December 2023

• Autism and Attention-Deficit-Hyperactive Disorder Helped with Chiropractic
• Woman Regains Will to Live Under Chiropractic Care
• Neck and Shoulder Pain After Vaccination Helped with Chiropractic
• Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? - To Get to the Chiropractor!

The fourth quarter issue of the Asian-Pacific Chiropractic Journal published the results of a case study documenting the improvement under chiropractic care of a young boy who was suffering with the issues of his Autism and Attention-Deficit-Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD).

The study authors make it clear that chiropractic does not treat autism or ADHD. What chiropractic does is seek to correct interference in the nerve system from vertebral subluxations. In correcting subluxations, the patient’s nerve system is allowed to return to a more normal function and address health issues better.

In this case, a 6-year-old boy was brought to the chiropractor. The boy had been diagnosed with both autism and ADHD. His mother reported that her son had difficulty focusing and staying on task, would not respond to his name, and was non-verbal. His mother also noted that her son used little to no eye contact, had difficulties sitting in the same spot for more than ten seconds, and had difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. The boy also engaged in some destructive behavior such as tearing up books instead of reading them.

A chiropractic examination was performed which included palpation of the spine and thermal scans. The results of his examination revealed that the boy had multiple areas of vertebral subluxations. Based on the results of the examination, the researcher created a care plan and stated, "Aims of care were established as removing interference from the nervous system by correcting subluxations so that the body would be better able to regulate itself. Additional clinical aims of seeing improvements in sleep, focus, attention, and less stress in the nervous system were established and the upper cervical spine was determined to be an area of focus for care."

Immediately after the boy’s very first adjustment, it was recorded that the boy was able to take a big breath and relax. He instantly became more calm and started sitting in a chair instead of jumping on it. On the second visit, his mother reported that after returning home from her son’s first adjustment, he fell asleep only 30 minutes after his bath and dinner, a process that usually took over two hours.

Both the boy’s mother and chiropractor noticed that the boy was more focused and attentive when his mom and the chiropractor were speaking to him. Over the next few weeks, the boy became more verbal and was trying to speak more. Eventually, the boy was moved from a special day classroom setting to a general education setting. He was becoming more responsive and making eye contact. He also stopped tearing books up and was able to turn pages and follow along as he and his mother read books.

In their conclusion, the authors stated, "Chiropractors make no claim of ‘cure’ with autism or ADHD. In this case there were no other notable changes made in the child’s routine, and significant changes in his well-being were noted over the course of care. Therefore we can state there is a relationship between Chiropractic care and the function of this child’s nervous system tone and sympathetic arousal, and that a restored state of calm had been noted."

The Asian-Pacific Chiropractic Journal published a report in their 2023 fourth quarter issue documenting the case of a woman who, prior to receiving chiropractic care, was in severe neuropathic pain for so long that she considered ending her life. Neuropathic pain is nerve pain that is not the direct result of injury or tissue damage such as a cut or sprain.

WebMD describes this condition by stating, "Neuropathic pain is often described as a shooting or burning pain. It can go away on its own but is often chronic. Sometimes it is unrelenting and severe, and sometimes it comes and goes. It often is the result of nerve damage or a malfunctioning nervous system. The impact of nerve damage is a change in nerve function both at the site of the injury and areas around it."

Chronic neuropathic pain has a profound effect on all aspects of a person’s life. Typical medical treatment for neuropathic pain is by the use of medications. However, in the absence of a healable wound or injury, medication can only temporarily mask the pain and does not address the underlying cause of the pain. In many cases, continually stronger medications are needed in order to be effective. This sets up a dangerous spiral of drug dependency.

In this case, a 49-year-old woman went to a chiropractor because she was suffering with severe chronic neuropathic pain in her head, neck, face, and shoulders. She rated the pain between a 5 and 10 with 10 being the worst. She reported that she was suffering with this pain for seven years. She noted that she had been to 14 health professionals and had not gotten any relief.

The woman reported that her situation led her to have suicidal thoughts, suffer with depression, and have insomnia. Because of the severity and longevity of the pain, the woman commented that she could no longer tolerate the pain, had lost the will to live, and was contemplating ending her life if she could not get relief.

A chiropractic examination was performed, and spinal x-rays were taken. Based on the results of the examination, specific forms of chiropractic care were started with the woman being initially seen multiple times per week.

At the time of her first re-evaluation, the woman reported feeling decreased pain in her low back and knees as well as reduced neuropathic pain. Considering that she had not gotten help from the previous 14 health professionals prior to getting chiropractic care, she considered this improvement to be substantial.

The woman also reported that she was suffering from fewer headaches, had greater mobility which allowed her to be more active, and had a more regular menstrual cycle. Additionally, she noted that she could handle stress better, noticed more self-positive thinking, and stated that her will to live had been restored.

