Allergies

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The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America claims that over 60 million Americans suffer from these conditions. That is 1 out of every 5 people. It also states that there is no cure for allergies, but rather only preventative measures these people can use. In recent years many studies have proven that principled chiropractic can help prevent and overcome allergies.

In 2009 the local ABC affiliate in Springfield, Missouri, produced a story on a young girl named Jami who had tremendous results with chiropractic. Here severe allergies would cause sinus problems for weeks at a time. She commented, “I get really bad sinus infections…. I just look like I’m bawling all the time.” She tried multiple medications and nothing seemed to help. Jami finally went to a principled chiropractor in the Springfield area where she began regular treatments. She shared her experience by saying, “He adjusted me one time for it. For three days my nose just drained, and then I was fine after that.”

A more recent study was conducted on a group of 57 people who suffered from Crohn’s disease and allergies. The subjects were divided into two groups. One group received chiropractic adjustments, while the control group received none. The group that received chiropractic treatment to remove vertebral subluxation showed long-term stable remission and alleviation of symptoms. These results suggest that chronic nerve irritation has a significant effect on digestion and the absorption of nutrients which can lead to allergies.

So why do some people have allergies to certain things and others do not? The brain and nervous system control and coordinate everything that goes on in the body, including the immune system. When one or more bones in the neck or back move out of alignment and begin to put pressure on the nerve, it can increase the risk of disease and dysfunction. Depending on where these vertebral subluxations are in your body, this may include food sensitivities and allergies.

Asthma

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Approximately 14 Americans die each day from asthma. Asthma is one of only three diseases that has shown an increasing death rate in recent years, up 58% since 1979. According to current estimates, 17 million Americans suffer from the disease, making it the most common and costly illness in the United States. Asthma causes more hospitalizations than any other child hood disease, costing families over $13 billion annually. Although many forms of Asthma can be mild, they should not be taken lightly. Asthma is a warning sign that something is wrong in the body. Chiropractic studies have linked vertebral subluxation and nerve interference with the underlying causes of Asthma.

In one study, 81 children underwent a 60-day principled chiropractic treatment for the removal of vertebral subluxation. At the end of the 60 days, 90.1% of the children showed significant improvement in their symptoms as well as a decreased frequency of asthmatic attacks. This study concluded that vertebral subluxation treatment is a safe non-pharmacological healthcare approach to decreasing asthma-related impairment (more commonly known as asthma attacks). The findings suggest a need for further investigation on the effects of chiropractic care as a management regimen for pediatric asthmatics.

Another study compared 47 people who were medically diagnosed with asthma that underwent a research study through 3 months of regular chiropractic care and all 47 of them showed great improvement. These are just a few of many studies to show very significant results with chiropractic and asthmatic symptoms.

The spinal nerves that come out of the neck and upper thoracic area have major control over the lungs. It is critical that there are no levels of vertebral subluxation in these areas, as sublaxation can interfere with the signals being sent from the brain through the spinal nerves controlling the lungs, which may lead to asthmatic-like conditions.

Autism

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Autism is a behavioral developmental disorder generally presenting in children in the first 18 months of life. Individuals with autism are affected in different ways, but all seem to suffer from a triad of abnormalities: difficulty in interacting with others, impairments in communication, and difficulty in thinking imaginatively. The estimated population of people with autism in New Zealand is approximately 40,000 or 1 in every 100 people. The causes of autism are unknown, though genetic associations, along with internal and external environmental stimuli – both in-utero and at any stage post-partum – are the most accepted theories regarding the causes of autism. No matter the cause, those affected by autism have problems with sensory-neural integration and consequent motor output.

A 3½ year old girl was brought in for chiropractic care after being diagnosed twelve months prior with autism. The child did not speak or communicate with anyone except through screaming and tantrum-like outbursts. She would not socialize with her peers and did not engage in physical activity other than that initiated during a tantrum. Both constipation and sleep disturbances were noted at several stages of her life. The mother described the birth as non-traumatic; however, the child was delivered via vacuum extraction with the mother receiving an epidural. Immediately following birth the child was separated from her mother and received a vitamin K injection along with all standard vaccinations, and she was reported to have reacted differently to other children. She slept for 24 hours after receiving the first series of vaccinations. The child suffered a fall from her cot at 5 months of age with no noticeable damage, and she was breastfed for 18 months. She had not spoken at all and only verbalized via screaming, which was observed on presentation.

The initial chiropractic exam revealed decreased respiration in the thoraco-lumbar region and a fast left cervical syndrome. Palpation and range of motion testing, along with spinal, thermal, and electromyography (EMG) scans, were difficult to conduct due to the apprehension of the child. The initial EMG was consequently only performed on the lumbar spine. These initial EMG and thermography scans revealed large areas of asymmetrical motor and autonomic function respectively throughout the entire spine. The scans were performed using the Insight™ surface EMG and thermal scanning technology. The child was checked and adjusted 28 times over a 10-week period using the Torque Release Technique (TRT) model and Integrator™ instrument.

