article archive
April 2007
JVSR research gets media attention
The media had more than its normal share of news on chiropractic
research in the last few months, thanks in great part to
a number of papers published in the Journal of Vertebral
Subluxation Research (JVSR).
"At JVSR, we realize that reviewing and publishing
research papers is only one part of our job," explained
Matthew McCoy, JVSR editor. "The other part is to make
sure information about that research reaches the public."
JVSR prepares press releases on selected research papers
and distributes them through a wire service specializing
in medical and health news. The same wire service is used
by hundreds of medical associations, journals, universities
and companies including the American Medical Association,
Cedars‑Sinai Medical Center, the Mayo Clinic, Johns
Hopkins Medical Institutions, Harvard Medical School, National
Institutes of Health, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals
Group, and the British Medical Journal.
The releases generated
positive coverage particularly on the Internet, where they
were picked up by a number of high‑traffic
sites. In addition, Dr. McCoy received several media inquiries
from magazine and wire service reporters.
Among the research
garnering media attention recently have been papers on:
Dyslexia
and Learning Disabilities: This research, reported in JVSR,
was conducted by Swiss chiropractor Yannick Pauli, DC, president
of the Swiss Chiropractic Pediatric Association, who specializes
in the care of children suffering from learning and behavioral
disorders.
"This review critically assessed eight previously published
studies involving a total of 160 children," Dr. Pauli
explained. "Although the results remain preliminary
and more research is needed, the evidence strongly suggests
that chiropractic care may help various cognitive abilities
that are essential to learning."
Learning disorders and dyslexia affect between three and
ten percent of school‑aged children in the United Sates.
Individuals with these disorders often suffer from low self‑esteem,
diminished motivation, loss of interest in school and problems
in social functioning, and academic difficulties.
Pauli noted
that the same areas of neurological dysfunction that can
lead to learning disabilities and interfere with learning
can also interfere with life skills, sport activities, and
family and peer relationships.
"Learning disorders and dyslexia are increasingly recognized
as a neurodevelopmental disorder," he stated. "Children
suffering from those problems have parts of their brain that
are not functioning adequately or are even delayed in their
development. Among those dysfunctional areas is a small part
located at the back of the brain called the cerebellum. The
cerebellum plays a vital role in learning. It helps the brain
coordinate and integrate the various sensory information,
as well as to increase the processing speed of the brain."
Numerous
factors can affect the proper development of the brain, including
maternal stress during pregnancy, traumatic birth, poor diet,
and sedentary lifestyle.
Pauli stressed that, contrary to popular
belief, chiropractic is not restricted to back pain in adults. "The only
source of constant stimulation to the brain comes from the
spine and the postural muscles constantly adjusting to the
force of gravity," he explained. "If the daily
physical stresses of life cause misalignments in the spine ‑‑ called
vertebral subluxations by chiropractors ‑‑ the
brain is not adequately stimulated. This can cause problems
throughout the body."
He added that chiropractic adjustments, even when no back
problems are evident, can improve the function of the spine
and strongly stimulate nerve pathways to the cerebellum and
other parts of the brain. "In the case of children,
this may, in turn, help brain functions necessary for learning," he
said.
Matthew McCoy, DC, editor of JVSR, commented that "this
study is an exciting first step. It shows the beneficial
effect of chiropractic care and may offer hope for thousands
of suffering children."
This study is part of a larger effort undertaken by chiropractors
to document and assess the potential benefits of chiropractic
care in the field of learning disorders and other so‑called
mental disorders such as ADHD, obsessive‑compulsive
disorders and even autism."
Diabetes: A study published
in the JVSR focused on the positive response to chiropractic
when used as part of an integrative treatment in the care of
a patient with adult onset diabetes. The disease was diagnosed
by a medical doctor.
Along with chiropractic care, the patient
also received nutritional and exercise guidance. The chiropractic
care consisted of sacro occipital technique protocols and visceral
reflex work directed toward correcting vertebral subluxations.
