Articles

March 16, 2010

Study Shows Chiropractic Helps Headaches

Filed under: Chiropractic - General Info and Benefits, Dr. Kenney's Health Blog, Top Chiropractic Research Articles — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 7:51 am

A study published in the February 2010 issue of The Spine Journal, the official journal of the North American Spine Society, provided additional evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of chiropractic for certain types of headaches known as “cervicogenic headaches”. A report on the results of this study was also published online on February 26, 2010, on the site “Modern Medicine”.

In this study, 80 patients with chronic cervicogenic headaches were divided into three groups. Two of the groups received various forms of chiropractic adjustments, which the study authors called Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT), and one group received just a light massage so as to be able to compare the results.  Results were calculated using standard pain scales. Data from the subjects was collected every 4 weeks for a 24 week period.

The researchers found that the groups that received chiropractic showed significantly greater improvement in pain scores as compared to the group that got just light massage. Those receiving the chiropractic care were more likely to have a 50-percent improvement in their pain. The two groups of patients who received chiropractic care were only given either 8 or 16 chiropractic sessions. The study did see a slightly better response for the group receiving more adjustments, but due to the study parameters, no data was available beyond 16 visits.

Dr. Mitch Haas and a team of researchers at Western States Chiropractic College, were quoted in their conclusion as saying, “Our pilot study adds to an emerging picture of spinal manipulative therapy dose for the treatment of headache. It showed that a plateau in intervention effect might be found in the range of eight to 16 treatment sessions, although a dose effect at these treatment levels cannot be ruled out. The study also adds to the support of spinal manipulative therapy in moderate doses as a viable option for the treatment of chronic cervicogenic headaches.”

Comments from Dr. Kenney:

People often wonder how it is that chiropractic is so effective at relieving headaches.  The reason is that everything in your body runs on nerves.  When the nerves are transmitting signals properly they are healthy.  When their energy becomes restricted the nerves become irritated causing pain and/or lack of output.

The article discusses “cervicogenic headaches” which are a fancy way of saying that they’re caused by misalignments to the vertebrae of the neck.  As vertebrae move out of their natural position(s) they place pressure on nerves that lie in close proximity thus resulting in the headaches or other problems.  To explain how chiropractic is so effective at curing headaches let’s first use an analogy.  If you have a pebble in your shoe it causes pain because it is applying pressure directly to a nerve.  Once you remove the pebble the pressure is eliminated and the pain subsides.  The chiropractic adjustment works the same way.  Misaligned vertebrae put pressure on nerves that cause headaches (pain).  The adjustment then realigns the vertebrae to their proper position which alleviates the nerve pressure allowing the headaches to subside.  This approach is a safe, effective way for curing headaches that people have been utilizing for decades.

March 4, 2010

A Less Talked About but More Effective Approach to Asthma

Filed under: Chiropractic - General Info and Benefits, Dr. Kenney's Health Blog, Pediatrics and Pregnancy — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 5:40 am

By Dr. Matthew Kenney

Asthma continues to rise in our country at an alarming rate.  Over $11 billion is spent annually on this disease alone and yet things are not improving.  In fact, by 2020 it is estimated that 1 out of 14 people will suffer from it.  The most common treatment usually involves medications such as inhalers, steroids, anti-spasmodics and bronchodilators however the statistics tell us that this approach is not working.  Furthermore, these medicines while sometimes helpful in reducing symptoms offer no permanent cure and cause side effects especially in children.   Let me share with you the experiences I’ve had in practice and how I’m able to help people with asthma.

To breathe properly your brain must send a signal down your spinal cord that will then exit via a nerve root (that runs between 2 vertebrae) and branch out to reach the lungs.  If the vertebrae are out of position they choke off and irritate the nerves because they lie in such close proximity to the spine.  This decreases the nerve energy to the lungs and alters their ability to function properly.  This makes sense right?  Children with asthma usually have structural misalignments to their upper and middle back areas.  When I examine the posture of a child with asthma I often see shoulders that slouch forward causing a slightly hump-back appearance and often see 1 shoulder resting higher up than the other.  This (along with x-rays when appropriate) tells me that the spine is not properly positioned.  Once the vertebrae are realigned through chiropractic adjustments the nerves can once again properly transmit their messages and normal function returns.   This alone often allows asthma to be eliminated or reduced in severity.

