Dr. Erin Elster, of Boulder, CO, has been doing some very important and exciting work regarding the possible affect of subluxation correction on M.S., including a recent case study in JVSR.

Medical news press releases distributed by one popular science wire service generate an average of 141 "hits" in July. It's clear that neither chiropractic nor Dr. Erin's work are average -- the WCA press release regarding this case study captured great interest from multiple communities, generating almost 2,000 hits during this same period.

This month, I've invited Dr. Elster to contribute her thoughts on M.S. and its impact on women's health, along with her findings on the relationship between subluxation detection and correction and the response to care for these women. I also have a great respect for upper cervical work, both because of it's historical role in chiropractic, and how powerful this work is. I find that many chiropractors appreciate learning more about it, regardless of the approach they use.

Send questions/comments to Dr. Elster at erin@erinelster.com ... me at mbdcawe@aol.com ... or WCA Council on Women's Health Co-Chair Dr. Veronica Gutierrez at Veronciapgdc@aol.com. I trust you'll enjoy and be informed by what Dr. Elster has to say. -- M.B.

Women's health problems -- the causal link

by Erin L. Elster, D.C.

After caring for numerous female patients with conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS), migraine headaches, menstrual disorders (endometriosis, dysmenorrhea, infertility), and fibromyalgia (disorders that more commonly afflict women), I found one common link: head/neck trauma. By correcting the trauma-induced upper cervical injury using an advanced form of upper cervical chiropractic care, these patients' symptoms were reversed.

There were three primary observations in the cases:

1. Many patients recalled experiencing a trauma to the head or neck (such as whiplash, head injury, fall, sports accident, etc.) prior to the onset of symptoms or diagnosis.

2. Upper cervical subluxations were discovered in all patients.

3. The correction of the upper cervical subluxations reversed the patients' symptoms in the majority of cases.

Medical science has already concluded that injuries to the head and neck can:

*** trigger MS by altering the blood-brain-barrier and immune function ...

*** cause migraine headaches by altering neurophysiology and blood flow ...

*** produce malfunctions in the reproductive system by altering hormone secretion from the hypothalamus (gonadotropin-releasing hormone) and the pituitary (follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone) ...

*** cause fibromyalgia by altering the neuromuscular system.

(For a complete list of medical references discussing the link between head trauma and disease, please visit my website www.erinelster.com.)

Therefore, it seems clear why correcting upper cervical subluxations reversed these women's disorders -- normal neurophysiology was restored!

Upper cervical subluxations were found in these patients using two essential technologies: a) precision laser-aligned radiography to determine misalignment; and b) paraspinal digital infrared imaging to monitor neurophysiology.

The combination of state-of-the-art technology and a precision upper cervical adjustment performed according to the guidelines of the International Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association produced the above results, which were documented and published during the last year in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (JVSR), Today's Chiropractic and the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT).