January 2023

• Allergic Asthma Helped by Chiropractic
• Chiropractic Adjustments Do Not Have to Make a Popping Sound to be Effective
• Exercise Can Help Children with Symptoms of Depression
• Resolution of Meniere’s and Restoration of Hearing Under Chiropractic Care

The Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research published a study on January 3, 2023, documenting the improvement through chiropractic of a patient who was suffering with allergic asthma.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America describes this condition by saying, "Many people with asthma also have allergies. In fact, allergens are the most common asthma trigger. This is called allergic asthma. Allergic asthma is most common in early childhood and steadily decreases through adulthood."

This study describes how common asthma is by reporting, "Asthma is a common respiratory condition affecting 25.7 million people with increasing prevalence. Asthma is more frequently seen in children and is the leading cause of pediatric admissions to hospitals, as well as absences from school." Although the condition is more common in children, and in many cases disappears in adults, some cases do continue into adulthood.

In this case, a 38-year-old woman who was suffering with allergic asthma went to the chiropractor. She had been suffering with this condition since she was a teenager. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst, the woman rated her allergies as an 8 out of 10. She also reported that she was suffering with chronic sinus issues, headaches, and leg numbness.

A chiropractic examination revealed the presence of subluxations. Specific forms of chiropractic adjustments were started to address the subluxations at the initial rate of three visits per week.

After about one month of chiropractic care, a first assessment was done to evaluate the amount of improvement. At that time, the woman reported that she had experienced considerable improvement with her asthma. She related that she had improved about 40% overall. The woman also reported that she saw moderate improvements in her headaches and leg numbness, and mild improvement with her sinus problems.

On the woman’s second assessment, she reported that she no longer had symptoms of asthma and had experienced complete improvement with her allergies. In addition to this, she also reported that she had seen significant improvement with her headaches and leg numbness with complete improvement with her sinus problems.

In their conclusion, the study authors summed up this case by saying, "The results of this case suggest that specific chiropractic adjustments delivered to primary subluxations can be beneficial to people with allergic asthma. This case supports chiropractic care in the management of people with non-musculoskeletal conditions, namely asthma."

A study published by the journal Chiropractic & Manual Therapies on October 4, 2022, may have laid to rest the argument by both patients and some chiropractors as to the need for a popping sound when an adjustment is given.

The study begins by giving an overview of the issue of the popping sound with adjustments, which in this study is referred to as SMT or spinal manipulative therapy. "Many chiropractic patients are familiar with hearing a popping or cracking sound when receiving SMT and this is often seen as a factor that differentiates mobilization and manipulation. To the clinician delivering SMT, this sound is frequently associated with the perception of a successful intervention and when it does not occur, some clinicians may apply another treatment thrust.

One of the additional issues is that there are some people who are fearful of the popping sound and avoid chiropractic adjustments saying that they do not want to have their "back cracked." Although the popping sound is absolutely not the cracking or breaking of bones, the harmless sound that sometimes occurs has been the subject of a lot of confusion. This study helps lay some of the misconceptions to rest.

Researchers at the AECC University College, in Bournemouth, United Kingdom, performed a meta-analyses of previous studies to see if there was a link between the popping sound heard during some types of chiropractic adjustments and the results those patients got as it related to their perceived pain.

The researchers looked at 69 studies to see if the information in them could add to this study. Of all of those, five were selected as meeting the criteria for inclusion into this study. The data from the five original studies was then reviewed by the researchers.

The study researchers reported their results by stating, "All studies reported similar results: regardless of the area of the spine manipulated or follow-up time, there was no evidence of improved pain outcomes associated with an audible pop." They followed up in the study conclusion by noting, "Whilst there is still no consensus among chiropractors on the association of an audible pop and pain outcomes in spinal manipulative therapy, knowledge about the audible pop has advanced. This review suggests that the presence or absence of an audible pop may not be important regarding pain outcomes with spinal manipulation."

Dr. Robert Braile, a chiropractor in Georgia and past president of the International Chiropractors Association commented, "There are many forms of chiropractic adjustments that do not make any sound at all. The presence or absence of a popping sound has never been the determining factor as to the effectiveness of a chiropractic procedure. I’m glad to see scientific analysis, such as in this study, confirming what we have clinically known for years. Popping sounds are not necessary, and are not needed for chiropractic adjustments."

The headline above comes from the January 4, 2023, issue of the Wall Street Journal. This article, and several others in the press on this subject, report on a study that was published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics on January 3, 2023. The JAMA Pediatrics study titled, "Physical Activity Interventions to Alleviate Depressive Symptoms in Children and Adolescents" began by asking the question, "Can physical activity interventions alleviate depressive symptoms in children and adolescents?"

