Library

Library

Knowledge is power. In healthcare, that phrase is especially true. That's why we've put together some information of the most common, and not so common, problems our patients face. We invite you to browse our library and become a better informed, more knowledgeable patient.

Children categories

Acupunture

Acupunture

Acupuncture is an alternative medicine methodology originating in ancient China that treats patients by manipulating thin, solid needles which have been inserted into acupuncture points in the skin.

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ADHD/ADD

ADHD/ADD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder characterized primarily by "the co-existence of attentional problems and hyperactivity, with each behavior occurring infrequently alone".

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Anxiety

Anxiety

Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. It is the displeasing feeling of fear and concern.

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Arthritis

Arthritis

Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints. There are over 100 different forms of arthritis.

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Asthma

Asthma

Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm.

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Autism

Autism

Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior.

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Back Pain

Back Pain

Back pain (also known as dorsalgia) is pain felt in the back that usually originates from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine.

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Backpacks

Backpacks

Carrying a heavy backpack can be a source of 'chronic, low-level trauma,'and can cause chronic shoulder, neck and back pain in children.

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Bedwetting

Bedwetting

Nocturnal enuresis, commonly called bedwetting, is involuntary urination while asleep after the age at which bladder control usually occurs.

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Bell's Palsy

Bell's Palsy

Bell's palsy is a form of facial paralysis resulting from a dysfunction of the cranial nerve VII (the facial nerve) that results in the inability to control facial muscles on the affected side.

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Cancer

Cancer

Cancer, known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a broad group of various diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth.

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Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement.

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Chest Pain

Chest Pain

Chest pain may be a symptom of a number of serious conditions and is generally considered a medical emergency.

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Children

Children

Throughout pregnancy, birth, and childhood, the chiropractic lifestyle offers choices and benefits for greater health and well-being.

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Diabetes

Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced

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Drug Addiction

Drug Addiction

Substance dependence, commonly called drug addiction is defined as a drug user's compulsive need to use controlled substances in order to function normally.

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Drugs

Drugs

A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function.

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Ear Infections

Ear Infections

Otitis, or ear infection, is a general term for inflammation or infection of the ear, in both humans and other animals.

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Gardening

Gardening

Gardening can provide a great workout, but with all the bending, twisting, reaching and pulling, your body and back may not be ready for exercise of the garden variety.

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Government

Government

For the first time in the VA's history, veterans will be able to receive certified chiropractic care at 26 selected Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities.

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Headaches

Headaches

A headache or cephalalgia is pain anywhere in the region of the head or neck. It can be a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and neck.

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Health & Fitness

Health & Fitness

Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness (a state of health and well-being), and specific fitness (the ability to perform specific aspects of sports or occupations).

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Hearing

Hearing

If you suffer from a hearing loss, especially on the right side, you may want to consider chiropractic care; you may notice an improvement in your hearing almost immediately.

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High Blood Pressure

High Blood Pressure

Hypertension (HTN) or high blood pressure, sometimes called arterial hypertension, is a chronic medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is elevated.

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Infants

Infants

Chiropractic care is not just for adults and children. Infants can benefit from chiropractic care too!

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Infertility

Infertility

Infertility primarily refers to the biological inability of a person to contribute to conception. Infertility may also refer to the state of a woman who is unable to carry a pregnancy to full term.

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Learning Disorders

Learning Disorders

Learning disability is a classification including several areas of functioning in which a person has difficulty learning in a typical manner, usually caused by an unknown factor or factors.

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Multiple Sclerocis

Multiple Sclerocis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring.

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Neck Pain

Neck Pain

Neck pain (or cervicalgia) is a common problem, with two-thirds of the population having neck pain at some point in their lives.

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Nervous System

Nervous System

The nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions of an animal and transmit signals between different parts of its body.

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Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. The motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease result from the death of dopamine-generating cells.

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PMS

PMS

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a collection of physical and emotional symptoms related to a woman's menstrual cycle. Medical definitions of PMS are limited to a consistent pattern of emotional and physical symptoms.

