September 11, 2018
What is chiropractic about? Explanations and theories abound. There are those who claim our only concrete offering sits firmly in the domain of back and neck pain, yet other research indicates impacts on brain function, cerebellar function, muscle drive, and much more. Over the course of this series, we will be taking a walk through a topic that is often thought to be simple yet, on a neurological and physiological level, is quite complex. Though checking and adjusting subluxations is what we as chiropractors do, there is one thing that has profound if not primary impacts on those very subluxations. […]
September 5, 2018
As the conversation around the US opioid crisis continues, with claims that more than 115 people in the US die every day after overdosing on opioids, a new study has examined whether there could be any link between chiropractic care and the risk of adverse drug events (ADE’s). While a topic such as this is loaded with possibilities that no single paper could rule out, the study did reveal that adverse drug reactions were 51% lower for the cohort studied. Now that is something that certainly warrants further investigation. As you can imagine, it was a complicated research question to […]
August 30, 2018
Asthma & Multiple Comorbidities Improve Under Chiropractic Care For 9 Year Old – Case Report Reveals
Chiropractors don’t treat asthma. Nor do we “treat” any specific condition. What we do, by ensuring the nervous system is operating free of subluxations, is help the body do what it is meant to – heal and regulate itself. Our paradigm isn’t about treatment. It’s about care. But what happens when the body and brain are cooperating, and working without distortions? That’s where it gets interesting. A recent case report, published in the Journal Pediatric, Maternal and Family Health, has detailed the fascinating case of a nine-year old child with multiple comorbidities. Among his imposing list of ailments was chronic […]
August 21, 2018
Dr Dana Lawrence, previous editor of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics and more recently the Chiropractic Journal of Australia, has been hard at work with Parker University setting up a new, open-access journal that serves the chiropractic profession. The result is the Journal of Contemporary Chiropractic – an exciting new offering for practitioners and students alike. Spinal Research caught up with him to talk about it. The Journal of Contemporary Chiropractic may still be new, but it’s an idea that has been in Dana Lawrence’s head since before his tenure as editor of the Chiropractic Journal of Australia. […]
August 15, 2018
[The following is an interview with Dr David Fletcher in which he discusses his approach to objectively measuring the subluxation and communicating findings to patients. It is not a paid advertisement or product endorsement.] Recently, we reported on a case series published in the Chiropractic Journal of Australia that covered sustained improvements in heart rate variability in six individual cases. It followed the publication of another study emerging from the New Zealand College of Chiropractic that found we can indeed reliably detect subluxations, and that the inter-examiner confidence is high. They are important findings, and they feed into an essential […]
August 8, 2018
[The following is an interview with Dr David Fletcher in which he discusses his approach to objectively measuring the subluxation and communicating findings to patients. It is not a paid advertisement or product endorsement.] Communicating chiropractic is an important art. We know what we do works. How do we get this message to the ears of the people who could benefit so greatly from the adjustment? One strategy that is becoming more and more prevalent in literature is HRV, or heart rate variability. It’s a topic that is gaining momentum, with case reports showing sustained improvements under chiropractic care and […]
July 30, 2018
Within the world of chiropractic care, a new stream of research is emerging that moves us further away from pain and symptoms, and more towards the affect of the chiropractic adjustment on brain and body. As we advance our understanding of the vertebral subluxation and what happens when we adjust, it becomes increasingly apparent that chiropractic care has the potential to reach far beyond the realms of the musculoskeletal. Many a chiropractor has long believed this, but in a world where research is currency, the evidence bank matters greatly. The latest piece of evidence on the subject of how the […]
July 25, 2018
For a long time now, back conditions have been the strongest association for chiropractic to the general public. We’ve been recognised as better for back pain, and our patients have had little trouble accepting our care as beneficial for all things back-related. Of course, the strength of this association has been a problem for us as we’ve tried to establish the many ways chiropractic care is valuable for non-musculoskeletal issues – like how well the body can respond to inflammation. Ankylosing Spondylitis is an inflammatory back condition – a form of arthritis primarily affecting the spinal joints potentially leading to […]
July 20, 2018
Pregnancy is a time of massive change – mentally, emotionally, hormonally and biomechanically. It is also a time when many women look for other options in order to manage various health challenges during their pregnancy. Of course, chiropractic care rates among the many, women choose during this time. Therefore a recently-published report, which examined the quality of life and visit-specific satisfaction of pregnant women receiving chiropractic care, will be of interest to chiropractors who support expectant parents during this challenging and exciting period of their lives. It was a quality-of-life focused project undertaken by Dr Joel Alcantara and his colleagues […]
