The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative, championed by Secretary Kennedy, calls for a return to holistic, patient-centered healthcare that prioritizes prevention, natural healing, and individual choice. At its core, MAHA seeks to challenge the dominance of pharmaceutical-driven medicine and empower practitioners who promote wellness over symptom management.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because chiropractors have been embodying this philosophy for over a century. As the original MAHA advocates, chiropractors focus on the body’s innate ability to heal, emphasizing spinal health, nutrition, and lifestyle changes to prevent disease. Yet, despite their rigorous training, chiropractors face restrictive scope-of-practice laws that limit their ability to serve patients fully. It’s time to ask: Why aren’t chiropractors allowed to practice to the level of their education and expertise?
Chiropractors undergo extensive training, earning a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree after completing a four-year postgraduate program, which includes coursework in anatomy, physiology, neurology, radiology, and clinical diagnostics, alongside hands-on spinal manipulation techniques. Many also pursue additional certifications in nutrition, sports medicine, or pediatrics. Their education rivals that of medical doctors in primary care disciplines, yet their scope of practice is often confined to spinal adjustments and minor therapies.
In many states, chiropractors are barred from performing procedures or offering services well within their training. For example, despite studying diagnostic imaging, they may be restricted from ordering MRIs or interpreting advanced scans. Though trained in nutritional counseling, some states limit their ability to recommend specific dietary interventions. In extreme cases, chiropractors are prohibited from treating conditions beyond musculoskeletal pain, even when their holistic approach could benefit patients with chronic issues like migraines or digestive disorders. These restrictions stem from outdated laws and lobbying by medical associations that view chiropractic as a threat to their monopoly on healthcare.
Scope-of-practice limitations aren’t just a bureaucratic nuisance; they harm patients. Consider a young athlete with a sports injury. A chiropractor trained in rehabilitation and soft-tissue therapy could provide comprehensive care—adjustments, exercise prescriptions, and nutritional guidance—but may be forced to refer the patient to a medical doctor for treatments they’re qualified to perform. This fragments care, increases costs, and delays recovery. Similarly, patients with chronic conditions often seek chiropractors for holistic management, only to find their practitioner’s expertise curtailed by state laws. In a MAHA-driven healthcare system, shouldn’t patients have access to the full spectrum of a chiropractor’s skills?
Critics argue that expanding chiropractic scope could encroach on medical doctors’ territory or risk patient safety. But this ignores the evidence. Chiropractic care has an excellent safety record, with adverse events occurring in less than 0.1 percent of treatments, per a 2015 Spine Journal study. Chiropractors are trained to recognize when a condition requires referral to a specialist, just as primary care physicians do. The real issue is turf wars, not competence. Medical associations have historically opposed chiropractic, casting it as “alternative” to marginalize its legitimacy. This is less about protecting patients and more about protecting market share.
The MAHA movement offers a chance to right this wrong. By advocating for healthcare freedom, MAHA can push for policies that let chiropractors practice to the full extent of their training. This means updating state laws to allow chiropractors to order diagnostic tests, provide nutritional therapy, and treat a broader range of conditions, as their education permits. It also means integrating chiropractors into mainstream healthcare systems, such as Medicare and veterans’ programs, where their services are underutilized. States like Oregon and New Mexico have already expanded chiropractic scope, allowing D.C.s to serve as primary care providers in certain contexts. These models show what’s possible when barriers are removed.
Chiropractors were MAHA before MAHA had a name. They’ve spent decades fighting for a healthcare model that prioritizes wellness, prevention, and the body’s natural resilience. As the movement gains traction, it’s time to unleash their potential. Let’s dismantle the arbitrary restrictions holding them back and empower these original health revolutionaries to lead the charge for a healthier America.
