December 2022


  • Resolution of Sleep and Anxiety Disorder Following Reduction of Vertebral Subluxations
  • Pregnancy Following Chiropractic Care
  • Autistic Behavior, Language Development, Sleeping, Constipation, and Ear Infections Improved Under Chiropractic
  • Behavior, Sleep Quality, and Energy Improved in Children Under Chiropractic Care

Resolution of Sleep and Anxiety Disorder Following Reduction of Vertebral Subluxations

The title above comes from a study published in the November 15, 2022, issue of the Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. The study documents the resolution of sleep and anxiety issues in a patient who is under chiropractic care for the correction of vertebral subluxations.

The study begins by noting the seriousness of sleep issues by saying, "Chronic sleep insufficiency affects a third of Americans and is a recognized detractor to optimal human health and performance." The author continues, "It is associated with multiple serious adverse health and social outcomes, negative impacts on mental health and functioning, and decreased health-related quality of life (HR-QOL). Chronic sleep disorders have been linked to seven of the fifteen leading causes of death..."

In this case, a 28-year-old woman went to the chiropractor seeking help for headaches and lower back pain. In addition, she was also suffering from sleep disorders and anxiety. The examination she received included chiropractic subluxation-specific procedures as well as a HAM-A survey and a PSQI questionnaire. The HAM-A (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale) is a psychological questionnaire used by clinicians to rate the severity of a patient's anxiety. The PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) is a self-rated questionnaire which assesses sleep quality and disturbances over a 1-month time interval.

The focus of chiropractic care was to determine the presence of subluxations. Once it was established that subluxations were present, specific forms of chiropractic care were utilized to make corrections to the subluxations. Follow-up testing for subluxations was performed along with second HAM-A and PSQI evaluations were done to objectively measure any changes the woman had as a result of the chiropractic care.

The results, as reported in this study, showed that the subluxations were being corrected. Additionally, the woman reported improvements in the symptoms that brought her to the chiropractor. There was also documented improvement in both the woman's sleep issues and her anxiety. The study states, "The patient also demonstrated marked reduction of sleep disorder as measured by Global PSQI score (from an initial score of 16 to an improved score of 3) and marked reduction of anxiety disorder (from an initial score of 28 to an improved score of 10) after three months of consistent chiropractic care."

In the conclusion of this study, the author summed up the results and noted the important role chiropractic can play for issues involving sleep and anxiety. "The data presented herein describe concurrent correction or reduction of vertebral subluxation with resolution of sleeping disorder as well as anxiety disorder. These findings suggest the utility of chiropractic care, delivered to correct or reduce vertebral subluxation, for restoration of normal sleep function and resolution or improvement of associated mental health symptoms."


Pregnancy Following Chiropractic Care

Pregnancy following chiropractic care is the title of a case study article published in the 2022 fourth-quarter issue of the Asia-Pacific Chiropractic Journal. The study documents the case of a woman who was able to become pregnant as a result of chiropractic care.

In this case, a 26-year-old woman had been unsuccessfully trying to get pregnant for the prior two years. She did have two children with a previous partner when she was 20 and 22. She sought chiropractic care for this issue and for back and neck pain.

The woman had been suffering with back and neck pain for six years since she was involved in a high-speed car accident. She was also suffering with daily headaches mainly at the base of her skull. Additionally, the woman was suffering with recurrent ear infections. Two years after the start of these issues, she had her first child. 

At the time of her presentation to the chiropractor she was having issues with an unresolved ear infection. She also reported that she was under a lot of stress and her menstrual cycle was irregular and that her periods were sometimes painful. 

A chiropractic examination was performed which included spinal x-rays. The x-rays showed some spinal osteoarthritis, a slight reversal of the neck curvature and various subluxations throughout her spine. Based upon these findings, specific forms of chiropractic adjustments were started.

The results of this study reported that three months into the woman's chiropractic care, she was able to become pregnant. She also reported that her headaches were "consistently relieved with chiropractic adjustments." Her lower back pain was no longer an issue and her neck pain and earaches had greatly improved. The study reported that, "With the aid of three months of regular Chiropractic care she unexpectedly became pregnant and subsequently gave birth to a healthy baby."

The author of this case also reported on several other published case studies of women who initially had trouble getting pregnant and were successful following chiropractic care. In many of these cases, the women were also suffering with lower back pain at the time they started chiropractic care. However, there are a number of studies where infertility was the primary reason that a woman would seek chiropractic which would lead to a successful pregnancy.


Autistic Behavior, Language Development, Sleeping, Constipation, and Ear Infections Improved Under Chiropractic

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health Chiropractic published the results of a case study on December 1, 2022, documenting the improvement under chiropractic care of a patient who was suffering with multiple health issues including autism, altered behavioral patterns, language deficits, sleeping problems, constipation, and earaches.

This study begins by describing autism issues, "Autism can be defined as a disorder beginning in childhood marked by the presence of abnormal or impaired development in social interaction and communication with a markedly restricted repertoire of activity and interest."

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Centers of Disease Control and Prevention reports on their website that in the year 2000 the rate of children identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was 1 in 150. By the year 2010, that number had grown to 1 in 68 children diagnosed with ASD. As of the latest CDC survey study in 2018, the number of children with ASD was up to 1 in 44.

