December 13, 2018
It’s a postural phenomenon once driven by age, now arguably driven also by technology. The head drops forward, and the thoracic kyphosis increases beyond normal physiological parameters. Other postural adjustments take place in order to keep the head upright – with the lumbar and cervical curves often implicated. The results can range from low back pain, increased load on the cervical spine, decreased rib excursion, tidal volume and much more. We know the presentation. We know the associated symptoms. But what do we do to restore proper posture and put right the altered thoracic curve? While the answers to this […]
November 7, 2018
In part one of our posture series, we covered the links between posture and the cardiopulmonary system, including lung function, tidal volumes and cervical/thoracic kyphosis. Today, we arrive at another important issue: how does posture affect the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, and potentially link to neuro-degenerative diseases? Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is the great liquid cushion that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, protecting it both structurally and immunologically. It’s a feat of nature that “maintains the electrolytic environment of the central nervous system (CNS), influences systemic acid-base balance, serves as a medium for the supply of nutrients to neuronal and […]
October 24, 2018
With an aging population now a reality in many Western nations, how well we age is becoming as much of a focus as longevity itself. A new study emerging from the Manchester Metropolitan University, published in the Journal of Physiology, is throwing new light on this topic and it is news that nervous system and health enthusiasts will welcome. It appears that the muscle loss many have accepted as “inevitable” in old age is actually a nerve issue. The study took 143 men, aged either 18-40 or 65-90 years old and living independently, and used MRI and EMG data to […]
October 8, 2018
An Interview with Dr Michael Hall Chiropractic, stress and mental illness. Does it link? Has it ever linked? It is a topic modern research hasn’t devoted much to in terms of resources and thought, but history and basic science tell us an interesting story. “Much of the very early work in chiropractic was done in the Sanatorium –said Dr Michael Hall in a recent interview with Spinal Research [1, 2]. “Most of our greatest work was done on mental health patients. In my world, I am seeing a big circle and we are coming right back around. In the middle, […]
September 24, 2018
Chiropractors and posture – they are a seamless fit. From the very first visit in clinic, posture is assessed. As subluxations are checked and corrected, posture can improve over time. But is posture just a symptom, or is it stressor that can kick off a physiological stress response impacting both brain and body? We’ve taken a quick look at the research to see what the deal is. In 2015, the Journal of Health Psychology published a randomized trial regarding posture and stress [1]. The hypothesis of whether or not muscular states were related to stress had been supported by research […]
September 17, 2018
In the second instalment of our series on stress, we caught up with Dr. Wayne Todd; author of the book and practitioner training program The SD Protocol which targets sympathetic dominance. To Dr. Wayne, the connection between chiropractic and stress is so deeply entrenched as to be inseparable, but it’s how we as practitioners deal with this that has the potential to break the cycle of repetitive subluxations and help the patient regain control of their health. Stress And Subluxation Long before the lightbulb moment that saw him put together the protocol, Dr. Wayne was a busy chiropractor spending long […]
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. […]
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 […]
May 8, 2018
As a Foundation, we have always celebrated research that advances the cause and understanding of chiropractic. The last twelve months have seen us undertake a massive drive toward defining and researching the cornerstone of our profession: the vertebral subluxation. It gives us great pleasure to read our definition of the vertebral subluxation referenced in a number of case reports recently published. Among these studies was a piece by Dr’s David Russell and Tanja Glucina. The case report followed a 38 year-old female patient who suffered from Crohn’s disease, and was dealing with a number of lifestyle restrictions and quality of […]
April 24, 2018
Motor developmental delays in infants and young children are often the domain of dedicated therapists such as speech, physical and occupational therapists. However, chiropractic care for infants and children does appear to be gaining acceptance as research and public awareness increase. Research focused on adults has revealed significant impacts on sensorimotor integration, but similar research involving children is emerging much more slowly. This makes a recent case-study involving a 15 month-old male with developmental delays a significant one. An added perk of the study was that the subluxation definition used by the authors was the Australian Spinal Research Foundation’s definition, […]
April 19, 2018
For almost as long as our profession has existed, debate has raged over the terminology central to our cause: the vertebral subluxation. What does it mean? Can it be measured? Is it reliable? Should we call it something else? That debate is one step closer to finished after the latest piece of research from the Centre for Chiropractic Research in New Zealand revealed some big news: we can reliably detect vertebral subluxations. This study is a landmark study, as it answers (in part) the lack of consensus around the nature, reliability, and neurological manifestations of the subluxation. This is exciting […]
April 4, 2018
In the history of the Foundation, we have had more than a few highpoints. Among these highlights are many quality research papers giving key insight into the mechanisms and impacts of chiropractic care. Yet something has been missing – a definition of the vertebral subluxation that is philosophically congruent, usable in practice and testable in research. It was this glaring lack that inspired the research agenda that now drives us. It is an exciting time in our history, and we are thrilled that we can share part one of this agenda – a conceptual definition of the vertebral subluxation for […]
August 24, 2017
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 look like many things with adrenal exhaustion, anxiety, depression, gut problems, and the obvious menstrual and fertility problems as common candidates for confusion. As chiropractors, our eyes can be firmly on the state of the spine (i.e. subluxation) and not on symptoms. But Dr Wayne […]
July 26, 2017
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 in our history, we have set forth with a definition of the subluxation that will guide this research into the future. These changes did not come about in a boardroom. They came through an in-depth nine-month consultation process spanning more than 70 individuals, colleges and […]
June 1, 2017
At the recent Dynamic Growth Congress, we asked some leading voices in chiropractic why it is important to invest in quality research into the vertebral subluxation. Here, Dr Mark Postles talks about some key questions that underpin our approach to the profession and the knowledge base that we need to back it: are we an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff or a fence at the top? Are we subscribers to ‘Theory X’ in which there is no order in the universe, and no innate intelligence operating in the complex organism that is the human life? Or do we […]