After five adjustments within two weeks, the child—who was previously very apprehensive – was able to lay on the table herself, and by the sixth visit was holding the chiropractor’s hand. The doctor also noted that on the fifth visit, the patient demonstrated emotional response when her C2 was adjusted for the first time. By the tenth visit the child verbalized for the first time while being adjusted and was reported to be laughing during the same week. During the 6th week under care and her 18th visit, the child was reported to have been constipated. No signs were present 24 hours later, at the 19th visit. Comparable thermal and EMG scans were taken at 1 and 2 months following the onset of care. Importantly, the EMG scan was able to be taken of the full spine on both follow-up occasions. Increased balance and symmetry was noted on the 1st month’s scans in both motor and autonomic function as tested bilaterally parallel to the spine, which further improved on the 2nd month scans.

Current literature fails to identify any single anatomical, physical, physiological, psychological, or neurochemical cause for autism, and no single trait is pathognomonic for a diagnosis. Recent studies suggest environmental causes such as infection, digestive dysfunction, autoimmune responses and side effects to antibiotics and vaccines, but these appear to only be associations.

Whatever the cause, there appears to be a problem with environmental perception (sensory neural integration) and subsequent response (motor output). Despite uncertainty in pathogenesis, autopsy results on autistic subjects have yielded consistent findings in the cerebral and particularly cerebellar regions of the brain. Twelve autistic cases showed Purkinje neuronal loss with a consequent reduction in size, most notably in the posterior cerebellar vermis. The vermis receives visual, auditory and vestibular inputs as well as somatic sensory input from the head and proximal parts of the body. Hence the vermis plays a large role in sensing the surrounding environment, a function that appears to be affected in autistic people. Thus the part of the brain that plays a major role in perceiving the environment appears to be reduced in size, cell number and also function in autistic patients.

Here subluxation-based chiropractic care can have its impact. A vertebral subluxation refers to a mechanical problem in the spine that relates to nerve interference. Due to altered biomechanics of the spine, a subluxation can lead to an imbalance in sensory input into both the cerebrum and cerebellum – especially the vermis – from the left, right, or both sides of the body. This sensory dysafferentation then leads to alteration in the central integrative state of the neuronal cells involved with initiating the response to the environmental stimuli (cerebellum and motor cortex initially), which in the case of autistic children can manifest as either hyperactive or hypoactive responses to their environment. Adjustments have the effect of resetting the joint and the mechanoreceptor activity to a resting state with a subsequent change in the central integrative state of the central nervous system, leading to a more appropriate response to the environment.

This case report illustrates how an improvement respectively in both subjective and objective behavioral patterns and nerve system symmetry followed chiropractic care in a child with autism. Similar cases have been published previously with comparable behavioral changes; however, further research is required to determine the exact role of chiropractic in benefiting children with autism.

Colic

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5-25% of infants suffer from colic, and an infant with colic can be a nightmare for new parents. Long nights of crying due to gastrointestinal pain and numerous other factors can make the parent’s job both physically and emotionally harder than it needs to be.

The National Health Service in Ballerup (Copenhagen, Denmark) conducted a study involving 50 infants diagnosed with colic. Half of the group received specific chiropractic adjustments, and the other half received the drug dimethicon. In this study, 9 of the 25 infants taking the drug were removed from the study because their symptoms were getting worse.

Even with the removal 9 infants from the group that received drugs for colic, the results showed a more significant improvement in the group that were under chiropractic care. Between the fourth and seventh days of the study, the infants remaining in the drug group had reduced their hours of crying by only one hour, while the entire chiropractic group had reduced crying hours by an average of 2.4 hours. After 8 to 10 days, the infants who were prescribed drug treatments plateaued at a one-hour reduction in crying, while the chiropractic group further improved to an average of 2.7 fewer hours of crying. The researchers noted that, had the 9 infants not been pulled from the drug group, the disparity between chiropractic treatment and drug treatment would have been even greater.

Research study after research study continually demonstrate the greater efficacy of chiropractic care in alleviating colic in infants when compared to other medical treatments. Not only do chiropractic adjustments help alleviate colic symptoms, but they also contribute to infants’ overall health and immune system by boosting their white blood cell count.

Ear Infections

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Every year, 500,000 children have surgical tubes placed in their ears for ‪‎ear infections, and 98% still get reoccurring infections thereafter. However, according to a study on over 400 children with chronic ear infections, 80% showed no recurrence after undergoing regular ‪‎chiropractic care for six months. This is due to the improvement of fluid drainage from the inner ear.

The fluid in a child’s ears does not drain as easy as it does in an adult’s because children’s eustachian tubes are more horizontal than vertical. Due to this anatomical difference, fluid may accumulate and remain in children’s eustachian tubes for longer periods, allowing viruses or bacteria to proliferate, leading to infection. These infections are most often treated with antibiotics, which kill not only pathogenic bacteria but also the healthy tissue cells. If the ear infection is caused by a virus, then the child is taking unnecessary antibiotics, which have no effect against viruses. Statistics now indicate that repeated or inadequate use of antibiotics contributes to future infections by creating drug-resistant strains. If a child continues to get ear infections, he/she may be placed under general anesthesia to have drainage tubes surgically implanted.

The chiropractic treatment for ear infections addresses the top vertebae in the neck, including the atlas, which is in intimate contact with the eustachian tubes. If this bone is slightly out of place, it may put pressure on the tube resulting in a smaller drainage aperture. The longer the fluid remains in the tube, the more likely it is to get infected. Chiropractic adjustments to the atlas are a natural way to reduce blockage, improve fluid drainage, and reduce the risk of infection. For parents whose children suffer from chronic ear infections, this option is safer, more affordable, and less invasive.