March 2018

• Infants Have Good Outcomes Under Chiropractic According to Study
• Chiropractic Helps Excessive Crying in Baby According to Study
• Vasovagal Syncope, Fainting and Blackouts Helped with Chiropractic
• Baby with Chronic Constipation Helped with Chiropractic
• Improvement in Motor Developmental Delay in a 15-month Old Baby Following Chiropractic
• Study Showed Chiropractic Helping a Dog with Tremors

A study was published in the January 2018 issue of the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics showing that, according to parents assessments, chiropractic was beneficial for their infants. The study also showed that chiropractic for the infants was beneficial to the parents' overall self-health assessment.

The study begins by noting that children and infants are commonly brought to chiropractors. Over one-third (37.5 %) of children seek healthcare that falls into the category of complimentary or alternative medicine (CAM). Common in the CAM services is chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation. Some of the more common reasons that infants are brought to the chiropractor include excessive crying, feeding difficulties, infant colic and abnormal motor development.

This study is unique in that it investigated the parents’ report of their infants' care, rather than a clinical review of the results of care such as in most case reports. This study reports on parent satisfaction with care for their baby or infant, along with the parent's report of the outcome of the care rendered.

Four questionnaires were used in this study to assess that parent's judgment of their child's health and the outcome of care. Two of the questionnaires were given at the onset of care and two were given later toward the conclusion.  The questionnaires included demographic information along with rating the clinical experience provided.

The study parameters were very specific. "The mothers were asked to give a rating on a scale of 1 to 10 with regards to the daily amount of irritable behavior in their child, level of distress the mother feels with her child’s behavior, restfulness of infant sleep during the last week and difficulty to console the child when crying."

This study looked at the survey results from 413 mothers, all with infants under the age of one who received chiropractic care. All 413 filled out the initial questionnaires and 197 filled out the second set of questionnaires at the conclusion of initial care. On the initial questionnaire, it was noted that 182, representing 50.3%, of the infant patients were four weeks of age or less. The breakdown showed that 30.2% of the infants were brought in for colic or crying, 22.9% for a feeding related complaint, 19.5% for a checkup, and 27.4% for a variety of other reasons.

The results of the study showed that in each of the categories, the infants had improved significantly according to their parents' reports. Improvement was seen in the areas of amount of irritability, restfulness of sleep, and the ease of consoling an infant who was crying. Additionally, the parents reported that their own stress levels dropped by 48% as a result of their infant receiving chiropractic care. 

In their conclusion, the authors noted why infants are brought to the chiropractors by saying, "The demographic profile of infant patients presented to a chiropractic practice setting showed the two leading complaints were feeding problems and excessive crying. The complaints were often present from birth and accompanied by potential anxiety/depression levels in the mother." 

As a result of the improvement in both the infants and the mothers, the researchers were able to report that the "Parents were highly satisfied with care and their expectations were met."

Top

The Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics published a case study and review in their January 2018 issue showing how chiropractic helped a baby who was suffering from excessive crying. This study points out that although crying is a normal way that infants communicate their needs, excessive crying can indicate a health issue, and can create parental stress or even depression.

The study reports that an incessant crying baby is one of the most common reasons infants are brought to healthcare professionals in the first sixteen weeks of life. In many cases, infants are brought to the chiropractor after a visit to the pediatrician has failed to significantly remedy the issue of incessant crying.

In this case, a five-month-old boy was brought by his parents to the chiropractor. The parents reported that their baby was exhibiting excessive and uncontrollable crying, a short attention span, and difficulties with sleeping. They reported that the excessive crying started immediately after birth and would continue for at least five hours each day. The baby boy would start inconsolable crying in the late afternoon and it would last until around 10 p.m. at night.

The birth history revealed a difficult and exhausting birth process, lasting over 30 hours and requiring vacuum extraction intervention. Additionally, immediately after birth, tube feeding of the infant was required due to low blood sugar levels. The tube feeding made breast feeding difficult as the baby showed defensive reactions around his mouth. Due to breast feeding problems, the baby was given formula which created issues of irritability and bowel problems. The child was finally diagnosed with colic.

At five months of age, the baby was brought to the chiropractor where a chiropractic examination was performed. After reviewing the information with the parents, they agreed to have chiropractic care started for their baby. The study recorded positive results by reporting, "After five treatments over five weeks, both parents reported that their child was a lot more relaxed, he could settle to entertain himself, was less irritable, and his crying had reduced to the normal unit of less than two hours a day."

The author of the study was cautious in her conclusion as to not overstate the results of this single case study. She wrote, "It can be concluded that there are different etiologies of excessive crying, each related to different underlying concerns. Even though the research isn’t unanimous about whether chiropractic care does have a positive effect on excessive crying, there is evidence to suggest that chiropractic care is safe for the infant and that taking an excessively crying infant to a chiropractic will result in fewer hours of crying."

Top

The February 8, 2018, issue of the Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research published a case study showing chiropractic helping a patient who was suffering with vasovagal syncope, resulting in fainting and blackouts. The authors of this study cite the World Journal of Cardiology to define syncope as "...syncope is defined as a transient and self-terminating loss of consciousness (LOC) with rapid onset, short duration combined with spontaneous, prompt and complete recovery."

The Mayo Clinic website describes this condition by saying, "Vasovagal syncope occurs when you faint because your body overreacts to certain triggers, such as the sight of blood or extreme emotional distress." They further explain, "The vasovagal syncope trigger causes your heart rate and blood pressure to drop suddenly. That leads to reduced blood flow to your brain, causing you to briefly lose consciousness."

In this case, a 57-year-old woman sought chiropractic care due to her chief complaint of fainting. She also reported that she was suffering with neck pain on the right side with a loss of normal right neck rotation. She had been diagnosed by her MD with vasovagal syncope (VVS).

The woman reported that her fainting first started in 1996. She reported that turning her head to the left would bring on the fainting episode. It was two years later that she was diagnosed by her cardiologist with vasovagal syncope. An EKG, cardiac Echo, and carotid artery doppler were performed but revealed no abnormal finding and were considered negative studies.

The medical recommendations included medication for low blood pressure and the possibility of surgery for implantation of an electrical pacemaker. The woman declined these options and decided to take a holistic approach for her health issues.

Chiropractic examination procedures, including x-rays, were performed after which specific chiropractic adjustments were started to address her vertebral subluxations. Analysis of the results of the adjustments were performed to determine the changes made from the procedures.

The results of the chiropractic care were immediate and profound in this case. After the first chiropractic adjustment, the woman reported that she did not suffer a single syncope episode or fainting attack. After her fourth visit, she also reported that her neck pain was completely gone. After the initial portion of care, the study noted that the woman remained on chiropractic care on a maintenance basis and that she was "...appreciative for the ability in gaining the quality and function back in her life, via chiropractic."

In their conclusion the authors wrote, "The chiropractic treatment and complete resolution of a 57-year-old female patient suffering from Vasovagal syncope (VVS) is presented in this case study." They further noted, "This case supports the evidence of chiropractic care in relieving neurological disorders based on anatomical association and interference."

Top

From the January 2018 issue of the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics comes a documented case study of chiropractic helping a baby who was suffering from chronic constipation. In children, constipation can be expressed as infrequent bowel movements and can have hard and dry stools.

The study begins by noting that between 5-30% of the child population will suffer with this issue. More than one third of the cases become chronic, lasting for more than 8 weeks. The study reports that many factors can contribute to the issue including dehydration, dietary factors such as cows milk intolerance, or a change in diet. Certain organic issues can also lead to constipation as well as psychological factors including purposefully withholding stools which can become an acquired behavior in some children.

If no known cause can be found for the constipation, it is referred to as idiopathic constipation. The study describes how this problem can be detected by noting, "Signs and symptoms of childhood constipation include excessive flatulence associated with a foul smell, infrequent passing of stools, abdominal pain and withholding or straining to stop the passage of stools.

In this case, a mother brought her 2-year-old son in to see the chiropractor. The boy's problems primarily included three weeks of right shoulder and arm pain which was affecting his daily activities as well as his sleep. His mother additionally reported that her son was suffering with chronic constipation for over a year and was taking what she described as a "significant" amount of medication for the issue. The boy's bowel movements were extremely foul smelling and very painful to pass. The child was eating a very nutritious and healthy diet which would rule out dietary concerns for causing the constipation.

A chiropractic examination was performed which included inspection, range of motion, and palpation of the spine and pelvic bones. With the findings, age-specific chiropractic care was started on the boy. After only one visit, the child was completely free of the initial pain of right shoulder and arm pain. Within ten days, the boy's mother reported that her son was having more frequent bowel movements associated with looser stools and less straining. As a result, the boy's mother was able to reduce his medication.

The study records that after four visits "...the mother reported that for the first time in his life, the child was sleeping throughout the night without waking and routinely passing a stool with no complaint." After two additional visits the boy was having regular bowl movements without any straining.

In the abstract of this study, the authors give and overview of the case and the results by stating, "After four treatments, the frequency of bowel movements increased from once every other day to twice a day and use of medication decreased. Sleep quality also improved. As a result of the improvements noted with this intervention, a musculoskeletal mechanism for the development and persistence of constipation in children has been proposed."

Top

A recent study showed chiropractic helping correct motor development delay in a 15-month old baby. The documented study was published in January 2018 in the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics. The study titled, "Improvement in motor developmental delay in a 15-month old male following chiropractic care to correct vertebral subluxation: A case report," was conducted in Auckland, New Zealand, with the assistance of the New Zealand College of Chiropractic, in Auckland, New Zealand.

The study authors begin by defining the issue. "Developmental delay is defined as a child who is not meeting a range of milestones at the expected rate of development." They go on to explain the areas of delay by saying, "Typically, this involves multiple areas of development including cognitive skills, social and emotional skills, speech and language skills, fine and gross motor skills and activities of daily living."

Developmental delay is measured against six areas defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "windows of achievement." Each of these have different age ranges depending on the level advancement for the age of the child. These achievements include sitting without support, standing with assistance, hands-&-knees crawling, walking with assistance, standing alone, and finally walking alone. Not being able to achieve these tasks within the timeframe set forth in the WHO guidelines is considered developmentally delayed.

In this case, a 15-month-old boy who was suffering from developmental delay was brought to the chiropractor. The boy was unable to crawl or creep in any way. He was unable to pull himself up to stand, or to stand alone or walk. From around 6 months of age, he was able to sit upright, and from around 9 months old, he was able to roll. This level of ability was way behind what should be expected which would allow the boy to be considered to be developmentally delayed. The boy's speech was not advanced but was not considered to be delayed in any way for his age.  

A chiropractic examination was performed which revealed multiple areas of spinal and pelvic restrictive movement and alterations of muscle tone. The boy exhibited reduced ability to balance and difficulty in supporting himself on his hands and knees.

With consent from the parents, chiropractic care was started on the boy for correction of vertebral subluxations with multiple visits per week being performed in the initial stage of care. 

The study results showed that, following the first two adjustments, the child started to crawl on his hands and knees by himself without needing assistance. After one additional visit, the boy was able to pull himself up to a standing position. Progress continued as it was reported that after the sixth visit, the boy was able to crawl on his hands and knees with ease and began letting go while in a standing position. After seven chiropractic visits, the boy began to take unassisted steps with increasing confidence. During the entire time of the chiropractic care, it was reported that there were no adverse reactions identified or reported.

In their discussion, the authors of this case study summed up the results by saying, "Motor development improvements were reported in a 15-month-old male over the course of 16-weeks of chiropractic care. The child had initially presented with motor development delay, with inability to crawl in any manner, stand or walk unassisted."

Top

A study published on February 5, 2018, in the Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research showed that chiropractic can help even those with spines who do not walk upright. In this study, a Great Dane suffering with tremors was helped by chiropractic.

Although there are many differences between the canine population and humans, there is the common factor that the nervous system control and coordinates all functions. This is a basic truth for almost all life on earth. It therefore stands to reason that if interference with a human nervous system coming from subluxations can lead to health issues, the same should also be true for non-human vertebrates such as dogs.

The two authors of this study consisted of a chiropractor and a veterinarian. They began this study report by noting that tremors and involuntary movements in canines have been reported over the last ten years. They note that the determination of causes and types of tremors in dogs is more difficult than in people. There is however, a type of tremor known as an orthostatic tremor. This type of tremor is more common in giant breeds of dogs such as Great Danes, under the age of two and is seen when the dog is standing.

In this case, a 3-week-old male Great Dane was brought into a private veterinary and animal chiropractic clinic. The dog was the first born of the litter and was born breech, He was experiencing tremors since birth. Immediately after birth, it was noticed that the rear legs were blue and cold, and only became warm after the dog owner wrapped the newborn puppy in a blanket. The dog's owner reported that the puppy had weakness in his hind quarters when he began walking, and shook as if he was suffering from Parkinson's disease. The puppy's shaking did decrease on his own, however, it was still noticeable when walking. None of the other puppies in this litter showed any signs of this problem.

A veterinary examination of the puppy showed a normal puppy in most respects but did reveal the shaking. All other exam procedure performed by the veterinarian proved to be unremarkable accept for the presence of tremors.

A chiropractic examination was also performed which consisted of static and motion palpation for the purpose of finding restrictions or pain and accessing muscle tone along the puppy's spine. From this examination, it was determined that multiple areas of subluxations were present. Based on the findings, chiropractic care was rendered to the puppy.

According to the study, after just three days following the initial chiropractic treatment, the owner reported that the puppy was able to stand up and walk on two occasions with very minimal shaking. After two more weeks of care, the then five-week-old puppy seemed normal and was not showing any symptoms of tremors.

In the case discussion the authors noted, "Spinal manipulation has been performed on animals for centuries, but veterinarians and chiropractors have only recently started working together to improve the practice, guidelines and education for both professions." They further explained the difference between what a veterinarian determined to be a subluxation verses what a chiropractor would define subluxation as, "Veterinarians typically hold a structural perspective that a subluxation is a partial dislocation, whereas chiropractors view subluxation from a more functional point of view, stating that vertebral misalignments interrupt the normal biomechanical and neurological functions of the body."

Top