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Polio

Polio

Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute, viral, infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route.

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Pregnancy

Pregnancy

During pregnancy, there are several physiological and endocrinological changes that occur in preparation for creating the environment for the developing baby.

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Sciatica

Sciatica

Sciatica is a set of symptoms including pain that may be caused by general compression or irritation of one of five spinal nerve roots that give rise to each sciatic nerve.

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Scoliosis

Scoliosis

Scoliosis  is a medical condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side. The spine of an individual with scoliosis may look more like an "S" or a "C", rather than a straight line.

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Seizures

Seizures

An epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain".

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Seniors

Seniors

An important advantage for seniors receiving chiropractic care is an increased range of motion in both the spine and limbs.

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Sleeping

Sleeping

If you are having trouble sleeping at night, you are not alone. More than one-quarter of the U.S. population report they occasionally do not get enough sleep.

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Spinal Stenosis

Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis is an abnormal narrowing (stenosis) of the spinal canal that may occur in any of the regions of the spine. This narrowing causes a restriction to the spinal cord, resulting in a neurological deficit.

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Sports

Sports

Playing sports can cause all kinds of injuries for children as well as adults. Chiropractic care is critical to keep you on top of your game and performing at your best.

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Surgery

Surgery

Contemplating surgery? It's a big decision. Chiropractic care is a non-invasive and safe alternative for some forms of surgery. Explore all your options before you commit to surgery.

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TMJ

TMJ

TMJ is used to refer to a group of problems involving the temporomandibular joint and the muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, and other tissues associated with them.

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Vertigo

Vertigo

Vertigo (from the Latin vertō "a whirling or spinning movement") is a subtype of dizziness, where there is a feeling of motion when one is stationary.

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Vision

Vision

The visual system is the part of the central nervous system which enables organisms to process visual detail, as well as enabling several non-image forming photoresponse functions.

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Whiplash

Whiplash

Whiplash is a non-medical term describing a range of injuries to the neck caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck associated with extension.

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It is estimated that up to 15 million people suffer from asthma. Of those, 14.8 million are children under the age of 18. In 1993 alone, there were 198,000 hospitalizations for asthma. In that same sample year, 342 people under the age of 25 died due to this problem. In money terms, the direct cost of managing a patient with severe asthma has been estimated at more than $18,000 per year.

The following statistics about asthma come from the Better Health & Medical Network.

Asthma has increased 46% from 1982-1993 with an 80% growth in children under 18 - In the 5-17 age group, asthma causes an annual loss of more than 10 million school days per year - Asthma accounts for more childhood hospitalizations than any other childhood disease - Children with asthma spend approximately 7.3 million days per year restricted to bed rest - In 1990, there were 7.1 million physician visits for asthma - Health care costs for asthma were estimated to be $6.2 billion, which is almost 1% of the total US health care costs - More than 5,200 Americans died from asthma in 1991.

Recent articles in publications such as "The American Chiropractor", and "Today's Chiropractic" describe strong links between people who suffer from these conditions and nerve interference from subluxation. Subluxations are when bones in the spine pressure or irritate nerves causing abnormal nerve function. An article appearing in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research Vol. 1 No. 4, also demonstrated the positive effects of chiropractic care on 81 children with asthma.

According to Richard Pistolese, research assistant for the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, "Based upon information currently available, chiropractic care represents a safe non-pharmacological health care approach, that may be associated with a decrease in asthma-related impairment, reduced respiratory effort, and a decrease incidence of asthma attacks." Pistolese goes further to say, "The correction of vertebral subluxation is a non-invasive procedure, which could reduce or eliminate the need for medication, and potentially ease the severity of the asthmatic condition."

It is estimated that up to 15 million people suffer from asthma. Of those, 14.8 million are children under the age of 18. In 1993 alone, there were 198,000 hospitalizations for asthma. In that same sample year, 342 people under the age of 25 died due to this problem. In money terms, the direct cost of managing a patient with severe asthma has been estimated at more than $18,000 per year.

