A case study, published in the June 19, 2014, issue of the scientific periodical, the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health, documented the case of a young girl who was suffering from a wide variety of ailments being helped by chiropractic. The chiropractic care resulted in positive spinal changes and in the patient’s overall quality of life.
The authors of the study begin by describing asthma as, “an inflammatory state of the lungs that can be acute or chronic, causing changes in the airways. This condition is due to hypersensitivity of the asthmatic patient, aggravated by airborne allergens or pollen, cold or other respiratory infections.” They also note that, “Allergies have been on the rise over the past several years with 1 out of 5 Americans being affected by them today. In fact, allergies are the 5th leading chronic disease in the U.S. as well as being the 3rd most common chronic disease in children.”
In this case, an 11-year-old girl was brought to the chiropractor for the first time. She was suffering from asthma, chronic allergies, sinus problems, dry skin, and leg cramps. Her asthma, which had only started the prior summer, was causing her to miss school. She was also on multiple medications for her breathing and allergies.
A chiropractic examination was performed which included a postural analysis, a surface EMG study, and spinal palpation. Multiple abnormalities in the girl’s posture were noted and documented. X-rays were performed which verified the spinal and postural misalignments. In addition, pulmonary function was measured and was shown to be abnormal due to her asthma.
Specific chiropractic adjusting was begun in multiple areas of her spine where problems were found from the examination. About a month and a half into her care, a follow-up postural analysis was performed that showed improvement in the girl’s spine. Surface EMG studies, as well as follow up x-rays, also showed improvement as care progressed. Pulmonary function also showed significant improvement when measured.
The girl’s asthma was completely resolved as a result of the care. This was a significant improvement as her asthma had previously kept her out of school twice for six days at a time. Also, her allergies, which she had experienced since age three, were gone. Additionally, the girl’s dry skin and leg cramps that she would get after exercising were corrected.
In their conclusion the authors wrote, “This retrospective case study was an observation of an 11-year-old child with asthma, allergies, and abnormal posture/cervical curve that affected the quality of her life. While under chiropractic care…, the patient was able to discontinue all medication, demonstrated no further symptoms, and improved her cervical curve and posture, as well as normalizing her lung range.”