Tourette’s Syndrome
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 July 12, 2003, p 1-11 J VERTEBRAL SUBLUXATION
RESEARCH Erin L. Elster, D.C.
Upper cervical care was used for
a nine-year old male with Tourette Syndrome (TS), Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression, asthma,
insomnia, and headaches since age 6. Forceps were used during
his delivery. His medications included Albuterol™, Depakote™, Wellbutrin™,
and Adderall™.
Chiropractic care using an upper cervical
technique corrected and stabilized the patient’s subluxation. After 6 weeks
of care, all 6 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 5
months, all symptoms remained absent. The response to care
suggests a link between the patient’s traumatic birth,
the upper cervical subluxation, and his neurological conditions.
The
response of an adult Tourette patient to Life upper cervical
adjustments. Trotta N. Chiropractic Research Journal, 1989;
1(3): 43-48.
Author’s Abstract:
Tourette’s Syndrome is a chronic
familial neuropsychiatric disorder of unknown etiology accompanied
by chemical imbalances in the brain. It is characterized by
motor tics and uncontrolled vocalizations that wax and wane
in severity. Although there have been anecdotal reports of
total remission of symptoms in the patients while under chiropractic
care, there are no known documented controlled studies existing
in the current literature. The present study covers three months
of care for a single patient; the results suggest that chiropractic
care may have been useful in the management of this disorder.
However, since no long-term follow-up data exist, the results
must be preliminary.
A 31 year old male was originally diagnosed
at age 4 with Tourette’s. By middle age, symptoms included
uncontrolled sniffings and grunting which were most severe
at night and when under stress. Psychomotor symptoms were also
present. All symptoms had been worsening during the 6 years
prior to chiropractic. Symptom reduction was seen immediately
post adjustment (C-1 ASLP and C-2 R) with an increase occurring
before the next visit. The patient was seen 12 times but
not adjusted on four of those visits.
Tourette Syndrome, case
study. International Chiropractic Pediatric Association Newsletter
March/April 1998.
A 6-year-old boy diagnosed with Tourette syndrome
whose presentation included eye-blinking, head shaking, mouth
stretching, lateral eye movements and some vocalizations occurring
at a frequency of several times per minute. History revealed
a head injury one month before he was diagnosed.
“Chiropractic
evaluation including x-rays and heat pattern analysis revealed
subluxation of occiput (AS), atlas (AS++LA) and Axis (PLI).
There was an extremely high atlas angle of +20 degrees. Chiropractic
care included upper cervical adjustments of C1 and C2. The
boy was adjusted on a knee-chest table. He was adjusted 2 times
per week for 9 weeks and then 1 time per week.
“There
was a noticeable change within 3 weeks of care. Symptoms continued
to steadily improve. Within 4 months, the patient was asymptomatic
a majority of the time.”
Copyright 2004 Koren Publications, Inc. & Tedd
Koren, D.C.