The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health published a study on April 26, 2018, documenting the case of chiropractic care resolving infertility in a 30-year-old woman. As defined by the study, “Infertility is the inability to accomplish a pregnancy within one year of regular sexual intercourse without contraception.”
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.
According to an April 18, 2018, article in the US News and World Report, about 85,000 women undergo in vitro fertilization each year. The cost of such treatments is high with the article reporting that the average cost of IVF treatment, including cycle costs and medication, is $25,000. In most cases, two cycles are needed, bringing the total bill to near $50,000. With these figures, it is no wonder that more couples are turning to alternative care such as chiropractic for a possible solution.
In this case, a 30-year-old female nurse sought out chiropractic care. Her reason for seeking chiropractic was to see if she could be helped with her infertility issue. However, she was also suffering with headaches, low back pain and middle back pain. She had been diagnosed with infertility a year earlier and was trying a variety of medical approaches including performing temperature monitoring and purchasing ovulation kits for infertility as well as taking Clomid throughout days 5-9 of her cycle.
A chiropractic examination revealed spinal areas of increased sensitivity along with a decreased range of motion. Spinal x-rays showed a loss of normal curvatures and malpositioned vertebrae. Specific forms of chiropractic care were started to address the subluxations that were present.
The report shows that after two months of chiropractic care, she had ovulated for two months in a row for the first time. After three months of care, the woman had reported that she had conceived and was pregnant. Additionally, the other symptoms she initially had of headaches, lower and mid back pain were resolved.
In the discussion section of the study, the authors explain how chiropractic care is effective in cases of infertility. “How does chiropractic care and improvement of posture help resolve infertility? It is presumed that stimulation and relief of tension on the spinal cord and nerves play the key role in enabling a female patient to become fertile following chiropractic care. Structurally speaking this patient had vertebral subluxation and reduced sagittal curves throughout all regions in the spine. This lengthens the spinal canal and therefore exerts increased tension onto the spinal cord even during normal motions of the spine and neck. The resultant ‘pathologic’ neurological tensions are likely the culprit in neurologic compromise in function of the organs, including those related to fertility.”
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.
On their website, the Spondylitis Association of America provides an overview of the condition described in this study by saying, “Ankylosing spondylitis or AS, is a form of arthritis that primarily affects the spine, although other joints can become involved. It causes inflammation of the spinal joints (vertebrae) that can lead to severe, chronic pain and discomfort. In more advanced cases this inflammation can lead to ankylosis — new bone formation in the spine — causing sections of the spine to fuse in a fixed, immobile position.”
The American Migraine Foundation describes the condition as, “Hemiplegic migraine is a rare form of migraine where people experience weakness on one side of their body (hemiplegia) in addition to the migraine headache attack. The weakness is a form of migraine aura and occurs with other forms of typical migraine aura like changes in vision, speech or sensation.”
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.”
On their website the American Thyroid Association describes the function of the thyroid by saying, “The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland that is normally located in the lower front of the neck. The thyroid’s job is to make thyroid hormones, which are secreted into the blood and then carried to every tissue in the body. Thyroid hormone helps the body use energy, stay warm and keep the brain, heart, muscles, and other organs working as they should.”
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 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.