3330 North Milwaukee Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60641
(773) 282-2686 or (800) 262-6620
info@naprapathicmedicine.edu
The American Naprapathic Association
(ANA) is the nation's oldest and largest association of Naprapaths. Founded in 1909, the ANA is a non-profit organization whose members are dedicated to protecting, preserving, promoting and expanding the manual
medicine discipline of Naprapathy in all of its endeavors.
Membership is open
to all individuals with a Doctor of
Naprapathy (D.N.) degree or who is otherwise licensed to practice Naprapathy in their State. There are also affiliated memberships and student memberships available. All of our members have a strong
commitment to the philosophy, art and science of manual medicine and sound holistic nutritional advice.
Membership in this
organization provides a multitude of benefits. First and foremost, the ANA monitors and fights legislation that could
limit you from practicing your profession.
Membership of various levels is open to all individuals with a Doctor
of Naprapathy (D.N.) degree and/or a state license to practice Naprapathy, along with very special rates for Naprapathic students and interns, members of the general public and/or allied professionals who wish to support the Naprapathic profession. Joining the A.N.A. automatically makes you eligible for membership in an approved state organization.
Naprapathic Medicine is a specialized system of health care that employs hands-on manual
medicine, nutritional counseling and a wide varienty of therapeutic modalities. Naprapathy focuses on
conditions caused by contracted, injured, spasmed, bruised, and/or otherwise impaired myofascial and connective tissue.
Connective tissue supports and contains all of the integral structures of the entire body, including the tissue surrounding the spinal
column and spinal cord, it envelopes muscles, organs, joints and all of the articulations of the body.
This specialized tissue includes ligaments, tendons, fascia, inter-vertebral discs, and cartilage of which all can develop into a pathologic condition in need of treatment. Naprapaths have a very unique and healthful way to address these problems.
Connective tissue conditions treated by Naprapathic care can be characterized
by abnormally rigid and/or contracted (strained) ligaments, tendons and the related
muscles and fascia in many areas of the body. Conditions may exist where this contracted tissue may impede and create interference with the normal action of nerve pathways, in
addition to affecting the proper circulation of blood and lymph. When this occurs, naprapathy contends that the result can be pain, inflammation, and restriction of normal movement of the affected area of the body and negatively affect vessels passing through these tissues.
Causes of these types of connective tissue problems may arise from traumatic injury - including car
accidents, sports injuries, and falls. It is also known to result from repetitive motion syndromes, such
as work-related computer or machine use, heavy lifting and also improper posture and other lifestyle factors.
Board Certified and Licensed Naprapaths, who are also unoffically referred to as Neuromyologists, can evaluate and treat patients with a referral from your MD, DO, DC, or DPM. They may also treat a patient based on their own evaluation without a referral but will defer to a physician when a diagnosis has been made.
Doctors of Naprapathic Medicine often use
a three-fold strategy in the Naprapathic treatment of connective tissue disorders.
Some common musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders successfully treated through Naprapathic Medicine include:
