In our current series, we are examining the evidence behind chiropractic and the senses. From proprioception (our sense of where we are in space), to the more commonly known senses including touch, hearing, and smell. Though we lack RCT’s looking into chiropractic care and each of these, case report data (among other research or hypothesis…
Following part one of our series on chiropractic care and the senses, we are now putting the first of the big five on the agenda: hearing. In the part one, we talked about proprioception – our sense of where we are in space. While its obvious that all the senses work together to give us…
Inflammation – the Link to All Disease There is no doubt that inflammation is the underlying driver that touches the most number of patients. Every pathological condition in existence, whether it be a joint condition, mood disorders, cardiovascular disease or cancer holds some sort of inflammatory link. These days, all too many patients report chronic…
In days gone by, the strongest evidence surrounding chiropractic pertained only to lower back pain or the realms of musculoskeletal complaints. While that might be the definition that the uninformed still hold us to, it’s no longer solely what the evidence illustrates. We are now seeing increasing evidence that chiropractic care can change the structure…
It’s a common, yet misguided, assumption often repeated around the traps: that chiropractic isn’t an evidence-based profession or that it is somehow at odds with traditional medicine. Whilst the former is categorically untrue (just ask the university students who spend thousands of study hours immersed in the evidence), the latter is like comparing apples and…
Traditionally, chiropractic has been built on a model of segmental subluxation assessment and correction with local impacts and views of possible global affects on the central nervous system and overall health. The structural or biomechanical paradigm of segmental subluxation assessment is not without its challenges. For example, why do assessment findings often poorly correlate with…
Fibromyalgia is widely viewed as a pain syndrome with an unknown cause. To some practitioners, it is a bona fide medical condition. To others, it’s merely psychosomatic. Sufferers will tell you a common truth though: it can be debilitating, distressing, and it’s very, very real. Sadly, the issue of how to treat this pain syndrome…
A randomized controlled trial recently published in the Journal Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics has taken on the task of comparing two different cervical manipulation techniques for mechanical neck pain [1]. While HVLA (high-velocity, low-amplitude) cervical manipulation has previously been shown to be effective for neck pain, the jury has still been out as to which…
Among the increasingly common mental health challenges facing the western world population are panic and anxiety disorders. However, there is a growing body of evidence showing that these so-called ‘mental’ health issues are not purely mental – that nutrition and other areas of health are in fact linked to our mental and emotional state. Imagine…
Chiropractic sits at an interesting junction in terms of research. We do indeed possess a strong evidence base when it comes to randomized control trials, especially those related to conditions like low back pain. But the evidence in the bank doesn’t yet cover every aspect of what we do. Furthering research is an expensive and…
Few professions, and few patient populations within that profession, experience the unflinching scrutiny that seems fixed over the area of paediatric chiropractic care. Still, despite the ill-informed and ever-loud shouts of “There’s no evidence for that,” the knowledge bank keeps growing – and it’s full of good news. We now know that, when compared with…
Interview/Commentary: Spinal Research caught up with Dr Wayne Todd, author of the book and practitioner training program “SD Protocol” to talk about a topic that masquerades as a good many conditions, and how that can possibly link to the subluxation. As far as symptom clusters goes, Oestrogen Dominance is a bit of a chameleon. It can…
In modern medical history, a veritable epidemic of hypertensive diagnoses have been handed down with the age-old wisdom that a low-sodium diet should help the cause. However, a study spanning 16 years and looking at some 2,600 hypertensive men and women has found something that will confound that logic: consuming less sodium isn’t associated with…
Spondylolisthesis is a condition that will be all too familiar to chiropractors. Occurring due to overuse, injury or congenital defect (among other factors), the condition ranges in its presentation from asymptomatic to painful and debilitating. Most often, it occurs in the lumbar and sacral areas of the spine (usually at L5-S1) when the lumbar spine…
Thanks to advancements in many health-related fields, we are staying alive longer. But as life expectancies in developed countries reach new heights, an increasing number of people are asking important questions with regard to maintaining health and quality of life as they age. Indicative of this trend is the growing amount of money the Baby…
(And why do we even care? A commentary on the transformative power of the chiropractic lexicon) Urban Legend has it that the Sami people of Norway and Sweden have around one hundred and fifty different words for ice, and about three hundred for snow, compared to the mere fifty-five we have in English. From my…
The launch of the 2017-2022 Research Agenda represents a bold step for us here at the Australian Spinal Research Foundation. For the first time in our 40-year history, we will be commissioning research to fit our research agenda – exploring the vertebral subluxation in order to better serve our profession. Also for the first time…
Perhaps it was the birth of the smart-phone and hand-held device that triggered the onslaught of teens suffering from the effects of forward head posture and protracted shoulders. Or perhaps there were other factors at play. Either way, protracted shoulders and forward head posture are two significant postural concerns affecting the younger generations, and epidemiological…
