family) with adjustments, special exercises and a brace. So far I’m doing very good.

An important factor when I think about this question is knowing a bit about Wilk v. American Medical Association. I believe the wrong decision was made in this case, but it opened the door to the proliferation of quackery in the modern era. The significant historical consequence of this ruling is that the AMA lost it’s taste for trying to combat antiscientific medical claims and now any scumbag can market nearly whatever they want as long as they’re not making a claim for treating a specific medical condition. So you could sell a grape jello enema kit that “supports immune health” with zero evidence and get away with it.

Before considering a visit to a Chiropractic I would encourage you to read this article to understand the criticisms of it. In my opinion, the very best Chiropracters are really just physiotherapists with a different degree. I believe they are capable of helping people, but I would personally prefer to find a talented physiotherapist. In the worst case, I think you have people engaging in potentially dangerous manipulations with no medical benefit, based on unscientific theories of disease.

Yes, it is a doctoral degree.

Got modded because I am having trouble typing because I blew out my rotator cuff and am typing with one hand. I wrote, “Hell no”.

^^I don’t understand why it was modded. Seemed like a valid answer to me.

@Caravanfan That’s pretty much what I figured you thought.

@JLeslie I think he was implying that there was a typo in what he wrote originally.

@janbb My original post wrote “hell no” without capitalization. I’m able to type now becuase I released my arm from the arm immobilizer

@Caravanfan, hell no to all three parts of my question? Just want to be clear. Thanks.

@Caravanfan, I had to dig a little, but I found this, from Augustlan, February 2011:

Did you know we’ll give you a ‘pass’ on the writing standards, if you have a temporary disability?

Very sorry about the rotator cuff. My rotator cuff injury took a long time to heal. I had to ice it five times a day. It’s never been fully all right in the years since.

@kneesox OK. To be clear
1) no
2) no
3) no

Uh, ok, got it.

No