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The Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research published the results of a case study on November 2, 2020, documenting the recovery of an elderly man who was suffering with hyper frequent nightly bowel movements being helped by chiropractic.

The study begins by noting that there are many different types of bowel issues that all fall under the general category of “functional gastrointestinal disorders” (FGID). These include inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and diverticulitis. In many of these conditions, no real pathology can be medically found. For this reason, the variety of problems in this group are often chalked up to lifestyle issues or stress.

In this case, a 98-year-old man presented himself to a chiropractic office for help with his frequent nighttime bowel movements. He reported that he would have to get out of bed 8-9 times each night to have a bowel movement. The problem would begin about an hour after he retired to his bed. This problem seemed to be progressively getting worse over the past two years. He reports, however, that he does not have this issue during the day. He also noted that he has not had any falls or injuries associated with this problem. He felt he was under moderate stress.

A chiropractic examination was performed that involved a spinal and postural analysis, thermal scans, as well as spinal x-rays. The findings showed multiple postural anomalies and spinal degeneration was seen on the x-rays. From these findings, a plan for specific chiropractic care that was age appropriate was started.

The study recorded that after one month of care, the elderly man reported resolution of his abnormally occurring nighttime frequent bowel movements. After a year of care, a re-examination was performed with x-rays. Most of the objective findings had improved including the thermal scans. The neck x-rays, however, showed a continued progression of spinal disc degeneration in the man’s neck. This one x-ray finding did not negatively detract from the other improved finding of the examination, or from the man’s symptomatic improvement.

In the study discussion area, the authors describe in detail how the nervous system has an effect on the digestive tract and bowels. They cite numerous studies and research that show the connection of how chiropractic’s positive effect on the nerve system could have a positive effect on bowel function.

In their conclusion the authors note, “In conclusion, this case study shows improvement in reducing the frequency of a patients IBD with chiropractic care.” They recommend a larger study be done to help understand the effect of chiropractic on this issue. “A larger sample size, with random control trials with subsequent systematic reviews would be the optimal model for future research studies in order to determine if chiropractic management would be an effective treatment for a condition such as nocturnal overactive bowel movements.”

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health published the results of a case study on August 3, 2020, describing a case of a child who was suffering with bedwetting, constipation, headaches, allergies, and cold hands being helped by chiropractic.

Bedwetting at night is medically known as nocturnal enuresis (NE), and occurs in up to 15% of seven-year-olds who have no problems during the day. The condition is more common in boys than girls and is commonly associated with behavioral disorders. NE was thought to be self-limiting but has been shown to be persistent and can remain during the entire childhood of those affected, and thereafter remains in 1% of adults.

The study authors note that, from a medical perspective, this condition is not a health priority and therefore treatment is “vague and futile.” As they note, “…medical treatments typically include nighttime bells or alarms, medications such as tricyclic antidepressants, behavioral rewards and punishments, requirement of voiding before sleep, and limitation of nighttime fluids.”

In this case, a six-year-old boy was brought to a chiropractor for help with multiple daily health issues, including nightly bedwetting. According to his parents, the boy was also suffering with headaches, constipation, earaches, allergies, asthma, cold hands, and ADHD. It was reported that the boy had been suffering with bedwetting, ADHD, and headaches since birth. The boy, who was very active and involved in sports, was being treated medically for asthma, allergies, constipation, and headaches, for which he was given multiple medications.

A chiropractic examination was performed which included a visual inspection, palpation, surface EMG readings, and spinal x-rays. It was determined that subluxations were present, and a chiropractic adjustment care plan was developed.

As chiropractic care continued, the child’s health began to improve. The study reports that the boy’s parents noticed a decrease in the number of times the child would have a wet night. By the twenty-first chiropractic visit, the parents reported that their son had not had a wet night in over a week. At sixteen weeks of care, his parents reported that their son was no longer suffering from cold hands or constipation. They also said that their son was 80% improved with his remaining conditions including ear infections, allergies, asthma, ADHD, and headaches.

In their conclusion, the authors noted, “This study presents relief of nocturnal enuresis, headaches, ADHD, asthma, allergies constipation, earaches, and cold hands in a 6-year-old male following chiropractic adjustments.”

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.