On March 12, 2018, a case study was published in the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health reporting on a woman who was unable to conceive for years becoming pregnant due to receiving chiropractic care. The study defines infertility as the failure to achieve a pregnancy within one year of regular unprotected intercourse.
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.
In 2002, a study of 700 couples was conducted ranging in age from 19 to 39. That study found that after the age of 27, fertility starts to decline and drops at a higher rate after the age of 35. It is estimated that 9.3 million women have sought fertility treatment with most seeking conventional medical care. The cost of conventional infertility treatments can be quite expensive, especially in the U.S. which is the highest in the world. A successful birth achieved by infertility treatments can cost upward of $50,000.
In this case, a 29-year-old woman presented herself for chiropractic care in the hopes of helping her with her infertility. She had never had chiropractic prior to this initial visit. For the past three years, she had been unsuccessfully attempting to get pregnant. She had previously been taking estrogen modulator, clomiphene citrate (Clomid) for five-months with no result. Additionally, the woman had attempted in vitro fertilization and intrauterine insemination, all with no success.
The only other relevant health history noted is that the woman had been in a major car accident five years earlier. Since that time, she was suffering with 3-5 headaches per week.
A chiropractic examination, thermography and spinal x-rays were performed. The x-rays did not show any pathology, fracture, or infection. It was noted that the woman’s neck curve was reduced from normal when viewed on a lateral cervical x-ray. Functional leg length tests did show an imbalance.
Based on the results of the examination procedures, it was determined that subluxations were present and specific forms of chiropractic adjustments were given where indicated.
Within two months of starting chiropractic care. the woman reported that her headaches had stopped. She continued to receive the recommended course of chiropractic care for another two months. At that point, she had a visit with her obstetrician where an ultrasound was performed confirming that she was indeed pregnant. The obstetrician was able to back-date the onset of the pregnancy to about two months after she had started chiropractic care. The woman continued to receive chiropractic care for correction of subluxations throughout her pregnancy and was able to deliver a healthy baby vaginally.
In their conclusion, the authors of this study summed up how chiropractic was able to have a positive effect in this case. “This study helps show the clinical application of chiropractic care and infertility. While chiropractic does not treat infertility, studies have shown the vertebral subluxation and their effect on the autonomic nervous system. The ability of the nervous system to work more efficiently can lead to many desired benefits. The evidence of this case being that after multiple failed conventional medical treatments.”
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 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 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 begins by noting that IBD is a common disorder affecting 1.6 million Americans, out of which 700,000 are classified as Crohn’s disease. This disease strikes both men and women equally, is not more prevalent in any ethnic group, and typically affects those individuals who are either in their early teens or over 50 years of age. It is estimated that there are 30,000 new cases of Crohn’s diagnosed each year with a total of 140,000 of the cases being under the age of 18 years.
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.
The study begins by noting that children and infants are commonly brought to chiropractors. Over one-third (37.5 %) of children seek healthcare that falls into the category of complimentary or alternative medicine (CAM). Common in the CAM services is chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation. Some of the more common reasons that infants are brought to the chiropractor include excessive crying, feeding difficulties, infant colic and abnormal motor development.
The word scoliosis comes from the Greek word skolios, which means twisted or crooked. A diagnosis of scoliosis only means that there is an abnormal curvature of the spine from side to side of more than 10 degrees. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a spinal curvature that shows up about the onset of puberty but before maturity.
The study begins by noting that about 3-4% of pregnancies result in a breech presentation. Current medical thinking is that a breech birth represents a significant medical threat and therefore a Cesarean birth is normally recommended in these cases. Since, for many reasons, a normal head-first vaginal birth is preferable to a cesarean birth, any reasonable process that can correct the breech should be explored.