Tompkins Family Chiropractic

Newsletter Articles
April 2024

Research Shows Chiropractic Good for Much More Than Neuromuscular Pain
Study Shows Chiropractic Saves People Money
Better Sleep, More Energy, Decreased Pain, and More Benefits with Chiropractic
Child with Sickle Cell Disease Gets Symptomatic Relief with Chiropractic

Research Shows Chiropractic Good for Much More Than Neuromuscular Pain

A research study published on March 15, 2024, on the research site Cureus showed that chiropractic care has benefits for overall health and function well beyond just back or neck pain. Researchers reviewed 20 years of scientific studies to create this overview study on the effects of chiropractic care on overall body physiology. The basic premise of chiropractic is that the nervous system is the master controller of body functions. Interference to the nervous system therefore creates problems with the way various parts and systems of the body function. The focus of chiropractic has been to locate nerve system interferences at the spine, known as "subluxations", and to correct these subluxations, allowing the nerve system to function normally. The result is a body that is functioning normally. With this understanding, the researchers in this study conducted an extensive search and review of scientific articles and studies showing the relationship between the nervous system and various systems in the body, and how chiropractic had an effect on these systems. They point out that the nervous system, along with the endocrine system and the immune system, are responsible for a large portion of human physiology. "In the neuroendocrine-immune (NEI) system, each of the three component arms – nervous system, immune system, and endocrine system - modulates one another via multiple means of "crosstalk," in order to achieve synergistic and integrated physiological changes and coordinated adaptation to an environmental stressor." The researchers in this study researched multiple areas of how human physiology was impacted by chiropractic care. These areas included blood pressure, sleep, cortisol levels, immune system function, and the levels of other body chemicals used as markers of proper body physiology. The researchers used a strict scientific criterion for inclusion of a study into their review. With respect to blood pressure, the researchers found 30 unique high-quality scientific studies related to blood pressure and chiropractic. In these studies, it was shown that there was a positive effect on blood pressure due to correction of vertebral subluxations. Most of these studies related the improvements of BP to specific adjustments of the upper cervical spine. Cortisol is a hormone commonly known as the "Stress Hormone." According to the Australian government HealthDirect website, "Cortisol is a steroid hormone that is produced by your 2 adrenal glands, which sit on top of each kidney. When you are stressed, increased cortisol is released into your bloodstream. Having the right cortisol balance is essential for your health, and producing too much or too little cortisol can cause health problems." This study’s review of cortisol levels related to chiropractic showed that those patients who were under chiropractic care did a better job of regulating the proper amount of cortisol hormone and therefore were more capable of handling stress. Sleep was another area where the researchers found 29 scientific papers showing that "chiropractic care quantitatively restores or improves sleep." Additional positive outcomes were also seen in another 29 studies of heart rate variability, which allows the heart to properly change its speed as needed. With respect to immunity and chiropractic, the researchers found 27 qualified studies linking chiropractic care for the correction of subluxations to the restoration of proper function of the immune system, as measured by a variety of ways. This study also covered a number of other indicators of human body physiology which showed how chiropractic care positively affected these areas. With this data, the researchers were confident in linking chiropractic care to overall function of the body. They explained, "Integrative physiology and connectomics have established the interconnected and interdependent nature of the body’s systems. While it has long been clear that chiropractic care impacts information flow and integration within the nervous system, current research suggests that consideration of broader physiologic effects of chiropractic adjustment on the NEI system is appropriate."

Study Shows Chiropractic Saves People Money

On March 6, 2024, the scientific journal Chiropractic & Manual Therapies published the results of a literature review study showing that people who utilized chiropractic for spine-related pain first saved money on all healthcare related costs. The authors of the study begin by describing the magnitude of spine related pain in society. "Spine-related musculoskeletal pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide and one of the most common reasons for missed work. In the United States (U.S.), healthcare costs for low back and neck pain are rising and as of 2016 were the highest for any condition, with an estimated $134.5 billion for care related to spinal pain." As reported in this study, there are many options people utilize for caring for either acute or chronic spine-related pain. These options include prescription and over-the-counter medications, manual or behavioral therapies, injections, and surgery. They also report that in the U.S., chiropractic care is one of the most commonly utilized types of care for spine-related pain. One of the issues related to the problem of spine-related pain is the overall costs of the care itself, as well as the "downstream costs." Downstream costs are those additional costs that may not be directly related to the treatment of the condition but were impacted by the initial care rendered. These costs can include things such as medication side effect costs, hospital costs, work loss related costs, and costs to other areas. The authors of the study note, "For spine-related musculoskeletal pain, most often LBP, an emerging body of evidence suggests that downstream costs are significantly affected by the specialty of the initiating care provider." In this study, thousands of studies were reviewed. Of those, 44 studies with valid data met the criteria and were studied to look at the overall costs of different forms of care for spine related musculoskeletal pain. The results of the study showed that overall, if a patient went to the chiropractor first for spine related pain, the costs would be greatly reduced as compared to seeking medical care first. The authors of the study wrote in their conclusion, "Patients with spine-related musculoskeletal pain who consulted a chiropractor as their initial provider incurred substantially decreased downstream healthcare services and associated costs, resulting in lower overall healthcare costs compared with medical management." Based upon the results of the study, and the fact that much of chiropractic care costs are borne by the patient receiving care, the authors made a recommendation for the healthcare system. "When considering this evidence, it may be in society’s best interest for U.S. healthcare organizations and governmental agencies to consider modifying benefit designs to reduce barriers to access to chiropractic providers. Modifying or eliminating preauthorization requirements, medical doctor gatekeepers, arbitrary visit limits, co-pays and deductibles may all be considered. Eliminating these barriers would allow easier access to chiropractic services, which based on currently available evidence consistently demonstrate reduced downstream services and associated costs."

