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.