After
one month of being on the program, the patient's glucose blood
and urine levels had normalized and remained stable. His medical
doctor, who monitored his progress, said the patient would
not need insulin if the condition remained stable.
According
to the author of the research paper, Charles Blum, DC, president
of the Sacro Occipital Technique Organization‑USA, "It
is unclear how much impact chiropractic care might have on
the primary or secondary care of patients with diabetes.
Further study is necessary to determine if there is a subset
of patients with diabetes that might respond to chiropractic
care incorporated in a system of other integrated methods
of care."
The study was one of several recent research projects exploring
the impact of vertebral subluxations on human health and
well‑being and the potential benefits of chiropractic.
In the past, chiropractic was thought to be of help mainly
to adults suffering back pain or headaches but current research
is showing it has far broader applications.
"This type of study is popping up everywhere," stated
JVSR Editor Matthew McCoy, DC. "For more than 100 years,
chiropractors have maintained that what they do affects organ
system function and general health. Case studies like this
demonstrate the urgency for more research funding from the
public and private sector on chiropractic and its effects
beyond neck and back pain."
The potential for chiropractic
to help people with diabetes is a particularly important line
of inquiry. Between 1990 and 1999, incidence of disease increased
by more than 40 percent. By the year 2000, nearly seven percent
of the population was affected. Unless something changes, the
future looks bleak. Roughly one out of every three men and
two out of every five women born in the year 2000 will suffer
from diabetes in their lifetime.
The life expectancy of men
diagnosed with diabetes at age 40, is shorted, on average,
by 11‑13 years. For women,
the figures are even more disturbing: their life expectancy
is cut by 12 to 17 years of life. The disease also takes
a huge financial toll, accounting for about $132 billion
of the $865 billion spent in health care in 2002.
"Given the devastating effects of diabetes on people's
health and the economic implications it is well worth investigating
other treatments like chiropractic for diabetes," Dr.
Blum pointed out. "We need to examine if chiropractic
can help with improving a patient's sugar handling difficulties
or even just help a patient under medication improve their
quality of life and only further research and investigations
will uncover these answers."
Vertigo: Original research conducted by Erin L. Elster,
DC, and published in JVSR examined the role of head and neck
trauma as a contributing factor to the onset of vertigo disorders
and explored the management of trauma‑induced injury
to the upper cervical spine using the technique developed
by the International Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association
(IUCCA).
The research involved review of data from 60 chronic
vertigo patients, all of whom recalled prior trauma, presented
with upper cervical injuries, and received Upper Cervical
chiropractic care.
Each patient was examined and cared for in
Dr. Elster's private practice in an uncontrolled, non‑randomized
environment over an eight‑year period. The 60 patients
were diagnosed by their physicians with the following types
of chronic vertigo: benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
(BPPV), cervicogenic, disembarkment syndrome, labyrinthitis,
Meniere's, and migraine‑associated vertigo (MAV).
Of the
60 vertigo patients, 56 recalled experiencing at least one
head or neck trauma prior to the onset of vertigo including
auto accidents (25 patients); sporting accidents, such as skiing,
cycling, or horseback riding (16 patients); or falls on icy
sidewalks or down stairs (6 patients).
Elster performed two
diagnostic tests on each patient, paraspinal digital infrared
imaging and laser‑aligned radiography,
each according to IUCCA protocol. The tests objectively identified
trauma‑induced upper cervical subluxations (misalignments
of the upper cervical spine from the neural canal) and resulting
neuropathophysiology.
Upper cervical subluxations were found
in all 60 cases. All of the patients responded to IUCCA upper
cervical care within one to six months of treatment: 48 were
symptom‑free
following treatment and 12 showed a lessening of the severity
and/or frequency of vertigo episodes.
The research report concluded
that a causal link between trauma‑induced upper cervical
injury and the onset of vertigo appears to exist. Correcting
the injury to the upper cervical spine through the use of
IUCCA protocol appears to improve and/or reverse vertigo
disorders.
JVSR is preparing to distribute a press release on
this paper.
Abstracts for all JVSR research papers are available
online at www.jvsr.com.