N.Y. Education Law § 6551: Definition of practice of chiropractic

§ 6551. Definition of practice of chiropractic. 1. The practice of

the profession of chiropractic is defined as detecting and correcting by

manual or mechanical means structural imbalance, distortion, or

subluxations in the human body for the purpose of removing nerve

interference and the effects thereof, where such interference is the

result of or related to distortion, misalignment or subluxation of or in

the vertebral column.

2. a. A license to practice as a chiropractor shall not permit the

holder thereof to use radio-therapy, fluoroscopy, or any form of

ionizing radiation except X-ray which shall be used for the detection of

structural imbalance, distortion, or subluxations in the human body.

b. The requirements and limitations with respect to the use of X-ray

by chiropractors shall be enforced by the state commissioner of health

and he is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations after

conferring with the board to carry out the purposes of this subdivision.

c. Chiropractors shall retain for a period of three years all X-ray

films taken in the course of their practice, together with the records

pertaining thereto, and shall make such films and records available to

the state commissioner of health or his representative on demand.

3. A license to practice chiropractic shall not permit the holder

thereof to treat for any infectious diseases such as pneumonia, any

communicable diseases listed in the sanitary code of the state of New

York, any of the cardio-vascular-renal or cardio-pulmonary diseases, any

surgical condition of the abdomen such as acute appendicitis, or

diabetes, or any benign or malignant neoplasms; to operate; to reduce

fractures or dislocations; to prescribe, administer, dispense or use in

his practice drugs or medicines; or to use diagnostic or therapeutic

methods involving chemical or biological means except diagnostic

services performed by clinical laboratories which services shall be

approved by the board as appropriate to the practice of chiropractic; or

to utilize electrical devices except those devices approved by the board

as being appropriate to the practice of chiropractic. Nothing herein

shall be construed to prohibit a licensed chiropractor who has

successfully completed a registered doctoral program in chiropractic,

which contains courses of study in nutrition satisfactory to the

department, from using nutritional counseling, including the dispensing

of food concentrates, food extracts, vitamins, minerals, and other

nutritional supplements approved by the board as being appropriate to,

and as a part of, his or her practice of chiropractic. Nothing herein

shall be construed to prohibit an individual who is not subject to

regulation in this state as a licensed chiropractor from engaging in

nutritional counseling.