The study stated the importance of the findings of this study by noting, "Depression is the second most prevalent mental disorder among children and adolescents, yet only a small proportion seek or receive disorder-specific treatment. Physical activity interventions hold promise as an alternative or adjunctive approach to clinical treatment for depression."

This study conducted a "meta-analysis" (a review of other previous studies) of 21 prior studies involving 2441 children and adolescents. Of this total, 47% were boys and 53% were girls. Study co-author, Walter Thompson, a retired professor of exercise physiology with Georgia State University in Atlanta, commented that "This is the first time that we've been able to put enough studies together so that we can make a pretty good conclusion to answer the question, 'Is physical activity and exercise good for children with depressive symptoms?" He then answered his own question with "The answer is overwhelmingly yes."

Lead author Francesco Recchia, MSc, of the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong commented, "The available evidence supports physical activity interventions as an alternative or adjunctive approach to alleviate depressive symptoms in children and adolescents, substantiating the beneficial influence of physical activity on the mental health of pediatric populations."

The study also discovered some additional helpful information noting that children who were 13 years-of-age and older received more benefits from regular exercise than those under 13. Additionally, they found that those teens who were already suffering with a pre-existing mental illness or depression got greater benefits than those teens who were considered healthy.

The study reported that an hour of physical activity three days a week provided the best relief for symptoms of depression. Co-author Thompson pointed out that this amount of exercise is fairly close to what is currently recommended for kids. "And you know, that's pretty close to what the federal government has recommended as regular exercise for both children and adults, somewhere between 75 and 150 minutes a week."

"This study adds to the body of knowledge that good health is obtainable without the overdependence on medications," commented Dr. Selina Sigafoose-Jackson, president of the International Chiropractors Association. "The chiropractic profession has always valued a drugless approach to health and continues to hold that many of society’s growing health issues can be improved by searching for non-pharmacological solutions."

On December 19, 2022, the Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research published the results of a case study documenting the successful resolution of Meniere’s disease and the restoration of hearing as well as improvement of a number of additional symptoms in a patient under chiropractic care.

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, defines Meniere’s Disease by saying, "Meniere’s disease is a disorder of the inner ear that causes severe dizziness (vertigo), ringing in the ears (tinnitus), hearing loss, and a feeling of fullness or congestion in the ear. Meniere’s disease usually affects only one ear."

The NIDCD notes that this condition currently affects approximately 615,000 individuals in the United States and that 45,500 new cases are diagnosed each year. The condition can occur at any age but is most common between 40 and 60 years of age.

In this case, a 59-year-old woman went to the chiropractor in hopes of getting help with a number of serious health issues. At that time, the woman was suffering with extreme vertigo, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), left ear hearing loss with a feeling of fullness in her left ear, as well as pressure in her head just behind her forehead that she described as a "fogginess in her brain."

Her history revealed that three months prior she was at work when suddenly she had an extreme attack of vertigo that sent her to her knees. For the next three months the woman was unable to get out of bed or stand without assistance. Because of the severity of her condition, the woman was unable to work and lost her job. She also could not drive or exercise and all areas of her daily life were affected.

She went to an ENT medical specialist where she was diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease and was treated with oral steroids and a series of three steroid injections in her left ear. None of the medical care gave the woman any relief. As a last resort, the woman and her husband decided to see if chiropractic could help.

When the woman arrived at the chiropractic office, she was hunched over and needed her husband’s assistance to get around. A chiropractic examination and x-rays were performed. Based on the examination and x-rays, the chiropractor determined that a subluxation was present in the woman’s upper neck, specifically the first neck vertebrae known as the atlas. With this information, a specific form of a chiropractic adjustment was rendered in the woman’s neck to address the atlas subluxation.

The results of the chiropractic adjustment were instantaneous. After her first adjustment, the woman was able to get off the table all on her own and walk around the room without help. She was also now able to stand on one leg at a time with her eyes closed by herself without swaying.

Over the next ten weeks, the woman reported that her vertigo was gone, her hearing loss improved drastically, and she didn’t have the same fullness in her left ear. Her tinnitus reduced by 80%, and the brain fogginess went from continuous to only occasionally.

The study notes that the woman’s life was drastically changed as she was once again able to go swimming, go for long walks on the beach, perform daily household chores, resulting in a better mood and an overall significantly improved quality of life.