Standard medical care for ASD has traditionally involved sensory integration, visual and auditory training, behavioral modifications, and medications designed to control mood. With no effective drug treatment for autism, the study reports that more people are seeking other forms of care such as chiropractic.

In this case, a 17-year-old male was brought to the chiropractor by his parents. His parents reported that their son had been diagnosed with autism at the age of two. Additionally, the study noted that the boy was only able to get between two and four hours of sleep each night. Due to their son's sleep issues, his parents were forced to alternate nights of staying up to keep him from leaving the house. The boy also was having between five and seven temper tantrums per week and was suffering with constipation and ear infections. The boy's vocabulary was limited to about 30 to 50 words.

A chiropractic examination was performed with the specific goal of locating vertebral subluxations. Based upon the examination and the positive findings that subluxations were present, specific forms of chiropractic were started.

Improvement was reported after the first adjustment as the boy's parents reported that their son fell asleep in the car on the drive home from the chiropractor. Prior to that, the boy had not taken a nap in 14 years. After arriving home, it was reported that the boy laid down on the couch and slept from 10:00am to 7:30pm. After the boy woke up, he ate dinner, and then laid down in his father’s lap for the first time in 10 years. The boy then fell asleep from 9:00pm that night to 9:00am the following day.

As care continued, periodic examinations were performed documenting his continued improvements. After three months of care, his parents reported that the boy's vocabulary had expanded to 100 words. His sleep had greatly improved as he was not sleeping between 6 to 8 hours each night. His parents also reported a decrease in temper tantrums and improvements in his other symptoms.

After six months of chiropractic care, the boy's vocabulary had increased to about 300 words. His sleeping was also so regular that his parents no longer had to take turns sleeping on the couch to make sure he would not leave the house during the night.

Chiropractic care continued, as did the boy's progress. By the two year point in care, the boy's quality of life had drastically improved in all aspects with a 500 word vocabulary and only a mild temper tantrum maybe once per month. All sleeping issues were gone as were most of his other symptoms that he had at the start of chiropractic care.

The study authors summed up this case by saying, "The purpose of this study was to document the relationship between chiropractic care and the patient’s progress as it relates to autism, altered behavioral patterns, language deficits, sleeping problems, constipation, and earaches. The case study showed large improvements for these conditions through consistent chiropractic care."


Behavior, Sleep Quality, and Energy Improved in Children Under Chiropractic Care

The Asia-Pacific Chiropractic Journal published a paper in their 2022 fourth quarter issue documenting five cases of pediatric chiropractic care helping children with a variety of issues. The study, titled "Improvement in adaptability concomitant with paediatric (sic) chiropractic care", looks at how reductions in subluxations will affect nerve system function resulting in health improvements in children in a variety of ways.

The first case involved an eight year old boy who was brought to the chiropractor by his parents because they noticed his shoulders were uneven and one of his feet was turned outward when he was standing. The chiropractic examination revealed multiple levels of subluxation. care was started for the correction of the subluxations.

Shortly after the care began, the study reports that the boy's postural issues had been corrected. However, in addition to this, the parents and the boy's teacher noticed a significant improvement in the boy's behavior. He was now less grumpy, more attentive and overall calmer, as he could now sit still during floor time.

In the second case, a four-and-a-half month old baby boy was brought to the chiropractor because he was having difficulty sleeping with excessive movement in addition to waking every hour.

The results of this case after chiropractic care showed that he started sleeping much better for about 3-4 hours without waking and he was much more settled. The improvement was so drastic that the mother stated she had shed "tears of happiness" for her son's improvement.

The third case involved a 16-year-old girl who was suffering with neck soreness and excessive tiredness. Her MD had recently diagnosed her with hypothyroidism. After chiropractic care was started for the correction of subluxations, the girl reported that her soreness was gone, and her energy had greatly improved. Additionally, a follow-up visit to the MD showed a change in her thyroid function to where she was no longer meeting the criteria for the hypothyroidism diagnosis.

The fourth case involved a four-and-half-year old boy who had both behavioral and sleep issues. As with the other cases, subluxations were found and specific chiropractic adjustments were started. As with the other cases, the boy showed significant improvement with his behavior and sleep after the start of chiropractic care as reported by the parents.

The fifth case involved a 10-month-old boy who prior to chiropractic care was having problems with sleeping and was reported to be a very light sleeper by his parents. Once again, after the finding of subluxations specific and age appropriate forms of chiropractic were utilized. As with all the previously mentioned cases, the parents noted significant improvements shortly after the start of chiropractic care.

In the discussion and conclusion of this multiple case study the authors noted, "While it might not be top of mind for a parent to present their child for care at a chiropractic clinic with primary concerns of poor sleep, fatigue or with behavioural (sic) concerns, these case reports do raise the possibility that the restoration of ease to the nervous system may be associated with restoration of the child to a state in which they can better adapt to their environment." They concluded, "Chiropractic care for the reduction of subluxations may contribute to enhanced nervous system coherence, thus allowing the child to better adapt to their environment, resulting in better sleep and behaviour (sic).