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August 2016

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• Epileptic Seizures Gone with Chiropractic Care - A Case Study
• Resolution of Infertility with Chiropractic - A Case Study
• Pregnancy-Related Lumbopelvic Pain Improved with Chiropractic
• Resolution of Low Back Pain in an 8-year-old Following Chiropractic Care
• Otitis Media Helped with Chiropractic
• Improvement of GERD Following Chiropractic Care - Case Study and Review

Published in the August 1, 2016, issue of the Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research is a documented case study of a patient being helped with epileptic seizures. The study defines epilepsy by stating, "Epilepsy is a chronic neurological condition that is characterized by recurrent unprovoked epileptic seizures."

In describing the mechanism of seizures, the authors of the study note that seizures are an abnormal and unregulated electrical discharge that occurs within the gray matter of the brain and interrupts normal brain function. They report that between 8 and 10 percent of the population will experience a single seizure some time in their lives with 3 percent developing into epilepsy.

Seizures are generally treated medically with a variety of drugs. However, about 30 percent of those treated are not contained or adequately managed by the medications. Those that can gain some control with their medication are relegated to accepting any side effects while taking that medication for the rest of their lives. For this reason, many patients have sought alternative types of care such as chiropractic.

In this case, a 23-year-old woman suffering from grand-mal seizures went to the chiropractor. She had been suffering from seizures since the age of 21. Since getting seizures, the frequency has increased from two per month to twice weekly. Her history noted that within the first year of her epilepsy diagnosis, she had lost fifty pounds and developed depression, anxiety, migraines, allergies, severe fatigue and memory loss. She was then given medications for these ailments as well. Even after being prescribed a high dose of epilepsy medication, she was still having 2 seizures per week.

A chiropractic examination was performed including a physical examination, postural analysis, palpation, and spinal x-rays. The diagnosis reached from her examination was temporal lobe epilepsy, abnormal posture, and chronic subluxations in the cervical, thoracic, and pelvic areas.

Chiropractic care was started at the rate of three visits per week, and included specific adjustments of the detected subluxations. Within two months of chiropractic care, the patient reported a complete alleviation of her anxiety and depression. She also reported feeling overall improvement and started to take herself off her medications. Her improvement continued over the next several months. By her six-month evaluation, the woman was off all medications and was free of any seizures.

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From the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health comes a case study and literature review published on July 7, 2016, documenting a case of infertility being resolved with chiropractic. Infertility is the inability to conceive within one year of attempting to get pregnant.

The study begins by noting that about 85% of couples attempting to conceive are successful in the first year. Therefore, a timeframe longer than one year is classified as infertility. It is estimated that 6 million couples are struggling with infertility in the United States.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common form of infertility that prevents ovulation. It affects approximately 6.6% of reproductive-aged women and is characterized by swollen ovaries, cysts or follicles on ovaries, infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods, excess hair growth, acne, and obesity. Women with PCOS often have difficulty becoming pregnant, and could develop other health issues such as diabetes and heart disease.

In this case, a 30-year-old woman went to the chiropractor with a chief complaint of ulcerative colitis and neck pain which extended into her upper back. She was also suffering from tension headaches on a regular basis. Her history revealed three car accidents with the oldest dating back to over 30 years ago. She also reported that she had been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). She was unable to get pregnant and was told by her MD that her ovaries were "covered in cysts."

A chiropractic examination was performed which included a spinal analysis, postural analysis, leg length analysis, static palpation, motion palpation, paraspinal thermography, and spinal x-rays to determine the levels of vertebral subluxation. Based on the findings, chiropractic care was initiated to address the spinal subluxations at the rate of two visits per week.

By the fifth chiropractic visit, the patient reported that her neck pain had significantly decreased, and she reported having no headaches that week. By her 14th visit, the woman reported that she was no longer having pain from her ulcerative colitis.

As she continued her care, she noticed that she had begun ovulating for the first time in eight years. Because of this, the woman and her husband decided to try to conceive again. This time, after only the first attempt, they were successful and she became pregnant. Shortly over 40 weeks later, she gave birth to a baby boy. The woman continued under wellness chiropractic care and, one year later, became pregnant again, delivering a baby girl 9 months later.

In the study conclusion, the author wrote, "Chiropractic adjustments, resulting in reduced vertebral subluxations, appear to have benefited a female who was previously anovulatory. Reduction of vertebral subluxations may have a relationship to improved female fertility and the ability to achieve pregnancy. "

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The June 2016 issue of the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine published a case study involving a pregnant woman suffering from pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain (PR LPP) being helped by chiropractic care.

The study authors note that women suffering with lumbopelvic pain only see care in about 25% of the cases because many believe that the pain is normal during pregnancy. Those who do not gain relief are more likely to continue to have pain after their pregnancy. A previous randomized chiropractic clinical trial showed that chiropractic care given in conjunction with the normal obstetric care was more effective in eliminating pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain than just obstetric care by itself.

In this case, a 35-year-old pregnant woman presented herself for chiropractic care. She was suffering with moderate pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain and leg pain. The pain was over both pelvic bones across her lower back. She also reported having an "uncomfortable" tension in her neck and shoulders.

She rated her back and leg pain as a 7 out of 10, with 10 being the worst. The pain started at about the 20th week of her pregnancy and was now radiating down her leg. She reported that standing or sitting for more than 30 minutes, or walking for more than 10 minutes, made her condition worse.

Her history noted that this pregnancy was the result of her fourth in vitro fertilization in a time period of less than 5 years. A previous attempt resulted in the birth of her son. However, two additional attempts to become pregnant resulted in complications and terminated pregnancies.

After an examination, chiropractic care was initiated. The woman was also given some stretching exercises and advised to slowly increase the amount of walking she was doing. Within one week of starting chiropractic care, the woman reported a reduction in the severity and duration of her low back and leg pain. She noted that she was able to sit and walk for longer periods of time.

After 13 visits, she was able to walk or stand for longer than 30 minutes, and sit and travel for more than one hour in the car. This made her daily activities much easier and she reported a decrease in her stress and anxiety. Her overall pain rating dropped from a 7 to a 2 out of 10.

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A case study published in the July 28, 2016, issue of the Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research documented the case of a young boy suffering with chronic lower back pain being helped by chiropractic adjustments of the neck.

The study begins by pointing out that lower back pain in children is more common that normally perceived. Statistics show that around 50% of children will experience some episode of lower back pain.  Normally, lower back pain in children starts around the ages of 12 to 14 with an increase in incidence as age increases. There is no difference between boy and girls in the frequency of this condition.

In this case study, an 8-year-old girl suffering from middle and lower back pain was brought to the chiropractor. She had had these problems for the previous two years. She had not been to any healthcare provider for this problem before visiting the chiropractor.  Her parents reported that, "She has been complaining of nightly back pain for a while." The only care rendered at home was some stretching exercises and massage, neither of which were effective.

An examination was performed which included vital signs, neurological and orthopedic tests, cervical static and motion palpation, and range of motion tests.  No restrictions or abnormalities were noted in the range of motion for the girl's lower back.

The girl's neck did show some positive finding of muscle tightness, and sensitivity to palpation. A positive thermal scan of the neck helped confirm the presence of subluxations. Adjustments were started on the girl's neck. The study shows that although she would feel better, the lower back pain returned the following day. Additional history was revealed that reported that the girl had fallen down a flight of steps at age three.  With this new information, x-rays of the girl's neck were then performed.

With the new findings, specific adjustments were performed when indicated. Because of these new adjustments, the girl's pain was alleviated, and only returned once after the girl fell in her kitchen.  After a specific neck adjustment, the pain once again was gone.

In the conclusion of this study the author wrote, "Significant improvement of the pediatric patient’s complaint of low back pain in this case report demonstrates the need for further investigation. The use of a non-invasive, light-force, and highly specific method of correction upper cervical subluxations may prove to be a safe and cost-effective method of care for pediatric back pain in similar cases."