In practice I have seen many children with asthma and have witnessed first-hand the amazing results that can be attained through spinal adjustments.  I’ve seen pulmonary function (breathing) tests dramatically improve, medication able to be eliminated (or significantly reduced) and children be able to participate in and enjoy activities more.  Best of all there are no side effects to this method.  It may not be the first thing you’d think of for helping asthma but it is safe, effective and side-effect free.  Those concerned about asthma should strongly consider chiropractic to help themselves and their children.

August 12, 2009

Why Chiropractic is so Important for Children

Filed under: Pediatrics and Pregnancy — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 6:37 am

Chiropractic for Children

Parents will do just about anything to protect their child’s health. They serve nutritionally balanced meals, encourage daily exercise, and insist on regular dental and eye examinations. Yet many neglect the most important part of the child’s health care program: regular spinal checkups.

Subluxation on Delivery

Misalignments in spinal bones which interfere with the normal flow of nerve energy are known as subluxations. Many people still associate them with major trauma. They think the spine can be affected only after lifting heavy objects or being in an automobile accident. They don’t realize that the daily activities of young children can easily result in subluxations.

In fact, many babies receive their first subluxations during pregnancy and the birthing process. Modern medical procedures such as the Cesarean section, the use of forceps, and induced deliveries put unnatural strains on the infant’s delicate body. Frequently, doctors still hold the baby upside down from the feet. Throughout the ordeal, the tiny spine is twisted, tugged and stretched. The frequent result: subluxations.

People who understand the importance of spinal checkups and care bring their children into the chiropractor’s office when they are tiny infants.

Kids Will Be Kids

Of course, the strain on the spine doesn’t stop in the delivery room. Children are, by nature, active and energetic. They run, jump, tumble and fall. Since their bodies are extremely flexible and resilient, they often will show nothing more than a bruise or scrape after life’s minor accidents.

But that’s on the outside. On the inside, the body has been jarred with considerable force. The small bones forming the spinal column — which protects the central nervous system’s spinal cord — can be forced out of their proper positions.

Some will return to the correct position on their own, guided by the child’s own Innate Intelligence. Others will remain “stuck” in incorrect positions.

Childhood Dis-ease

Subluxations in children can cause dis-ease in the body, just as they do in adults. When the nerve flow is interrupted, some part of the body will send or receive distorted messages to or from the brain. With such interference, the body cannot function at 100% of its potential. It cannot reach its optimum level of health.

If parents are lucky, their child’s body will provide visible physical signs that something is wrong inside. Symptoms such as fever, stomach ache, sore throat, bed wetting, poor posture, hyperactivity, and frequent colds or flu may be evidence of subluxations.

(Unfortunately, some people forget that symptoms are warning signals. They think the symptoms are the real problems and treat them without going to the possible root cause — the subluxations.)

Parents aren’t always so fortunate, however, for sometimes there are no outward signs signaling the presence of internal physical changes. In fact, unless children receive regular chiropractic check-ups, no one may know subluxations exist until the damage is so serious it cannot be hidden any longer.

Obviously, we all want what’s best for our children. We want them to be happy and intelligent and popular. Most of all, we want them to be healthy. That means making chiropractic checkups a regular part of their health care routine.

August 6, 2009

Chiropractic and Infertility – A Case Study

Filed under: Top Chiropractic Research Articles — Tags: , , , — admin @ 12:52 pm

Female Infertility, Subluxation & Chiropractic Care: A Case Series and Selective Review of the Literature

Author(s): Joel Alcantara, DC1; | Gregg Stern, DC2; | Rosemary E. Oman, DC, MSc, FASBE

Abstract

Objective: To report on three infertile females with vertebral subluxation that responded to the introduction of chiropractic care and review the literature on the topic.

Clinical Features: Three females presenting with a chief complaint of infertility and vertebral subluxation.

Interventions and Outcomes: Chiropractic care included diversified spinal adjusting, dietary modification and nutritional supplements. All three women conceived following the introduction of chiropractic management.

Conclusion: We described three patients with infertility who were able to conceive following chiropractic care. Continued research in this area is strongly encouraged.

Chiropractic Improves Health of Newborns and Infants

Filed under: Pediatrics and Pregnancy, Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 7:48 am

Chiropractic for Newborns and Infants

By Dr. Ben Lerner
Birth is a normal, natural process that’s been around since almost the beginning of humanity. As with any other task the body was created to perform, when you support normal functioning, you have your best chance at success.
The road down the birth canal and out into the world can be a trying one, particularly in the case of medical intervention and high-tech births. (You may recall a JAMA study showing the United States ranked last in neonatal mortality, infant mortality and for the health of newborns.) As a result, there has been an ever-increasing occurrence of traumatic birth syndrome.
Traumatic birth syndrome describes the presence of trauma-induced skull and spinal damage and spinal misalignment as a result of the birth process. As tough as birth is, going through it with the woman lying on her back, working against gravity, on medications to increase the intensity of labor, numb to the delivery muscles, and often accompanied by surgical interventions, makes it exponentially more traumatic.
When you think about this, it’s no surprise vertebral subluxation in infants is so common.
How the Birthing Process Injures Spines
During the pushing stage of labor, the spine may be injured as the fetus is compressed and pushed down the birth canal. The most frequent cause of subluxation in infants is the pulling, twisting and compression of the infant’s spine during birth. If something alters normal birth, you will frequently have subluxations occur at the point of greatest stress (upper and lower cervical vertebrae).
While in severe cases, this can result in more obvious, clinical nerve damage such as paralysis, more frequently, subluxations remain unnoticed by physicians and parents with health issues rising at a later time. Among them:
• Colic
• Sleep disorders
• Symptoms of lowered immunity
• Poor development
Pediatric expert Dr. Maxine McMullen states, “Subluxations should be analyzed and corrected as soon as possible after birth to prevent these associated conditions.” (1)
Moreover, these subluxations have been found to be severe enough to lead to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) due to the pressure they cause upward toward the lower brain (2) as well as creating numerous other disorders common to newborns, infants and young children.
Reports show chiropractic care can be helpful in such diverse disorders as cerebral palsy, seizure disorders, ear infections, the prevention of SIDS, and others. (3)
While chiropractic care is not a treatment for anything, the benefits of adjusting subluxation to remove interference has been particularly telling in the case of small children.
In fact, young people need chiropractic care as much as or more than anyone to maximize proper development and minimize the advent of common infant symptoms and disease.
The Infant Adjustment
One of the most interesting studies, based on examination and adjustment of 1,000 infants, was done by Dr. Gutmann, a German medical doctor. (4,5) He concluded blocked nerve impulses at the level of the first vertebrae can be the cause of central motor impairment and lower resistance to infections, especially those of the ear, nose, and throat. (6)
Dr. Gutmann’s research showed the children treated had success — almost without exception — for a variety of ailments by spinal adjustments at the atlas (top vertebra in the neck). Among the symptoms that responded favorably:
• Congenital torticollis
• “Growing pains”
• Infantile scoliosis
• Bronchitis tonsillitis
• Restless sleep
• Disturbed motor responses with repetitive falls
• An inability to thrive
“If the indications are correctly observed,” states Dr. Gutmann, “chiropractic can often bring about amazingly successful results, because the therapy is a causal one. With developmental disturbances of every kind, the atlanto-occipital joints should be examined and in each case be treated manually in a qualified manner. The success of this treatment eclipses every other attempt at treatment, including especially the use of medications.” (7)
Most people would not consider Chiropractic care for infants and children. However, the fact of the matter is, children are very, very prone to misalignments of the spine. Their vertebra are not fully formed, nor are their ligaments and tendons fully strengthened. This, along with the fact that a child falls enough times in a day to hospitalize an adult, makes it clear children should be evaluated by a chiropractor for spinal abnormalities.
And, don’t question the safety rating for Chiropractic treating children. The process is strictly AAA and cannot even be compared to the safety of medicine.
Nevertheless, countless children suffer from the side effects of modern medication each week, causing malpractice insurance for pediatrics and obstetrics to be astronomical — reaching into the tens of thousands. Chiropractors, on the other hand, pay as little as $300-$500 annually for malpractice coverage.
Chiropractic makes good scientific, factual and common sense for your child. I urge you not to wait until they hurt or get hurt. Get them checked now!

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