On April 9, 2018, the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health published the results of a case study showing chiropractic helping a 9-year-old who was suffering from asthma as well as a number of other functional health issues.
The study begins by noting that in 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that approximately 10 million children were diagnosed with asthma, of which 6.8 million of those children continue to live with this problem today. The study reports that in the period between 2002 and 2007, the cost of asthma in the U.S. was 56 billion dollars. Additionally, in 2008 alone, it was estimated that children were absent from school for a total of 14.4 million days from this condition.
According to the professional version of the Merck Manual, “Asthma is a disease of diffuse airway inflammation caused by a variety of triggering stimuli resulting in partially or completely reversible bronchoconstriction”. The authors of the study explain asthma by stating, “Asthma is a bronchial tube disorder that is caused by an immune response to a variety of stimuli that causes airways to hyper react to its environmental input.” In layman’s terms, asthma is when some kind of irritant causes the tubes leading to the lungs to constrict and reduce airflow.
In this case, a 9-year-old boy was brought to the chiropractor. The boy was suffering with a number of health complaints with the chief among these being asthma. His asthma had resulted in four previous trips to the emergency room with one of those visits requiring a five day in stay at the hospital. His problem required him to use an Albuterol inhaler one to four times each day.
In addition to the asthma, the boy also suffered with mid back pain that was worse when sitting at school. He also suffered from headaches and neck pain that was accompanied by dizziness. Since birth, it was reported that it would take the boy between one to three hours to fall asleep each night. In addition to all these issues the boy was also suffering with episodes of low back pain, leg and foot pain, colic, sugar cravings, stomachaches, constipation, diarrhea, allergies, behavioral problems, ADHD and eczema.
A thorough chiropractic examination revealed a number of areas of postural distortion and neuromusculoskeletal system dysfunctions. Thermal scans and surface EMG scans also showed variations along the child’s spine. It was determined that subluxations were present and chiropractic care was started.
As the chiropractic care progressed, the child’s asthma started to show steady improvement to where he was able to reduce his medication from four times per day to an as needed basis. Additionally, the other symptoms he was experiencing also started to reduce. His sleeping returned to normal so that it did not take hours for him to fall asleep. The boy’s complaints of headaches, stomachaches, constipation, diarrhea, neck pain, and back pain were all resolved. It was even noted that he no longer needed special accommodations at school for his ADHD diagnosis.
Previously, the boy would regularly miss days of school due to his asthma and illnesses. After starting chiropractic care, it was reported that he only missed one day of school, his grades greatly improved, and the boy made honor roll.
In the study conclusion the authors wrote, “This case study shows that chiropractic care to reduce vertebral subluxations may lead to improved health outcomes. It adds to the current literature on the positive outcomes of chiropractic care and children with asthma and other functional disorders.”
If you or anyone you know could benefit from less interference within their nervous system, please call us at 512-452-2525 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Swanson. Chiropractor in Austin, TX.
The statistics of infertility show that 20% are due to combined male and female factors, while 35% are due to solely male factors and equally 35% are due to female factors with the remaining 10% being attributed to unknown factors. In the U.S. alone, it was estimated that in 2010, 48.5 million couples were infertile.
Absence seizures are a type of seizure where the victim can slip into a state of unaware staring. During this time, they are unresponsive and can seem to be staring off into space. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, Absence Seizures “…are a type of generalized onset seizures, meaning they begin in both sides of the brain at the same time. An older term is petit mal seizures. They begin and end abruptly, lasting only a few seconds. Absence seizures can be so brief they sometimes are mistaken for daydreaming and may not be detected for months.”
The study begins by reporting that in the United States between 10-15% of couples have difficulty becoming pregnant or carrying the baby to normal term. Becoming pregnant gets progressively more difficult as a woman gets older. Between the ages of ages of 15-29 about 11% of women have difficulty conceiving. The difficulty in becoming pregnant increases in women between the ages of 35 and 39 to where 23% have difficulty becoming pregnant.
The technical name for ear infections is otitis media. The study authors explain this condition by saying, “Otitis media is very common in children. Generally, it is referred to as acute otitis media (AOM) or otitis media with effusion. Otitis media is the most common reason that children, visit the doctor, take antibiotics, and have surgical procedures.”
According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, “Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior. Although autism can be diagnosed at any age, it is said to be a ‘developmental disorder’ because symptoms generally appear in the first two years of life.”
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s Medline Plus website, “A concussion is a type of brain injury. It involves a short loss of normal brain function. It happens when a hit to the head or body causes your head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in your brain.” Estimates of the number of concussions range from 2.5 to 3 million cases each year in the U.S. alone.
The study authors begin by defining the issue. “Developmental delay is defined as a child who is not meeting a range of milestones at the expected rate of development.” They go on to explain the areas of delay by saying, “Typically, this involves multiple areas of development including cognitive skills, social and emotional skills, speech and language skills, fine and gross motor skills and activities of daily living.”
The study begins by noting that between 5-30% of the child population will suffer with this issue. More than one third of the cases become chronic, lasting for more than 8 weeks. The study reports that many factors can contribute to the issue including dehydration, dietary factors such as cows milk intolerance, or a change in diet. Certain organic issues can also lead to constipation as well as psychological factors including purposefully withholding stools which can become an acquired behavior in some children.
The study reports that an incessant crying baby is one of the most common reasons infants are brought to healthcare professionals in the first sixteen weeks of life. In many cases, infants are brought to the chiropractor after a visit to the pediatrician has failed to significantly remedy the issue of incessant crying.