July 10, 2018
One of the challenges of owning a chiropractic practice is marketing. More specifically, building a dynamic marketing strategy that attracts and maintains a loyal patient base. The challenge exists for several reasons: Industry specific AHPRA and CAA regulations that can seem frustratingly complicated and somewhat restrictive. Fast-paced digital landscape that seems to demand your focus across all channels – your website, social media, emails and Google. Understanding what areas of marketing will get you the best return for your marketing efforts and convert patient leads into your care. So what are the best and most effective marketing strategies to attract […]
July 10, 2018
There are many important, continuing conversations that occur around the role and effectiveness of chiropractic care at various points in the lifespan. The common ones include non-musculoskeletal conditions, older adults, and paediatric and infant care. But nestled in among these cohorts is another one that doesn’t get too much of a loud shout: chiropractic care for fit, healthy people including athletes. Occasionally chiropractic gets a shout out from the pit crew of a big name athlete: Usain Bolt, Tiger Woods and the legendary Michael Jordan are all names synonymous with sporting prowess, who have also been said to benefit from […]
July 4, 2018
Quality of life in older adulthood is becoming a big issue as the Baby Boomer generation, and those that follow, reap the longevity benefits of advancements in healthcare. We don’t just want to live long, we want to live well. It has often been said “The aim of chiropractic is to add years to life and life to years.” What does the research say about that? We are a long way from knowing if the first part of that phrase is correct, but the second part we can begin to road test by measuring quality of life. If you are […]
June 28, 2018
A recent comparative study has examined the effects of adding chiropractic care to usual medical care for low back pain in US service members. The result is the least shocking thing any chiropractor could read: adding chiropractic care to usual medical care yields better results and decreases pain and disability at the six week mark. Whilst it might be an unsurprising outcome for chiropractors, it does give us data to rest on when urging public policy-makers to see chiropractors as part of the solution for low back pain. With the US opioid crisis showing no signs of slowing, and with […]
June 19, 2018
As the prevalence of autism continues to rise, more than doubling between 2002-2012*, so too does the number of parents turning to complementary and alternative therapies for their affected children. Whilst the diagnosis of autism, or an autism spectrum disorder, can be daunting and life-altering, there is increasing data that suggests some improvement can be gained. Featuring on this list, due to a number of case reports and a solid systemic review, is chiropractic care. The Most Recent Case Report A recent case report published in the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal and Family Health, covered the case of a 3-year […]
June 14, 2018
Over the last decade, we have witnessed the emergence of research indicating that chiropractic care can have an influence on the way the brain drives muscles. Among those were studies showing changes in the H-reflex and V-waves following chiropractic care, as well as studies showing changes to cortical drive to upper and lower limbs. Such research is slowly but surely painting a picture of the neural plastic changes that can occur under care, and allowing us to move the conversation away from lower back pain and musculoskeletal issues alone. The latest issue to attract the microscope of Dr Heidi Haavik […]
June 5, 2018
A complication-free pregnancy is a beautiful thing. Waiting to welcome a healthy new life into the world is a time of happy anticipation, aches, pains, morning sickness and a whole lot of love. However, the moment a medical complication enters the equation, it can become quite stressful. Among the many complications that can occur during pregnancy is that of placental insufficiency. It is an uncommon but serious condition that occurs when the placenta doesn’t develop properly, thus limiting fetal access to oxygen and nutrients. It can be triggered by a variety of conditions including hypertension, diabetes and blood clotting disorders […]
May 28, 2018
Dr Angela Todd is tireless in her efforts to serve the chiropractic profession. 2015 and 2016 saw her author noteworthy papers on adverse events due to chiropractic and other manual therapies for infants and children, and forces of commonly used chiropractic techniques for that cohort. She is the CEO of 20 chiropractic clinics, has been a PhD candidate, is a member of the Australiasian College of Chiropractors and the College of Chiropractic Paediatrics, and holds a Diplomate in Chiropractic Neuro-Developmental Paedatrics. We caught up with her to talk about technique selection, force measures, and the role of chiropractic care in […]
May 23, 2018
As research mounts up, it is becoming increasingly clear that neck pain has impacts far beyond pain and stiffness. A recent piece of research, partially funded by the Australian Spinal Research Foundation, has become the first to reveal that people with subclinical neck pain have slower visual and multisensory response times, and the differences caused by subclinical neck pain don’t improve on their own. The research emerging up until this point has offered clear indications that neck pain has impacts on multiple areas of brain function and proprioception. Among the already-available research is work indicating: Proprioceptive differences in upper limbs […]