The following statistics about asthma come from the Better Health & Medical Network.

Asthma has increased 46% from 1982-1993 with an 80% growth in children under 18 - In the 5-17 age group, asthma causes an annual loss of more than 10 million school days per year - Asthma accounts for more childhood hospitalizations than any other childhood disease - Children with asthma spend approximately 7.3 million days per year restricted to bed rest - In 1990, there were 7.1 million physician visits for asthma - Health care costs for asthma were estimated to be $6.2 billion, which is almost 1% of the total US health care costs - More than 5,200 Americans died from asthma in 1991.

Recent articles in publications such as "The American Chiropractor", and "Today's Chiropractic" describe strong links between people who suffer from these conditions and nerve interference from subluxation. Subluxations are when bones in the spine pressure or irritate nerves causing abnormal nerve function. An article appearing in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research Vol. 1 No. 4, also demonstrated the positive effects of chiropractic care on 81 children with asthma.

According to Richard Pistolese, research assistant for the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, "Based upon information currently available, chiropractic care represents a safe non-pharmacological health care approach, that may be associated with a decrease in asthma-related impairment, reduced respiratory effort, and a decrease incidence of asthma attacks." Pistolese goes further to say, "The correction of vertebral subluxation is a non-invasive procedure, which could reduce or eliminate the need for medication, and potentially ease the severity of the asthmatic condition."

Each year in March in Columbus Ohio, Arnold Schwarzenegger holds his Fitness Classic in conjunction with the International Chiropractors Association Symposium on Natural Fitness. During these events thousands of exercise and fitness minded people, along with a few hundred chiropractors get together and attend various events. The highlight of these events for the chiropractors is when Arnold himself addresses the chiropractors symposium and takes time to pose for a picture with each chiropractor in attendance.

Arnold gave an address this past symposium, (March 6th, 1999) in which he made several remarks about the benefits chiropractic has personally given him.

"People who do not believe in chiropractic always ask me about it. I have now become like a spokesperson for chiropractic. So many people come up to me because they know that I am a big believer in chiropractic and that we are doing this fitness weekend together each year. They ask me about chiropractic with questions like, How do you choose a chiropractor? or What is the best way of going about finding the best doctor for me? Well, I say, there are a few things that you should watch out for. Then I give them a few points. I share my experiences. I just had another skiing accident up in Sun Valley and I really could not move. And I again had one of those miracle moments when you call a chiropractor, they care for you and give you adjustments and then days later you ski again like a champion on moguls. So this is what happened to me ... another personal experience with proof how great chiropractic is."

In a recent study published in the September 2000 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiologic Therapeutics, researchers showed that chiropractic adjustments have an effect on the Autonomic Nervous System. This research was designed to measure the changes in "Edge Light Pupil Cycle Time" (ELPCT) which is one of the light reflexes of the eyes. This reflex is controlled by the Autonomic Nervous System. The results showed a decrease in the Edge Light Pupil Cycle Time therefore showing a direct link between a chiropractic adjustment and a response in the Autonomic Nervous System.

The implications of this research go well beyond the eye itself. The Autonomic Nervous System is that part of the nervous system responsible for the control and function of internal body organs. Chiropractors have said for over 100 years that interference to the nervous system creates a situation whereby various parts of the body will not be functioning at their fullest innate potential. Despite all the reported cases of people with a variety of internal problems responding to chiropractic care, the medical community would always dismiss these cases as a coincidence.

This new research adds much credibility to the reports of miraculous results under chiropractic by scientifically showing a link between chiropractic adjustments of the spine and the part of the nervous system responsible for the control of internal organs. This clearly validates and reinforces the great results that chiropractors have reported to see over the last 100 years. Chiropractic care can have a positive affect on organ system health problems.