As part of the study discussion, the authors commented, "It should be noted that while no extra care apart from Chiropractic was introduced at this time, the Chiropractor did not offer mental health support to have done so is beyond the scope of practice in this jurisdiction. The only care offered was nervous system support through checking and adjusting subluxations. It is likely that it was the reduction of pain and increase in movement and improved sleep leading to a better Quality of Life that allowed the patient to regain hope for a different future."

The December issue of the Journal of Physical Therapy Science releases a study on December 1, 2023, documenting the case of chiropractic helping a patient who suffered neck and shoulder pain associated with receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

The study authors begin by explaining the problem of vaccinations related to arm pain. "Each year, billions of deltoid intramuscular (IM) injections are given to administer multiple vaccines globally. In some instances, this shoulder injection causes pain and dysfunction long after the normal soreness should persist. In many of those cases where the pain does not resolve, the patient will experience disability and reduction in quality of life."

In this case a 54-year-old man, who was suffering with left shoulder pain, went to see a chiropractor. The man described the pain as a dull ache that made his shoulder feel like it was "rigging out". He noted that the pain was severe and rated it as 8 or 9 out of 10, with 10 being the worst pain ever. He reported that this started after a COVID-19 vaccination and was steadily getting worse over the three weeks since his injection.

In addition to the left arm pain, the man also reported having mild-to-severe throbbing neck pain. His problems were continuing to get worse to the point where he could not sleep over the prior four nights before starting chiropractic. He noted that he did not have any of these issues prior to receiving the COVID-19 vaccination.

A chiropractic examination was performed with spinal x-rays. It was recorded that the range of motion of his neck was restricted in all directions. When any pressure was placed on the man’s head, it caused an immediate severe increase in his shoulder pain. He was unable to lift his arm above his shoulder, not due to stiffness, but because lifting his arm caused severe pain. His x-rays showed that he had a loss of his normal neck curve and an increase in his mid-back curvature causing a hunch-back appearance.

Specific forms of chiropractic care were started with the man receiving multiple visits per week. The study records that after just one month, the man reported significant relief and commented that he was "feeling great." As chiropractic care continued, the man continued to improve and eventually reported no shoulder or neck pain and no restriction in his movements. Follow-up x-rays also showed an improvement in the man’s neck and mid-back curvatures. Two years later, a follow-up was done, and the man remained pain free and continued to show spinal and postural improvements.

In their conclusion the authors wrote, "This case demonstrates immediate and long-term improvement in a patient suffering from COVID-19 vaccine SIRVA, concomitant with neck pain and disability as well as significant radiographic postural/spinal deformity. These conditions all improved and were maintained at a 2 year follow-up without further treatment."

An unusual study was published by the Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research on November 21, 2023, showing that chickens that were under chiropractic care were more likely to survive, be larger and taste better when harvested and cooked.

The reason for this study is actually very important. The study begins by pointing out that only 1.3% of the workforce in the United States produces the food for remaining 98.7% of the population. Additionally, they note that the amount of land utilized for farming is decreasing even thought the population, and demand for food, is increasing.

The researchers explain their reasoning by saying, "This research team is exploring the effects of animal chiropractic on livestock overall health, rate of gain, reproductive efficiency, and palatability of meat across multiple species. They will utilize animal chiropractic in production settings to offset challenges the American livestock producer faces while maintaining sustainability of our food supply."

Animal chiropractic and human chiropractic share the same basic premise. Chiropractic is based upon correction of interference to the nerve system created by vertebral subluxations. The researchers further explain, "A subluxation is defined as a shift in the normal structure of one vertebrae in reference to the vertebrae on either side of it. This shift can cause a biomechanical change that can interfere with the nervous system."

This study involved 50 broiler chickens that were obtained shortly after being hatched. The chickens were randomly assigned to either a group that got chiropractic adjustments, or a control group that did not get adjusted. The adjusted chickens all got purple leg bands and the control group got pink leg bands. Both groups of chickens were raised in the same place under the exact same conditions.

All the chickens in both groups were harvested at 65 days of age. All the chickens were then weighed, and the meat from the chickens was frozen. After 88 days, they were thawed, breaded, and fried for a taste test at a local fair. All preparations and cooking for the chickens was the same for all chickens in both groups. Additionally, all participants at the fair did not know which group the chicken they were tasting came from. Only the researchers knew what meat came from which group of chickens.

The results were clearly different between the two groups of chickens. First, the control group of chickens who did not get adjusted suffered an over 12% death rate prior to harvest, while the adjusted group had no deaths among their group. In addition, the adjusted group chickens were heavier on average than the non-adjusted group.

Of the 32 people participating in the blind taste test, 75% preferred the meat from the chickens who had been adjusted. Only 16% preferred the fried chicken from the control group, and 9% did not notice a difference. The participants in the taste test who preferred the chickens that had been adjusted, said that they thought that the chicken was juicer, more tender, and had better flavor.