June 2009

Why some adjustments don't hold

by Dr. Howard Loomis

When I first entered practice in 1968, I was absolutely convinced that recognition of spinal subluxation, and its correction, was the key to restoring health. Nothing in the past 42 years has changed my opinion. What I did not fully appreciate was the possibility that spinal subluxations were not always the cause of a patient's symptoms, but often resulted from a visceral, or emotional stress -- as well as a structural cause.

I was perplexed by patients who would tell me I gave them a really effective adjustment on their last visit, but add the qualifier, "you didn't quite get it Doc, because it came back a few days later." It didn't take long for me to realize that recurring subluxations were not the result of some deficiency in my adjusting ability, but were being caused by an underlying factor in the patient's life style.

That realization set me on a journey to determine when a patient's subluxation pattern was the cause, and when it was not the cause of his or her symptoms. Obviously, it makes an incredible difference in developing a treatment plan for each patient. I believe it's imperative to recognize the difference if we are to compete in the 21st century health field.

Consider that we are the only profession that believes structure (anatomy) and function (physiology) cannot be separated when treating patients. In 1895, DD Palmer founded our profession based on such a premise.

In 1898, a noted English neurologist reported that when there was a visceral dysfunction, there would be measurable changes on the surface of the skin that shared the same spinal nerve innervation as the stressed organ.

Later, after World War I, a world-famous cardiologist reported that there was always palpable contraction in the muscles that shared spinal innervation with the stressed organ.

It's well known that the major visceral organs are arranged into 10 organ systems for the sole purpose of maintaining the extracellular fluids (temperature, pH, volume, and concentration of dissolved substances) within a relatively narrow range. The extracellular fluid, of course, functions as a fluid transport mechanism to supply the cells with nourishment and to remove their metabolic wastes. Any stress to that delicate mechanism places stress onto one or more organ systems and unless corrected will eventually produce symptoms and subluxation.

Since the spinal innervation of all the body's tissues are known, it is quite easy to determine when spinal subluxation is the cause and when it's simply an effect.

Identify the peripheral muscle contraction and adjust the involved spinal segment(s). Re-palpate the peripheral muscles and if the contraction is now reduced, or even removed, the subluxation was causative. If muscle contraction is unchanged the subluxation is an effect and a different therapeutic approach is now needed. In such cases, case history, examination, and lab tests (if needed) should delineate the cause of the symptoms and a treatment plan be devised to restore normal visceral function and spinal range of motion as well.

Arguably, the most common causes of visceral-related symptoms (based on OTC sales) are compromised digestion, altered bowel elimination, and inflammation -- activation of the immune response.

Inflammation is the most common, the most carefully studied, and the most fascinating of the changes which the body undergoes as the result of any irritation. The word "inflammation" literally, means "a burning." It was Celsus in the first century AD who named the four cardinal signs of inflammation as calor, rubor, tumor and dolor. In the middle of the 19th century, Cohnheim showed the all-important part played by the blood vessels in the process. In 1892, Metchnikoff demonstrated that the central theme of inflammation was the reaction of the wandering mesodermal cells against an irritant.

Further evidence of the inseparable connection between structure and function was provided by Rudolph Virchow, the father of modern cellular pathology. He reported that there are five cardinal signs of inflammation, not just the four named by Celsus. Virchow stated that there is also loss of function or aberrant motion in any inflammatory state. How convenient that modern pharmacology ignores that when recommending anti-inflammatory medications. The key point we must always remember is there are two stages of inflammation:

1. Response to any irritant. Since inflammation is defined as the local reaction of the body to any irritation, a full list of causes would include every known irritant.

2. Repair of damaged tissues. The second stage in the inflammatory process is critical and unfortunately often seems to be overlooked. How is damaged tissue to be nourished if the inflammatory process is blocked by pharmaceutical drugs to relieve the unpleasant symptoms of fever, redness, swelling, pain, and muscle contraction (loss of range of motion)? Would that not be enough to cause and perpetuate subluxation?

In future columns, I'll begin to list possible visceral causes for the perpetuation of chronic subluxation patterns in every section of the spine.

(Dr. Howard Loomis can be reached by mail at 6421 Enterprise Lane, Madison, WI 53719-1116 or by phone at 800-662-2630. Visit his website at http://www.loomisenzymes.com.)