February 2022

• Seizures Stopped in Baby with Chiropractic
• Chronic Migraines Gone with Chiropractic Care
• Chiropractic Improves Sleep, Digestion, Behavior, and Allergies in Child with Rare Genetic Disorder
• Quality of Life Improved for US Service Members When Chiropractic is Added to Medical Care

A case study published on January 21, 2022, in the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health documented the case of a baby who suffered with a rare form of seizures and was on multiple medications being help by chiropractic.

The National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus website describes a rare form of seizure and the medical inability to help. "Malignant migrating partial seizures of infancy (MMPSI) is a severe form of epilepsy that begins very early in life. Recurrent seizures begin before the age of 6 months but commonly start within a few weeks of birth. The seizures do not respond well to treatment. Although affected individuals may develop normally at first, progression stalls and skills decline when seizures begin; as a result, affected individuals have profound developmental delay."

The study reports that the medical prognosis for infant with MMPSI is not good. "Long-term outcomes of individuals with MMPSI are poor, with infants who survive beyond 18 months having various levels of mental retardation and microcephaly. Only 83% of infants with MMPSI did survive beyond 18 months."

In this case, a mother brought her 2-year-old son to a chiropractor to see if her son could be helped. At 6-weeks-old the infant started experiencing seizures that increased to about 20 episodes per day. The boy was suffering with severe developmental regression due to the seizures. It was not until he was 11 months old that the boy was medically diagnosed with MMPSI.

By the time the boy was brought to the chiropractor, he was having 15-20 seizures per day as well as very poor eye gaze/tracking, his arms were flailing, he was screaming and writhing with gross motor movements, and severe lack of muscle tone, which led to the inability of the boy to hold up his head, sit up, or speak. The boy was on multiple medications to try to help his situation.

A chiropractic examination including postural analysis, spinal palpation, and infrared thermography was performed. Spinal x-rays were also performed. The results of the tests revealed the presence of vertebral subluxation. With this information, and with the permission of the parent, age-appropriate specific forms of chiropractic adjustments were started.

As chiropractic care progressed, there was improvement in both the objective test as well as the quality of life as reported by the parents. After eight months of chiropractic care, the boy’s primary medical physician preformed a 24-hour EEG test which showed no seizures at all during that testing period. This was compared to the 15 to 20 seizures the boy was previously having prior to chiropractic. As a result, the primary medical physician took the boy off all medications.

In their conclusion, the study authors noted, "Chiropractic care that focuses on the reduction and correction of vertebral subluxation showed significant improvements in the function and quality of life of this child with MMPSI."

The Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research published the results of a case study on January 11, 2022, documenting the resolution of chronic migraine headaches with chiropractic care. According to the National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus, "Migraines are a recurring type of headache. They cause moderate to severe pain that is throbbing or pulsing. The pain is often on one side of your head. You may also have other symptoms, such as nausea and weakness. You may be sensitive to light and sound."

This study begins by noting how common migraines are in children stating, "...migraine occurs in 3% to 10% of children and currently affects 50/1000 school-age children in the UK and an estimated 7.8 million children in the EU." They continue, "In the United States, nearly 1 in 4 U.S. households includes someone with migraines. Twelve percent of the population – including children – suffers from migraines. Specifically, 18% of American women, 6% of men, and 10% of children experience migraines."

In this case, a 15-year-old boy was brought to the chiropractor by his parents. The boy had been suffering with chronic migraine headaches for years. The history revealed that at the age of three, the boy was involved in a car accident. Shortly thereafter, he began to have visual disturbances and said he was seeing "halos." The boy also said that at times objects would appear very small or distorted. Out of concern, his parents took their son to a neurologist who diagnosed the boy with "migraine activity."

At the age of six, the boy started to experience full blown migraine headaches approximately once every three weeks. Sometime later, the boy was hit while playing football and he started to experience constant sharp headaches with migraine type episodes that occurred every day. His mother noted that his headaches became more frequent and severe as her son grew older.   By the age of 15, the boy described the headaches as constant and sharp that "comes and goes" with migraine intensity.

A chiropractic examination was performed which included spinal palpation, range of motion, several orthopedic tests and spinal x-rays. The tests confirmed the presence of subluxation with the x-rays specifically showing misalignments of the upper two bones in the neck, the atlas and axis.

With the consent of the parents, specific chiropractic adjustments were started to address the subluxations. The study reports that instantly after the first adjustment, changes were noticed. "Immediately after the first adjustment, there was a considerable change in the child’s mood and presentation. He got up from the table smiling, eyes widened. As he was resting, he noted that the sharp pressure he was experiencing prior was starting to alleviate."

The boy continued to improve as his care continued. In a 24-month follow-up, it was reported that the boy had only had 5 migraines in the prior 24 months as compared to constant pain and a full migraine every three weeks before he started chiropractic.

In the study’s discussion and conclusion, the authors wrote, "Headache is one of the most common complaints in children, with migraine and tension-type headaches being the most frequent diseases. Migraine headaches have been placed with a prevalence of 3% in children 3–7 years old and increasing to 4–11% between 7 and 11 years old. We described the successful care of a 15-year-old male suffering from chronic recurrent migraine headaches with successful outcomes."

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health published the results of a case study on February 4, 2022, documenting the improvement in quality of life of a child suffering with many symptoms because of having the rare genetic disorder caused by a CASK gene mutation.  According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders, "CASK-related disorders are a group of genetic disorders that affect brain development."

This study begins by noting that CASK gene mutations are a rare and is predominantly found in females with the symptoms being more severe in males. The Science Daily publication best describes this condition by saying, "Brain cells, or neurons, constantly communicate by sending messages to one another. There are two types of neurons in the brain: those that increase activity in other cells (excitatory neurons) and those that decrease it (inhibitory neurons). The mechanism behind keeping the balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain is very similar to that of a thermostat that is used to maintain a balanced temperature in a home. This mechanism is important because imbalances between excitation and inhibition can cause several serious disorders such as epilepsy and autism."

Science Daily further explains that one of the most important molecules that helps to regulate the mechanism is calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase, known as "CASK." Any mutation in the gene that produce CASK can lead to epilepsy, mental retardation, smaller head size and a number of other issues such as delayed growth, vision and hearing problems, and low muscle tone.

In this case, a five-year-old girl was brought to the chiropractor by her mother. The girl was suffering with complaints of poor sleep, poor self-regulation, allergies, poor digestion, and poor language integration. The young girl had been previously diagnosed with a CASK mutation.

A chiropractic examination was performed which involved observation, palpation, reflex testing, leg length analysis, spinal ranges of motion, and thermographic heat studies. From the examination procedures, it was determined that spinal subluxations were present. To address the subluxations, specific forms of chiropractic adjustments were given, and follow-up examinations with thermographic studies were performed.

The study reports that as chiropractic care progressed, there were positive changes in the re-examination tests objectively documenting improvements in the girl’s physiology. In addition, the study added quotes from the girl’s mother that described how her daughter had symptomatically improved.

The girl’s mother stated, "I remember sleep improving very soon after we started corrective care." She also reported, "Within the first couple months of care digestion improved. Bowel movements previously occurred 3-5 times a week and within the first month or so they began occurring daily."

The girl’s mother also noted that her daughter’s behavioral problems had improved by saying, "…behaviors reduced measurably. More so than behavior therapy had accomplished. Behaviors did not go away, especially in triggering times, however the episodes were shorter, less dramatic, more manageable, and less stressful for the whole family."

Her mother also reported improvements with the girl’s allergies. "…allergies used to be so bad that I would have her wear a bib for drooling. She was not able to blow her nose or clear her sinuses, and would have an open mouth just to breathe, allowing for drool." After chiropractic she stated, "Any allergy attacks have been completely manageable with a couple days of allergy medicine, natural remedies, and adjustments. Completely manageable. No more need for bibs."

A research study published on January 21, 2022, published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, found that the outcomes were better when chiropractic care was added to usual medical care for lower back pain in U.S. servicemen. The title of the study is, "Health-related quality of life among United States service members with low back pain receiving usual care plus chiropractic care plus usual care vs usual care alone: Secondary outcomes of a pragmatic clinical trial."

The study begins by explaining just how large a problem lower back pain is. "Low back pain (LBP) is the primary cause of years lived with disability worldwide for the past 3 decades across 126 of 195 countries." The study continues, "As a result, 5 back and neck pain currently account for the highest healthcare expenditures in the United States 6 (U.S.), estimated at $134.5 billion in 2016." The authors also note that standard medical care may not an effective treatment. "The current literature shows that commonly used therapies, ranging from opioids to spinal fusions, can lead to serious side effects with little impact on the pain experience."

The study reports that over half of the adults in the U.S. have received care from a chiropractor. Also, members of the military have a high rate of lower back pain.

This study was designed to look at the impact of adding chiropractic care to usual medical care for members of the military suffering with back pain. Researchers also looked at the overall health-related quality of life of those service members to see what other effects the chiropractic care had on their lives.

The study was conducted at 3 military treatment facilities with a total of 750 active-duty military personnel with low back pain. The care reviewed was over a 6-week period. The patients and their clinicians determined if care was to include standard medical care only, or the addition of chiropractic care. Those in the medical-only group were asked to refrain from receiving any chiropractic care during the time of the study.

Numerous questions about daily life and the effect their lower back was having on their life was recorded initially, during care, and at the completion of the 6-week period. The results were then compared between the two groups to see if the addition of chiropractic care to the standard medical care had a positive effect on the lower back pain and the overall quality of life of the servicemember. 

The results showed that at the 6-week point, those participants who also got chiropractic care in addition to the standard medical care got "significantly better" results as compared to those that just received the medical care. This improvement was not only seen with the lower back pain, but also in most all measures of quality of life that the researchers tested for.

In their conclusion, the researchers report on the wide range of health improvement by noting, "Findings from this pre-planned secondary analysis demonstrate that chiropractic care impacts health-related quality of life beyond pain and pain-related disability."