Does Chiropractic Care Need a Medical Doctor Referral?
Jarek Esarco
Some people are under the impression that you need a referral from a medical doctor to see a Chiropractor. This is false. You do not need a referral from a medical doctor to start Chiropractic care.
Chiropractors are considered Portal of Entry (POE) doctors. This means a person can directly call, consult and receive care from these doctors without a referral. Other Portal of Entry doctors include dentists, podiatrists, and optometrists.
Where Chiropractors and medical doctors differ is in their Primary Care status. Chiropractors are not considered Primary Care Physicians, or PCPs. A Primary Care Physician is a doctor who provides comprehensive medical care. This means these doctors can diagnose and treat disease.
It might seem like there is a limitation on Chiropractor's ability to provide medical care. And this is true. But the fact is, Chiropractors aren’t meant to provide medical care. Medical care is and should be provided by medical doctors only.
Does this also mean that there is a limitation on Chiropractor's ability to provide healthcare? Yes and no. Are we limited in our ability to treat disease? Yes. Are we limited in our ability to assist the body in the healing process? No.
Chiropractors don’t treat disease. It is not within the scope of practice to prescribe pharmaceuticals or perform surgeries to treat disease. Treating disease though is not the complete picture of healthcare. Treating disease involves the healthcare model known as Pathogenesis. A lesser-known model and the one Chiropractic fits into, is called Salutogenesis.
Salutogenesis is a term coined by sociologist and academic Dr. Antonovsky in his book Health, Stress, and Coping: New Perspectives on Mental and Physical Well-Being. He spent 20 years studying how people managed stress and its effect on their health outcomes. His observations noted that even though stress is unavoidable, how an individual manages stress is unique. The better a person manages and resists stress, the healthier the individual is. This caused him to reject a “pathogenic” or “disease-based” model of medicine. Once he realized that health could be seen through a different lens, the Salutogenic model was born.
Salutogenesis means “that which gives birth to health.” It is the opposite of pathogenesis, which means “that which gives birth to disease.” Pathogenesis is the foundational perspective for the conventional medical model.
With a Salutogenic model, the focus is on health and well-being. Health is something that we own and can share. This generates a feeling of dynamic confidence in oneself. Salutogenesis emphasizes adaptation, homeostasis and healing in the individual. The health practitioner encourages and supports the patient while providing holistic care. Holistic care aims to enhance function and support the healing process.
Chiropractic care embodies the Salutogenic approach. Chiropractic care centers on removing vertebral subluxations. Vertebral subluxations are major disruptions to optimal adaptation and homeostasis. Correcting these disruptions helps promote natural healing. Enhancing neurological function through an adjustment supports the healing process.
Chiropractic care doesn’t require a medical referral but does require the individual action to want more from your health.
Jarek Esarco, DC, CACCP is a pediatric, family wellness and upper cervical specific Chiropractor. He is an active member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). Dr. Jarek has postgraduate certification in Pediatric Chiropractic through the ICPA. Dr. Jarek also has postgraduate certification in the HIO Specific Brain Stem technique through The TIC Institute. Dr. Jarek is happily married to his wife Regina. They live in Youngstown, Ohio with their daughter Ruby.