Hi
This blog is probably the most important one of all, it’s about the protection and use of the title ‘Kiropraktor ‘ and our education. I’ve worked here now in Sweden for 11 years and over that time I have heard of people calling themselves a chiropractor who are treating horses who are not actually educated chiropractors. People are using the title chiropractor even discussing chiropractic on their websites but they have no chiropractic education at all. I have heard of chiropractors using hammers and lifting legs to “Crack” the SI joint (chiropractors do not use these techniques). I’ve even seen a Swedish book written by a person who claims to be a chiropractor showing pictures of chiropractic adjusting, manipulative techniques that are not chiropractic techniques. It’s frightening, frustrating, misleading but most importantly it is illegal to use the word chiropractor if you are not a legitimate or educated chiropractor.
So I’m here to tell you the facts so that you can make the appropriate judgement and have the correct information. This is so important for so many reasons, it’s important for the horse so it doesn’t get injured, it’s important for the owner as they are being mislead, it’s important for the chiropractic profession itself to protect us especially to how others like the veterinary and medical world perceive us. We won’t be taken serious or given the respect we deserve if others are going around claiming to do something they are not even educated in.
This is what the swedish law states: ‘Kiropraktor är en skyddad yrkestitel. Endast den som har kiropraktorutbildning och genomför praktisk tjänstgöring eller är legitimerad kiropraktor får kalla sig kiropraktor.
Däremot är inte kiropraktik skyddat. Det får dock inte vara vilseledande marknadsföring, så att man får intrycket att handlar om kiropraktor.’
Here is an example of what is on a swedish website, I find this very unprofessional and very misleading. These are people who have no chiropractic education at all, they write false facts about chiropractic and they claim they have developed their own technique from the chiropractic education they have done. You can judge for yourself how it reads.
“Vi är inte utbildade kiropraktorer på humansidan och får därför inte kalla oss kiropraktorer, inte heller på djur. Men i folkmun kallas vi hästkiropraktorer. Vi är inte klassiska kiropraktorer och använder inte klubbor eller hårda metoder. Vi har istället utvecklat den kiropraktik vi utbildats i och använder en mjukare kiropraktikliknande metod och har dessutom som pionärer införlivat...”
I have also found a course you can do to become an Equine Optimizer. They claim to teach some sort of manipulation on horses yet they have no qualified education in chiropractic or any of the other manipulative methods. They write it’s a 3 year full time education but actually they only meet 99 days over 3 years. Would you want these people treating your horse?
Then there is the equine therapist.
I had never even heard of the term equine therapist until I moved here. Looking into it I came to understand that they teach chiropractic techniques which I found unsettling and confusing as they shouldn’t be using it at all for reasons I have already explained and for the following explanation.
In order to use chiropractic techniques on animals you must first be a qualified chiropractor or veterinary. The chiropractic education and I’m referring to the chiropractic colleges outside Sweden is a 5 year full time education, the first 3 years are similar to the first 3 years at medical school. Once you have completed your 5 years you then need to spend a year working as an associate. Once you have completed your 6 years you then get your Doctor of Chiropractic degree. Once a qualified human chiropractic you then can go on a certified animal course such as the International Academy of Veterinary Chiropractic (which is what I have done) to be a animal chiropractor.
The reason we study so many years is to keep you and your animal safe.
Best Regards Lisa-Ann
So I’m here to tell you the facts so that you can make the appropriate judgement and have the correct information. This is so important for so many reasons, it’s important for the horse so it doesn’t get injured, it’s important for the owner as they are being mislead, it’s important for the chiropractic profession itself to protect us especially to how others like the veterinary and medical world perceive us. We won’t be taken serious or given the respect we deserve if others are going around claiming to do something they are not even educated in.
This is what the swedish law states: ‘Kiropraktor är en skyddad yrkestitel. Endast den som har kiropraktorutbildning och genomför praktisk tjänstgöring eller är legitimerad kiropraktor får kalla sig kiropraktor.
Däremot är inte kiropraktik skyddat. Det får dock inte vara vilseledande marknadsföring, så att man får intrycket att handlar om kiropraktor.’
Here is an example of what is on a swedish website, I find this very unprofessional and very misleading. These are people who have no chiropractic education at all, they write false facts about chiropractic and they claim they have developed their own technique from the chiropractic education they have done. You can judge for yourself how it reads.
“Vi är inte utbildade kiropraktorer på humansidan och får därför inte kalla oss kiropraktorer, inte heller på djur. Men i folkmun kallas vi hästkiropraktorer. Vi är inte klassiska kiropraktorer och använder inte klubbor eller hårda metoder. Vi har istället utvecklat den kiropraktik vi utbildats i och använder en mjukare kiropraktikliknande metod och har dessutom som pionärer införlivat...”
I have also found a course you can do to become an Equine Optimizer. They claim to teach some sort of manipulation on horses yet they have no qualified education in chiropractic or any of the other manipulative methods. They write it’s a 3 year full time education but actually they only meet 99 days over 3 years. Would you want these people treating your horse?
Then there is the equine therapist.
I had never even heard of the term equine therapist until I moved here. Looking into it I came to understand that they teach chiropractic techniques which I found unsettling and confusing as they shouldn’t be using it at all for reasons I have already explained and for the following explanation.
In order to use chiropractic techniques on animals you must first be a qualified chiropractor or veterinary. The chiropractic education and I’m referring to the chiropractic colleges outside Sweden is a 5 year full time education, the first 3 years are similar to the first 3 years at medical school. Once you have completed your 5 years you then need to spend a year working as an associate. Once you have completed your 6 years you then get your Doctor of Chiropractic degree. Once a qualified human chiropractic you then can go on a certified animal course such as the International Academy of Veterinary Chiropractic (which is what I have done) to be a animal chiropractor.
The reason we study so many years is to keep you and your animal safe.
Best Regards Lisa-Ann
