Dr. Michael Hall (a chiropractor, and the man behind “Brain DC”) caught up with the Australian Spinal Research Foundation to talk about spinal and motor tone in children; its role, its importance in cognitive development, the existing measurement tools and where we need to go in terms of research. So for this week’s blog, clear…
What exactly does chiropractic do if it isn’t a ‘treatment’ per se? It’s a question often asked, and there are countless potential answers. While we cannot claim to treat all and sundry, and we tend to rest our claims on removing interference from the nervous system and letting the body do the rest, research is…
What happens when surgery fails to solve the problem it was prescribed for? For many people, the answers to this question aren’t encouraging. But for a 65-year old female (and the topic of a recent case report), a failed surgical intervention was thankfully not the last resort in her quest for answers when it came…
It might seem that Heart Rate Variability (HRV) a bit of a hot topic in chiropractic circles right now, as practitioners and researchers alike begin to understand the many potential applications of this tool. We know that it is non-invasive in its nature, and an easy way to measure autonomic function and adaptability. But it…
Recent findings in the field of neurobiology have elucidated that nervous system development and brain growth may be linked with movement and sensory input. The findings suggest that “mobility restrictions or insufficient sensory stimuli impact the production of new brain cells and brain development… “ and that “By testing whether early deficits in sensory experience…
Dr. Amy Haas* is a chiropractor with a CV full of medical, biochemistry and enzymology qualifications. She is passionate about chiropractic, the brain, and adaptation. So what happens with a brain like hers gets put through the paces of concussion, brain trauma, and post-concussive syndrome? The result is an insightful look into how science, research,…
A recent case report published in the Journal of Medical Cases covered the improvement in vagal function, measured in Heart Rate Variability, in a post-cancer patient. While it is a single case, which means more research is required before we can generalize, it is an intriguing look into what may happen in terms of restoring…
It would be a rare chiropractor who hasn’t witnessed an apparent correlation between chiropractic care and improvements in the frequency or severity of headaches and migraines. It may happen in one patient or several, but is there a connection, and if so what are the mechanisms behind it? While it is true that headaches and…
Few things are as natural as breastfeeding. Paradoxically, few things can be as challenging and frustrating on a deeply personal level as struggling to breastfeed a baby that won’t latch properly. While the World Health Organization recommends that mothers exclusively breastfeed for the first six months of life, and increasingly health organizations rally to support…
You’ve most likely read the line before: “We can’t generalize based on these findings, but…” It’s a common limitation of case reports. They are valid and valuable contributions to the evidence bank, but always carry a disclaimer that further research is necessary. A recent case report and literature review listed 18 separate cases in which…
Carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful condition affecting the wrist and bringing numbness, pins and needles, pain and weakness, is said to result from compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel of the hand [1]. While risk factors include pregnancy, gestational diabetes or pre-existing nerve conduction issues, and women between ages 40-60 are most…
As the Government of Victoria, Australia, winds up its review of chiropractic spinal manipulation of children under 12, the Journal of Contemporary Chiropractic (based in the United States) has published a narrative review of the European Medical Literature on an issue often debated within pediatrics. It is the issue of spinal manipulation and infantile colic.…
Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) have long been an area of frustration for sufferers and clinicians alike. Being that they are not caused by abnormal brain electrical discharges like their epileptic counterpart, the condition exists in the “Somatoform disorder” category that is both ‘neglected and misdiagnosed [1]’ in many a case. A recent case report and literature…
A recent systematic review published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics has taken aim at an issue that is potentially close to many a chiropractors heart: the effectiveness of spinal manipulative in increasing muscle strength in healthy people. Following a spate of chiropractic-based studies showing increased muscle strength (or rather cortical drive to…
The vertebral subluxation is central to the theory and practice of chiropractic. While it is often a hotly debated concept, it is nonetheless something many of us deal with almost daily. Dr. David Russell recently had a paper published in the Journal of Contemporary Chiropractic regarding this very topic. We caught up with him to…
The Webster Technique has long been associated with chiropractic care during pregnancy. Combining sacral analysis and diversified adjustment, the aim of this technique is to “reduce the effects of sacral subluxation / SI joint dysfunction,” and in doing so, to facilitate “neuro-biomechanical function in the pelvis [1]”. A recent case series, published in the journal…
A recent study appearing in the Journal Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics has examined the evidence for a correlation between lumbar proprioception and clinical low back pain. It was a systematic review that searched 6 major databases and returned 5 studies (with a total of 204 patients) eligible for inclusion. At the end of the process,…
The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics carried a paper titled “Maternal Report of Outcomes of Chiropractic Care for Infants,” in its most recent edition. The study took in a sample of more than 2000 mothers, and is the first known large survey of “baseline and follow-up characteristics of infant patients presented to chiropractic practices”.…