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The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health published a case study on July 18, 2016, documenting the improvement of otitis media and sleep problems in a baby girl through chiropractic care. Otitis media, more commonly known as ear infections, is any inflammation of the middle ear regardless if it is caused by an infection.

The authors of the study begin by noting how common and trying re-occurring ear infections can be. "Frustration at reoccurring ear infections is one reason some parents are driven to seek ‘alternative’ treatments for their children. This frustration is well warranted, considering two out of three children will be medically diagnosed with otitis media in their first three years of life."

Otitis media can affect any age group but is most prevalent in infants and children. It is estimated that by age four, 80% of children will have suffered a bout of otitis media. The rate of this problem has increased as the study reports that between 1975 and 1990, there was a 150% increase in the number of children in the United States who are diagnosed with otitis media. Common symptoms of otitis media include ear pain, difficulty sleeping, excessive crying, increased irritability, difficulty hearing or responding to sounds, loss of balance, fever, draining from ear, headaches, and loss of appetite.

In this case, a mother of a 2-year-old girl brought her daughter into the chiropractor. She was looking for help with her daughter’s re-occurring ear infections in the hopes of avoiding having tubes put into the baby’s ears, which had been recommended by her pediatrician. She was also looking for an alternative to the ongoing rounds of antibiotics her daughter had been given.

A chiropractic examination, including palpation, spinal heat readings and postural analysis were performed to determine the presence of subluxations that could be related to the baby girl’s problem. The presence of subluxation was determined, and care was begun in the form of specific adjustments appropriate for the age and size of the baby.

After one month of care, a re-assessment was performed which reported that the girl had been able to sleep through the night and had not had any ear infections since starting chiropractic. After about five months under chiropractic care, the study reports that the girl had not had any ear infections and had not needed any antibiotics since the beginning of care.

In their conclusion, the study authors describe how chiropractic can help in otitis media cases such as this. "Chiropractic exam found subluxations at multiple levels, which were addressed in the following weeks and months of care. Through removing these subluxations, the doctor of chiropractic removed the nerve interference and allowed the patient’s body to heal." Based on the results of this and other studies the authors recommended "…chiropractic treatment is a better option for care of concurrent subluxation and otitis media than traditional allopathic care, which relies heavily on antibiotic treatment."

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A case study published in the Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research on July 11, 2016, documented a case of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) being helped by chiropractic in an adult patient.

The Mayo Clinic website describes GERD by stating, "Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic digestive disease. GERD occurs when stomach acid or, occasionally, stomach content, flows back into your food pipe (esophagus). The backwash (reflux) irritates the lining of your esophagus and causes GERD."

GERD is a common disorder. The study reports that 44% of the US population suffer from heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux symptoms at least once per month, 14% suffer weekly, and 7% have symptoms daily. Typical treatment for mild to moderate cases is over-the-counter antacids. More severe cases are medically treated using proton pump inhibitors (PPI).

In this case, a 35-year-old man presented himself to the chiropractor for help with GERD and mid back pain that he had been suffering with for the past two years. His problems were made worse by certain positions of his torso. Consuming certain foods including large meals, fried foods, spicy foods, and alcohol also made his condition worse. Medications and dietary change did not seem to help his situation which led him to try chiropractic care.

A chiropractic examination was performed including palpation, thermographic studies, and x-rays. Subluxations were determined to be present and a specific series of adjustments were begun to correct the detected subluxations.

During the initial portion of care, the patient noted that he did not have GERD symptoms after each of his adjustments. In one instance, he went several weeks without any symptoms until an incident at home caused a minor return of some GERD symptoms. His condition continued to improve under chiropractic care until he no longer needed the medication he was taking for his condition.

"A 35-year-old male presented for care with mid-back pain and gastroesophageal reflux disease. The patient suffered with these symptoms almost daily and was taking Prilosec to control condition," the authors wrote in their conclusion. They summed up the response to chiropractic care by noting that "...the patient had resolution of GERD symptoms and improvement in quality of life."

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