Chiropractic Management for Visceral Conditions

This weekend (July 19 – July 20, 2014), Dr. Reece and Dr. Chase Hayden attended a seminar titled, “Chiropractic Management for Visceral Conditions.” Overall it was a good experience. It was a reminder of the power of the chiropractic adjustment (manipulation), and the neurological effects on the visceral (non-musculoskeletal) parts of the body. According the seminar sponsor, AMC, the purpose of the course the following:

“There is a general lack of understanding within the chiropractic profession regarding the scientific evidence, as well as the clinical protocols, that support chiropractic as an option for the management of visceral conditions. This course is designed to increase both the competence and the confidence of the chiropractor with respect to managing the visceral conditions of their patients.”

In addition to a variety of anecdotal stories from a variety of chiropractors and various visceral conditions, the instructors

, Dr. Greg Miller, and Dr. Robert Scranton, focused on the following visceral conditions, along with the supportive chiropractic research. An interesting note about the following conditions is that the research presented only included chiropractic care. It did not take into consideration other facets of health, including dietary changes, herbal medicine, quantum neurology rehabilitation, laser therapy, acupuncture, and more. I suspect that chiropractic care, in addition to the previously mentioned services would only enhance the patient’s healing response.

• ADHD
• Asthma – “Upon stabilizing the upper cervical spine, determined by consistently presenting normal paraspinal infrared images, objective improvement in all 47 asthmatic cases was 87-100 percent. The total time of care to reach this point ranged from 3 to 9 months, with a mean time of 16 weeks. The most common initial care frequency used was 3 times per week with tapering frequency after 4-8 weeks. Total care visits ranged from 14 to 44, with a mean of 26 office visits to stabilization. All 47 patients reported maintaining their [asthma] improvements at two years or more of follow-up care. ” – Today’s Chiropractic
• Nocturnal Enuresis – There are a growing number of case reports that describe improvements in childhood problems such as asthma and nocturnal enuresis in children receiving chiropractic care.
• Hypertension – “A special chiropractic adjustment can significantly lower high blood pressure, a placebo-controlled study suggests. ‘This procedure has the effect of not one, but two blood-pressure medications given in combination,’ study leader George Bakris, MD, tells WebMD. ‘And it seems to be adverse-event free. We saw no side effects and no problems,’ adds Bakris, director of the University of Chicago hypertension center.” – WebMD’s article, “Chiropractic Cuts Blood Pressure“
• Chronic Constipation
• Colic
• Otitis Media – “The results indicate that there is a strong correlation between the chiropractic adjustment and the resolution of otitis media for the children in this study.” – The Role of the Chiropractic Adjustment in the Care and Treatment of 332 Children with Otitis Media
• Dysmenorrhea
• Infertility
• Sinusitis
• Acid Reflux – “This case study demonstrates that pediatric patients suffering from gastrointestinal disorder such as GERD may benefit from a clinical and theoretical framework of adjustments to sites of vertebral subluxations.” – Chiropractic Care of a Pediatric Patient With Symptoms Associated With Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
• Multiple Sclerosis

We have seen plenty of patients that have reported improvements with these visceral conditions (along with a wide variety of others). Generally speaking, in our families, as well as with our patients, we recommend a conservative approach to health care first, followed by medicine, with surgery as the final option. Whether you are experiencing high blood pressure, acid reflux, diabetes, or any other specific diagnosed condition, chiropractic, nutrition, quantum neurology, acupuncture, and other complementary and alternative medicine services could help. If you have a question about your specific symptoms or diagnosis, and you would like to know if we might be able to help, contact our office and schedule a time to meet personally with one of the doctors in order to discuss your health options.

Wondering why in the world you would ever go to a chiropractor if you are experiencing visceral (organ) related problems? Check out this research paper from the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics that discusses the physiology of how “somatic visceral-disease mimicry could very well account for the “cures” of presumed organ disease.”