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The Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research published a case series on August 19, 2019, documenting the improvement under chiropractic care of two patients who were suffering from Post-Concussion Syndrome. Neither of the two patients described in this case series had their health complaints until after having head trauma.

The study author begins by describing concussion. “Concussion is a form of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) that is described as a head trauma resulting in disorientation, impaired or loss of consciousness lasting 30 minutes or less in combination with a number of unspecific neurological and cognitive symptoms.”

In the first case, a 16-year-old girl went to a chiropractor. Her chief health issues were dizziness, ringing in the ears, headaches, and brain fog for 3 months following a concussion injury. The girl reported that her symptoms began after she fell from a horse and struck her head on the ground. Immediately after the fall, she was taken to the ER but was discharged after a CT Scan ruled out intracranial bleeding. Two months after her fall, she was still missing school and she was unable to read or study for more than 20 minutes. She was also suffering from severe headaches which affected her activities.

The second case in this series involved a 30-year-old woman who was suffering with chronic migraine headache and vertigo following an automobile accident. After the accident, she was taken to the ER and was diagnosed with a concussion and cervical sprain injury. Since her accident, she was suffering with daily migraine headaches and dizziness.

Both of these patients underwent a chiropractic examination and spinal x-rays. Based upon the analysis of the findings, it was determined that both had various forms of subluxation and specific forms of chiropractic adjustments were performed.

In the case of the 16-year-old, she reported continual improvement. After the 5th week of care, she reported a 60% improvement in dizziness, 100% improvement in headaches, and 60% improvement in concentration.

In the second case, the 30-year-old woman reported that she noticed relief starting just after her first adjustment. By the 12 visit, she reported an 80% improvement in headache intensity and that she no longer suffered with dizziness. She also noted that the frequency of the migraines had drastically reduced.

In their conclusion the author wrote, “The preceding case series describes the improvement in 2 female patients with post-concussion syndrome utilizing (chiropractic.)”

The title above is from a study published in the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health on June 13, 2019, that documented the improvement under chiropractic care of a child who was suffering with migraine headaches in addition to also having been diagnosed with autism and ADHD.

According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, “Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior. Although autism can be diagnosed at any age, it is said to be a “developmental disorder” because symptoms generally appear in the first two years of life.”

The American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic guide, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), states that people with ADS generally have three components. Those are: 1. Difficulty with communication and interaction with other people, 2. Restricted interests and repetitive behaviors, 3. Symptoms that hurt the person’s ability to function properly in school, work, and other areas of life. In the U.S., it is estimated that 1 in 68 children are identified as autistic. Internationally, the number is lower with 1 in 132 having autism worldwide.

In this case, an 11-year-old by was brought to the chiropractor by his parents. The boy’s chief health complaint was sharp, burning and fast headache attacks would only last for a second. These headaches would occur about 30 times per day and would appear through different parts of the boy’s head. His headaches began between 8 and 10 months prior and were now affecting his daily activity and quality of life.

The boy had been taken to a number of medical specialists who had run a variety of medical and imaging tests. All the tests came back normal. The boy had also medically diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

A chiropractic examination was performed which consisted of physical inspection, palpation, orthopedic testing, thermographic heat studies and spinal x-rays. Based on the findings of the examinations, it was determined that the boy had multiple areas of subluxations. With the consent of the parents, specific forms of chiropractic adjustments were started on the boy at the initial rate of 2 times per week.

The study reports that the boy’s headaches improved as chiropractic care continued. Additionally, specific autism tests know as the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist or ATEC were done to monitor any change in his autism issues. The results of the various parts of the ATEC showed that there was improvements in the subscales of sociability, and health/physical behavior, as well as an overall improvement in the total ATEC score.

The researchers also used a specific questionnaire that scores the parent’s quality of life. Many studies have shown that a caregiver to an autistic person suffers greatly and has a significant decrease in their quality of life. This study showed that in this case, the actual quality of life of the parent improved significantly as their child underwent chiropractic care.

In their conclusion the authors highlighted the results by saying, “This case report provides supporting evidence on the positive outcomes of chiropractic care for children with autism. We also brought to the forefront parental satisfaction with a child’s chiropractic care and the compromised QoL of a parent caring for a child with autism.

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health published a case study on January 24, 2019, documenting the improvement with chiropractic of a young girl who had been suffering with irregular bowel movements.

