adhd
Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care For A Nine-Year-Old
Male With Tourette Syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder, Depression, Asthma, Insomnia, and Headaches: A
Case Report
By Erin Elster, DC
[JSVR, July 12, 2003, pp. 1-11]
Objective: To review the effectiveness
of chiropractic care using an upper cervical technique in the
case of a nine-year old male who presented with Tourette Syndrome
(TS), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression,
asthma, insomnia, and headaches.
Clinical Features: This nine-year-old
boy suffered from asthma and upper respiratory infections since
infancy; headaches since age 6; TS, ADHD, depression and insomnia
since age 7; and neck pain since age 8. His mother reported
the use of forceps during his delivery. His medications included
Albuterol, Depakote, Wellbutrin, and Adderall. Intervention:
During the patient’s initial examination, evidence
of a subluxation stemming from the upper cervical spine was
found through thermographic and radiographic diagnostics.
Chiropractic care using an upper cervical technique was administered
to correct and stabilize the patient’s upper neck injury.
Diagnostics and care were performed in accordance with the
guidelines of the International Upper Cervical Chiropractic
Association.
Outcome: Evaluation of the patient’s condition occurred
through doctor’s observation, patient’s and parents’ subjective
description of symptoms, and thermographic scans. After six
weeks of care, all six conditions were no longer present
and all medications were discontinued with the exception
of a half-dose of Wellbutrin. At the conclusion of his case
at five months, all symptoms remained absent.
Conclusion: The
onset of symptoms soon after the boy’s
delivery; the immediate reduction in symptoms correlating
with the initiation of care; and the complete absence of
symptoms within six weeks of care; suggest a link between
the patient’s traumatic birth, the upper cervical subluxation,
and his neurological conditions. Further investigation into
upper cervical trauma as a contributing factor to Tourette
Syndrome, ADHD, depression, insomnia, headaches, and asthma
should be pursued.
Key Terms: upper cervical spine, chiropractic,
Tourette Syndrome, depression, asthma, Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder, headaches, trauma, thermography