A recent study published in the March 29, 2004 peer reviewed journal, The Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, (JVSR), showed that chiropractic adjustments had a positive effect on children with acute ear infections. In the study 21 children were examined. All these children showed acute inflammation in the inner ear with a red and bulging tympanic membrane accompanied by an increased mean oral temperature of over 100 degrees F.

The results of the study showed that after the chiropractic adjustments, the red and bulging tympanic membrane returned to normal in 95% of the children and a decrease in average oral temperature to 98.6 degrees F.
A similar story also appeared on the website of the television station, WIS TV news on March 30, 2004.  That story featured a four year old girl Taylor, who went to see a chiropractor for ear infections.

According to her mother Taylor had been suffering with about eight ear infections a year. Her mother noted that after two chiropractic adjustments, she hasn't had one ear infection in nine months, "This has been a big great help for us."

The news report ended with the following, "Besides ear infections another study found chiropractic care helps babies with colic. The study reports children cried two hours less after having adjustments than those who received the standard drug treatment."

A recent study published in the March 29, 2004 peer reviewed journal, The Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, (JVSR), showed that chiropractic adjustments had a positive effect on children with acute ear infections. In the study 21 children were examined. All these children showed acute inflammation in the inner ear with a red and bulging tympanic membrane accompanied by an increased mean oral temperature of over 100 degrees F.

The results of the study showed that after the chiropractic adjustments, the red and bulging tympanic membrane returned to normal in 95% of the children and a decrease in average oral temperature to 98.6 degrees F.
A similar story also appeared on the website of the television station, WIS TV news on March 30, 2004. That story featured a four year old girl Taylor, who went to see a chiropractor for ear infections. According to her mother Taylor had been suffering with about eight ear infections a year. Her mother noted that after two chiropractic adjustments, she hasn't had one ear infection in nine months, "This has been a big great help for us."
The news report ended with the following, "Besides ear infections another study found chiropractic care helps babies with colic. The study reports children cried two hours less after having adjustments than those who received the standard drug treatment."

Three case studies reported in the September 2005 issue of the British scientific journal, Clinical Chiropractic, highlighted the success of chiropractic care on patients with long term asthma. The study performed  at the University Of Surrey Chiropractic clinic, reported that asthma is the most common chronic disease in the United Kingdom, with nearly 3.5 million people affected, including 1.3 million children."

These studies document three separate cases of individuals who had suffered with asthma for years. The first was a 28-year-old athletic male who had been suffering from asthma since childhood. The study notes that his symptoms were most prevalent when exercising and at night. He was using an inhaler daily in the morning and at night before going to bed. The report then notes that he began a program of chiropractic care. The study reported that a few weeks into his care he felt so good that one night he forgot to use his inhaler. He reported that he suffered no ill-effects and reported he had a great night's sleep.  From that point forward he reportedly did not use his inhaler at night, and was extremely pleased with the results achieved from chiropractic care.

The next case was a 56-year-old woman who had been diagnosed with asthma 5 years previously. She reported that her main symptoms were chest tightness and coughing. After just 2 weeks of chiropractic care, she reported feeling much better within herself. She reported that she found it much easier to breathe with less coughing. Additionally she also reported feeling less tired, and had also noticed that her dry skin had apparently also shown dramatic improvement. "I knew this treatment was having an effect as I could feel the changes happening."

The third case in this report was of a 26-year-old woman, who had suffered with asthma since childhood. In her case she played rugby competitively for a ladies team and she reported that she was always having to stop during the game to use her inhaler.  She would also awaken each night wheezing and have to use her inhaler. In her case, after starting chiropractic, she reported being able to play a whole game of rugby without needing her inhaler once, and was sleeping through the night uninterrupted.

The report noted that "The mechanism by which chiropractic is thought to affect asthma is based upon the proposition that spinal adjustment can modify autonomic nervous system.

"Several recent studies have shown the benefits of chiropractic care for children suffering from "Nocturnal Enuresis" more commonly known as bedwetting. Several studies published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics showed marked improvement in children with this problem over children who did not receive chiropractic care.