If a child is 4-years-old or older, and has already been potty trained but still soils his or her pants with stools, the term for this condition is encopresis. By the age of four, children should be able to control themselves enough to not have this issue occur except under rare or extreme circumstances. Medical treatment for encopresis typically involves medications, some behavioral modifications, and dietary changes.

It is estimated that approximately 1-2% of children under the age of ten suffer from encopresis. Boys are much more commonly affected by this condition with 80-90% of all cases being in males.

In this case, a 9-year-old girl was brought to the chiropractor for an evaluation of an issue not related to encopresis. It seems the girl’s gymnastics coach had observed that her hips were uneven. The girl’s health history included having asthma, for which she had received allergy shots. She also had suffered for elbow dislocations before she was 4-years-old. Additionally, her history did record that she was suffering with irregular bowel movements. She was taking 4 Colace pills per day to regulate her bowels. It was later revealed that she was having accidents where she would soil herself and her clothing.

A chiropractic examination with spinal x-rays was performed. From the examination, it was determined that there were multiple areas of vertebral subluxation in the girl’s spine, affecting her nervous system. Based upon the findings of the examination and x-rays, specific age-appropriate chiropractic adjustments were used to address the subluxations.

During the course of chiropractic care, gradual improvements were seen with the girl’s regularity of bowel movements and with the incontinence she was experiencing. After one month of care, it was reported that the girl was virtually “accident free.” Beyond the one-month point of her care, the girl was no longer having accidents and was able to sleep in normal panties for the first time ever. After a two month follow-up, there was no longer any reports of the problem and the girl was leading the life of a normal 9-year-old.

In their discussion about the mechanism of how chiropractic could help this girl’s case the authors wrote, “Chiropractic adjustments act as a physical means to correct vertebral subluxations and reduce dysfunction in the body.” They continued, “When this dysfunction is removed and musculoskeletal stresses are reduced, afferent input to the central nervous system is regulated, decreasing the sympathetic hyperactivity. This mechanism may be attributed to how chiropractic adjustments help alleviate fecal incontinence in this case study.”

Above is the headline of a January 7, 2019, story published in Popular Science. This story, as well as several others, are based on a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Open Network on January 4, 2019. The study showed that there was a large difference between the number of people who believe they have a food allergy, and the actual number that do.

The research was based out of Northwestern University. The researchers surveyed 40,443 American adults and asked them a series of questions related to food allergies. The answers to those questions helped researchers decide if the person had an allergy to a particular food, or if they just were not tolerating a food without actually have an allergy toward it.

According to the researchers, 19% of the U.S. population believes that they have a food allergy. The study shows that only about 11% of the population actually does have an allergy toward food. This equates out to 26 million Americans that have food allergies.

Ruchi Gupta, a professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University and a co-author of the research, noted that certain people who thought they had a food allergy based on certain symptoms, did not, “If they only had, say, bloating or stomach pain or diarrhea then we took them out because that could be a lactose intolerance or a food intolerance.”

In a January 7, 2018, article on this study, they explain the difference by noting that someone who is lactose intolerant is deficient in the enzyme lactase needed to digest lactose, the sugar in milk. These people can drink a milkshake but will have symptoms and possibly bloating after they do from their inability to properly digest the milk. If a person with a true allergy to milk products drinks a milkshake, the reaction can cause their throat to close or their blood pressure to drop, as well as other allergic symptoms that can include the respiratory system, the skin, or even their cardiovascular system. A true allergic response like this can be life threatening.

In the case of lactose intolerance, you are dealing with the digestive system and the deficiency of the enzyme lactase. In the case of a true allergy to milk products, you are dealing with an immune system that over-reacts to the product ingested and causes the severe symptoms and issues.

“The common threat between each of these scenarios is that both the immune system and the digestive system are under the control of the nervous system,” says Dr. Robert Braile, a chiropractor and past president of the international Chiropractors Association. “Chiropractors do not directly treat either lactose intolerance, or food allergies, but by making sure that there is little or no interference to the nervous system, we can help people with these issues self-correct their problems to the best of their abilities.”

Dr. Braile continued to explain by noting, “Some people with food issues get great responses under chiropractic, while others seem to get only minor changes. In either case, their quality of life is improved as their body is actually functioning better when their nervous system is functioning better.”