Better Sleep, More Energy, Decreased Pain, and More Benefits with Chiropractic

The second quarter 2024 issue of the Asian-Pacific Chiropractic Journal published the results of a case study documenting multiple improvements in the quality and daily function of a patient undergoing chiropractic care. The patient was initially searching for relief from her pain. However, after receiving chiropractic care, the woman noticed improvements in many other health issues she was suffering with. Most first-time chiropractic patients seek care for some form of musculoskeletal pain such as back or neck pain. Typically, these patients are looking for pain relief from their chiropractic care. It is not uncommon that these patients are also suffering from other health concerns that they do not relate to their pain issue, and therefore do not consider chiropractic for those additional issues. Since the primary goal of chiropractic is the removal of spinal interferences from the nervous system, known as subluxations, and since the nervous system in the master controller of all body function, the positive effects of chiropractic often reach far beyond just pain improvement. In many cases, people new to chiropractic care will report unexpected improvements in other health issues they thought were not related to their pain. This case study typifies the situation where a patient receives benefits from chiropractic that they were totally not expecting. In this case, a 46-year-old woman went to a chiropractor for the first time a year after she was involved in a car accident. Her chief reason for seeking chiropractic was to get relief form constant pain in her pelvis. Walking more than 10 minutes, lying down, and standing still were all activities that made her pain worse. In addition to the woman’s primary reason for seeking chiropractic, she also suffered with pain in both shoulders and her neck. Upon taking a detailed history, the woman also revealed a number of other health issues she was suffering from. These included dermatitis breakouts on her face, constipation where she would only have one bowel movement every three to four weeks, digestive problems, trouble sleeping, depression, low energy, overall stiffness with movement issues, and heartburn. The woman reported that she was taking multiple medications for her health problems. A chiropractic examination and x-rays were performed. The results of the examination showed that there were areas of subluxation in the woman’s spine. The study authors noted, "The chiropractor’s main goal was to reduce/correct all presenting areas of vertebral subluxation in order to enhance the patient’s ability to live life optimally via increased resilience and adaptability." The study reports that after 12 weeks of care, the woman experienced a significant turn-around in her health. In addition to her pains being alleviated, the woman was able to fall asleep faster without pain and sleep longer. She also reported that her bowel movements were now daily, her digestion had improved, as did her heartburn, and the dermatitis on her face had reduced. Because of her overall improvement the woman also reported taking less medications. The study quotes her as saying, "Absolutely life-changing. Haven't felt this alive in years." The authors of this study summed up this case by saying, "In this case, a novice to Chiropractic care presented hoping for an improvement in mechanical pain. However, given that better nervous system function means better organization and expression of life, by adjusting her subluxations and removing interference we were able to allow the best possible situation for optimal nervous system functioning, self-regulation and healing, thus significantly impacting quality of life."

Child with Sickle Cell Disease Gets Symptomatic Relief with Chiropractic

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health, Chiropractic published the results of a case study on March 26, 2024, that documented chiropractic creating decreased pain episodes and improvement in the overall quality of life for a child diagnosed with sickle cell disease. According to this study’s author, "Sickle cell anemia, or sickle cell disease (SCD), is the most common genetic blood disorder in the United States. It occurs in 72,000 to 98,000 Americans." The Mayo Clinics website describes this condition by saying, "Sickle cell anemia is one of a group of inherited disorders known as sickle cell disease. It affects the shape of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to all parts of the body." The site further notes that this condition can cause pain episodes. "Periodic episodes of extreme pain, called pain crises, are a major symptom of sickle cell anemia. Pain develops when sickle-shaped red blood cells block blood flow through tiny blood vessels to the chest, abdomen and joints." In this case, and 8-year-old boy was brought to the chiropractor by his mother. The boy had been previously diagnosed with sickle cell anemia. His mother brought her son in for chiropractic care because he could not fully extend his right arm, due to trauma during his birth. Other symptoms the boy was experiencing included sickle cell pain episodes that were severe and occurred about 6-8 times per year. These pain episodes would range from a 5 out of 10 to a severe 10 out of ten. The episodes would last anywhere from 7 to 30 days. It was also reported that the boy would fatigue easily after activity. A chiropractic examination revealed the presence of multiple subluxations in the boy’s spine. Subluxations cause changes in nerve system function resulting in a decreased ability of the body to respond and adapt to health challenges. With parental consent, chiropractic care was started on the boy to address the subluxations that were present. As care progressed, one of the first changes the boy reported was higher levels of energy and focus both in school and after school. He was better able to complete his schoolwork and then play with his friends without complaints of low energy. His parents reported that their son had a calmer demeanor and was now, for the first time, able to play in the swimming pool during the change of season from spring to summer without experiencing a pain crisis. The boy did still experience some pain crisis; however, these were less frequent and of less intensity, and were usually the result of not taking his normal precautions. Over time, his right arm had continued to improve and gain flexibility and motion. The boy also showed improvements in strength, fine motor skills, and dexterity. In the discussion portion of this study the author explains this case by noting, "The purpose of this case study was to describe and document the effects of chiropractic care and improvements in pain episodes and the quality of life of an 8-year-old male with sickle cell anemia and to suggest chiropractic care to be added to the management of sickle cell disease for the purpose of modulating pain and therefore, increase the quality of life."