April 2004

JVSR research makes news

A press release about research into chiropractic and fertility, distributed by the World Chiropractic Alliance, has generated widespread coverage on television stations around the nation.

Madeline Behrendt, D.C., lead researcher for the series of articles in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, was spotlighted on a special syndicated TV news feature. The piece was distributed to news outlets around the country and aired on major television news programs in New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, Boise and other cities. Many of the stories were also placed in print or video format on the Internet.

The spot featured Kaycee Mogel, who tried for years to have a baby and even took fertility drugs without result. Nothing worked, the report noted, until she took a trip to the chiropractor. "Within a couple months I was pregnant," she stated.

In the news spot, Dr. Behrendt made sure the audience understood what chiropractic was really for. "The chiropractor identifies spinal distortions, which are called subluxations, and once they were detected and corrected, the fertility function improved," she explained.

Although the story also includes a warning from Dr. Sandra Ann Carson of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) that the study was too small to be conclusive, the general tone of the news report was highly positive and the ASRM included a link to the story on its website.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than six million women in the United States are infertile and over nine million use some kind of infertility service.

Terry A. Rondberg, D.C., WCA president, said the entire profession owes a great debt of gratitude to Behrendt and the work she has done for JVSR. "It's obvious that chiropractic can get positive publicity without spending millions of dollars on airtime. This also proves that we needn't shy away from using the term 'subluxation.' Reporters and viewers are willing and able to understand what we do when we take time to explain it."

The series of research papers published in JVSR suggests that chiropractic adjustments, performed by chiropractors to address nerve interference caused by spinal distortions, could offer hope to many of these women.

The 12 studies in the series found that chiropractic had positive results regardless of the woman's age, number of years infertile, previous medical intervention or health history including miscarriages, blocked fallopian tubes, amenorrhea, colitis, or trauma.

Abstracts of all articles may be found at www.jvsr.com.

Behrendt is a member of the WCA International Board of Directors and recipient of the 2003 WCA "Researcher of the Year" award. She also serves as associate editor for JVSR. and as the chair of the WCA Council on Women's Health.

"I cannot overemphasize the importance of what Dr. Behrendt is doing," stated Matthew McCoy, JVSR editor. "Not only is she compiling research data we would not otherwise have, but she is acting as a model and mentor to other subluxation‑centered chiropractors. If she keeps it up she will literally create an army of clinical researchers for subluxation‑centered chiropractic."

(For links to online TV news videos and stories, visit the World Chiropractic Alliance website at www.worldchiropracticalliance.org)