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Newsletter Articles
March 2024

  • Positive Health Outcomes for a Child Diagnosed with ADHD Following Chiropractic
  • Vertebral Subluxation Highly Prevalent in Patients Seeking Chiropractic Care
  • Notalgia Paresthetica Helped by Chiropractic - A Case Report
  • Chiropractic Helps Woman Stopping Mini Strokes - A Case Study
Positive Health Outcomes for a Child Diagnosed with ADHD Following Chiropractic

Positive Health Outcomes for a Child Diagnosed with ADHD Following Chiropractic

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health Chiropractic published the results of a case study on March 1, 2024, documenting the positive health outcomes from chiropractic care for a child who had been diagnosed with ADHD. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control describes Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on their website by stating, “ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active.”

The author of this study begins by pointing out how common this issue has become. “There has been an astounding increase in certain childhood mental health diagnoses in society today. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is just one of the many increasing mental health conditions in children, which has shown increased prevalence rates from an estimated 6% in 1997 to 10% in 2017. Upwards of 15% of US children are utilizing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.”

Chiropractic care is becoming a more common form of what is called complementary and alternative care for children with ADHD. The author reports that “…statistics have shown that more than 30 million children visit chiropractors every year. Approximately 7-12% of children with ADHD are utilizing complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) options for care.”

In this case, an 11-year-old boy with a diagnosis of ADHD was brought to the chiropractor. The boy’s history showed that he was born 9 weeks premature. By elementary school, the boy had difficulties with reading and reading comprehension. His parents had been utilizing various exercises and home therapies to help their son with his ADHD issues. They also started to have their son play golf with his father. Due to his issues, the boy had difficulties and was unable to perform several of these exercises.

A chiropractic evaluation was performed, and specific forms of chiropractic adjustments were started. The study reports that after the first adjustment, the boy was able to do the home exercises better than previously, allowing an increase in his home exercise routine. By the boy’s 8th chiropractic visit, the boy was testing better on all levels and reported that his golf game had also improved. As chiropractic care continued, the study reports that the boy continued to show improvement in his level of frustration and all the objective testing performed for ADHD.

This study adds to the growing body of evidence in the form of case studies showing chiropractic helping individual children who have been diagnosed with ADHD. It should be noted that chiropractors do not claim to treat ADHD, but through improvement in nerve system function, many of the issues created by ADHD can be improved.

Vertebral Subluxation Highly Prevalent in Patients Seeking Chiropractic Care

Vertebral Subluxation Highly Prevalent in Patients Seeking Chiropractic Care

On February 15, 2024, the Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research published the results of a study showing that vertebral subluxations were commonly found in patients who were seeking chiropractic care for a variety of health issues. This study may be the first large scale study looking at how common subluxations are found by chiropractors.

The study begins by pointing out that “Vertebral subluxation (VS) is a clinical entity defined as a misalignment of the spine affecting biomechanical and neurological function. The identification and correction of VS is the primary focus of the chiropractic profession.” The Association of Chiropractic Colleges has defined subluxation as “…a complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological articular changes that compromise neural integrity and may influence organ system function and general health.”

This study reviewed the available evidence to see just how common subluxations were determined to be present in patients seeking chiropractic care. This is important as chiropractors have seen subluxation as a major factor affecting the health and wellbeing of the population. The study authors commented, “The primary premise of the chiropractic profession is that the body is a self-maintaining, self-healing organism and that reducing and/or correcting VS allows the nervous system to function better and allows the fullest expression of life.”

The statistical results of this study showed that of the sample size of 1851 chiropractic patients, the average patient age was just slightly over 43 years. Children under the age of 18 were excluded from the study. Additionally, women were more commonly chiropractic patients, making up 64.6% of the total number. The study showed that people seeking chiropractic care were looking for help with a variety of health issues including things such as spinal or extremity pain, numbness, or tingling; headaches; ear, nose, and throat-related issues, visceral issues. mental health concerns, neurocognitive issues, and concerns about their general health.

The study showed that of all the patients seeking chiropractic care in this study, 78.55% of them were determined to have subluxations. The percentage of men with subluxations was found to be slightly higher than found in women. Subluxation findings were higher in patients ages 18 to 30, with 86.33% having subluxations, while those over the age of 70 years had a rate of subluxation at 73.88%.

In their conclusion, the study authors summed up this study and the findings by saying, “The results of this study suggest a high rate of prevalence of VS in a sample of individuals who sought chiropractic care. Concerns about general health and wellness were represented in the sample and suggest chiropractic may serve a primary prevention function in the absence of disease or injury.”

Notalgia Paresthetica Helped by Chiropractic - A Case Report

Notalgia Paresthetica Helped by Chiropractic - A Case Report

On February 1, 2024, the result of a case study was published on the open access research site Cureus that documented the positive outcomes of a patient under chiropractic care who was suffering with notalgia paresthetica (NP). According to the Cleveland Clinic website, “Notalgia paresthetica is a neurological condition that causes intense itching, burning or a tingling sensation between your shoulder blade and spine. The condition isn’t dangerous to your health, but it can be uncomfortable.”

This study begins by pointing out that NP is often associated with spinal degeneration of the neck or upper back as seen on spinal x-rays. They note that medical treatment for this condition is mainly focused on the alleviation of symptoms, but the medications used can themselves create significant side effects creating additional health concerns.

In this case, a 54-year-old woman went to the chiropractor seeking relief from her right-side upper back itching, which the study referred to using the scientific term “pruritus”. The woman rated the itching on average as a 4 out of 10. She had been suffering with this problem for six years. Over that time, the woman had tried numerous topical creams and lotions that did not give her much relief. She also reported a tightness in her neck and upper back. At one point, the woman visited a neurologist, who diagnosed her with NP and recommended she see a chiropractor.

At her first visit to the chiropractor, a chiropractic examination was performed. The examination revealed that the woman’s shoulders were more rounded than normal, and she had an increased hunched over curve in her upper back. Additional findings showed areas of restricted motion and sensitivity to touch in her neck. Spinal x-rays of her neck showed moderate spinal degeneration in the mid-lower neck along with malpositioning of the vertebrae.

Based on the results of the examination and x-rays, chiropractic adjustments were started. This study referred to the adjustment using the scientific wording of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT). Just two days after her first chiropractic adjustment, the woman sent a message to the office stating that her symptoms of neck tightness and itching were almost completely gone. The study reports that after the second chiropractic adjustment, the woman reported that her symptoms were completely gone. A later follow-up showed no return of her symptoms.

Chiropractic Helps Woman Stopping Mini Strokes - A Case Study

Chiropractic Helps Woman Stopping Mini Strokes - A Case Study

The first quarter issue of the Asian-Pacific Chiropractic Journal published the results of a case study documenting chiropractic care helping an elderly woman who was suffering with Transient Ischemic Attacks, more commonly known as mini strokes.

For several years, there was a false narrative being promoted that chiropractic care might be a causative factor in some kinds of rare strokes. This misinformation has long been scientifically proven to be wrong as chiropractic continues to be one of the safest forms of healthcare available. The authors of this study expand upon this point early in their study by saying, “Not only was Chiropractic found to not cause stroke, it is emerging that Chiropractic care may be helpful to patients undergoing in stroke recovery.”

In this study, a 78-year-old retired woman sought chiropractic care after spending a week in the hospital. The woman had survived multiple transient ischemic attacks. During her stay in the hospital, the medical team was unable to locate any specific site of bleeding. Because of this, the doctors informed her that she would be returning to the hospital with more strokes, which they predicted she would suffer.

At the chiropractic office, the woman exhibited an abnormal gait, brain function issues, balance problems, and was determined to be a risk for falling. Her dizziness seemd to come in waves and affected all areas of her life. She was unable to walk without assistance and she could not drive. Additionally, the woman reported that she was having left side numbness as well as left arm and lower back weakness.

Spinal neck x-rays were taken. The results of those x-rays as reported in the study were “abnormal cervical spine alignment, with degenerative findings and abnormal calcium in arteries of the neck.” With these findings, the patient began an intensive regime of chiropractic care that was lighter force appropriate for her condition. She also availed herself to a variety of other alternative care procedures.

The study reports that even though the woman was told that a future stroke was inevitable, she did not suffer any further strokes after starting chiropractic care. In a follow-up visit 12 months after starting chiropractic, the woman had still not had any issues with stroke and was able to resume normal activities of her life. The study authors noted, “The patient went from very limited function, to better than normal function with a full return of independent living and activities. Given the prognosis she had received during her hospital stay, this is significant.”

In the discussion and conclusion of the study, the authors summed up this case by stating, “Through three weeks of concentrated chiropractic care, the first of which occurred just days after the last stroke event, stabilization of the patient was able to be achieved, along with a reversal of all symptomatology related to the stroke and cervical artery stenosis.” According to the study authors, the woman credits chiropractic with saving her life and giving her a second chance.