"In one study 171 children suffering with enuresis averaged 7 nights of bed wetting per week prior to the study. After the children were given some initial chiropractic care the average child reduced the number of "wet" nights to 4 nights per week. A full 25% of the children receiving chiropractic showed a 50% reduction in wet nights. In addition, only 1% of the children were considered "dry" prior to the study and prior to receiving chiropractic care. After the study 15% of the children were then considered "dry".

"In another study, 46 primary enuretic children were studied. Of this group 31 were placed under chiropractic care while 15 were in the control group and did not receive any chiropractic care. The results of this study showed a 17.9% decrease in wet nights for the chiropractic group. Over the same period of time no change was noted for the control group who did not receive any chiropractic care.
"Amazingly, improvement in some of the studies was shown to be immediate after the first adjustment and remain stable thereafter.

Several recent studies have shown the benefits of chiropractic care for children suffering from "Nocturnal Enuresis" more commonly known as bedwetting. Several studies published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics showed marked improvement in children with this problem over children who did not receive chiropractic care.

In one study 171 children suffering with enuresis averaged 7 nights of bed wetting per week prior to the study. After the children were given some initial chiropractic care the average child reduced the number of "wet" nights to 4 nights per week. A full 25% of the children receiving chiropractic showed a 50% reduction in wet nights. In addition, only 1% of the children were considered "dry" prior to the study and prior to receiving chiropractic care. After the study 15% of the children were then considered "dry".

In another study, 46 primary enuretic children were studied. Of this group 31 were placed under chiropractic care while 15 were in the control group and did not receive any chiropractic care. The results of this study showed a 17.9% decrease in wet nights for the chiropractic group. Over the same period of time no change was noted for the control group who did not receive any chiropractic care. Amazingly, improvement in some of the studies was shown to be immediate after the first adjustment and remain stable thereafter.

A study published in the May 2003 issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, showed a strong link between the resolution of infertility and the initiation of chiropractic care.  The study consisted of a retrospective review of 14 separate articles of 15 women suffering with infertility.  In each of these cases chiropractic care was introduced and the results were documented and published.

The studies followed 15 female subjects ranging in age from 22 to 65.  The prior pregnancy history of these women revealed 11 of them had never gotten pregnant.  Two of the women had prior successful unassisted pregnancies.  One woman had an assisted pregnancy, while 1 had a history of a miscarriage. In this group 9 women had previous treatment for infertility before starting chiropractic and 4 were actually undergoing infertility treatment when they started chiropractic care.

The study noted the huge expense of infertility treatment options currently used by many couples noting the range of expenses can easily go into the thousands.  The article also noted that in vitro fertilization has shown evidence of long term risks.  A study published in November 2002 in the online version of the American Journal of Human Genetics reported that "babies conceived by in vitro fertilization may be at increased risk for a rare genetic disorder that predisposes them to cancer".

The chiropractic care rendered to the women listed in this study was from a variety of chiropractors using a variety of techniques.  The focus of the care in these cases was correction of vertebral subluxations.  The research article defined Subluxation by using the agreed definition of the Association of Chiropractic Colleges.  Subluxation, as defined by the Association of Chiropractic Colleges, is a "complex of functional and / or structural and / or pathological articular changes that compromise neural integrity and may influence organ system function and general health". The study noted that all of the women in these studies, who were struggling with infertility, had evidence of nerve system interference, as detected by the presence of subluxations.

The results of these individual case studies showed that even though many of these women had tried unsuccessfully for some time to become pregnant, all of the women in this study eventually became pregnant somewhere between 2 months and 20 months of the onset of chiropractic care.  One of the case studies was summed up by the author, Elizabeth Anderson-Peacock, DC, DICCP,  "Although chiropractic care is not a treatment for infertility, it is postulated that improvement of spinal neural integrity through specific chiropractic adjustments may have contributed to improved homeostasis and physiological adaptation thus allowing the body to express a greater level of health as an outcome."