• Reduction in enuresis quickly and long term – stimulating ear points changing what is manifesting all the way down in the bladder: Suspected causes of enuresis are ADH imbalances and neurological dysfunction.
• Rapid relief of lumbar disc herniation pain – Analgesia is primarily seen to result from central nervous system inhibition of pain transmission or via interfering with the prostaglandin pathways so.
• Improvement in learning and memory and brain chemistry in rats suffering with Alzheimer’s – This paper proposes that the Auriculotherapy tapped into neurotransmitter function and/or nerve cell proliferation.
• Reduction of Tinnitus short and long term – Tinnitus can have multifactorial causes all being centred in the inner ear structures.
• Reduction of endometriosis related PMS symptoms and improvement in Prostaglandin and Prostacyclin levels – Prostaglandin and Prostacyclin imbalance is seen as one of the most likely factors in endometriosis and PMS.
• Reduction of lower back and pelvic pain of pregnancy and improved functional status – Lower back pain is sometimes seen as a mechanical problem, sometimes as an inflammatory condition, and other times as a neurological disorder – depends on who you are talking to… However in the case of Auriculotherapy we can narrow down the influences to inflammatory or neurological since it has no mechanical effect.
• Significant increase in ghrelin level and decrease in leptin level in obese women – Ghrelin and Leptin are seen as obesity-related hormone peptides.
• Improvement of Traditional Chinese Medicine syndrome, elevation of breast feeding milking volume, decrease of the supplementary feeding and increase of Prolactin level in nursing mothers with insufficient milk supply after cesarian birth.
• Reduction of Substance P levels and rapid recovery from Migraine – Substance P is a neuropeptide implicated in the onset of Migraines.
• Reduction of vasomotor symptoms associated with luteinizing-hormone releasing hormone agonist treatment for prostate cancer – Auriculotherapy being used effectively to reduce the side effects of hormonal treatment for Prostate Cancer.

So we can see that there is growing evidence that Auriculotherapy has the capacity to normalise chemical, hormonal, neuropeptide, neurological, vascular and pain processes. Sounds like some good reasons to check out Auriculotherapy training to me… Go to http://www.torquerelease.com.au/Auriculotherapy-Discount.htm to find out more…

1) Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) combined with auricular acupoint sticking (AAS) for treatment of primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE)

Chen YJ, Zhou GY, Jin JH. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2010 May;30(5):371-4.

METHODS: 250 cases of PNE patients were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 125 cases in each group. The control group was treated with oral administration of Desmopressin Acetate (DA) and Meclofenoxate. RESULTS: The total effective rate of 96.8% (121/125) in observation group was superior to that of 90.4% (113/125) in control group (P < 0.05), the observation group was superior to control group in reducing the times of nocturia and enuresis, onset time and duration of effect (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: TEAS combined with AAS can reduce the times of nocturia and enuresis of PNE children, with significant therapeutic effect, taking quick effect and keeping long effect duration.

2) Study on the effects of the auricular acupuncture with different manipulations for rapid analgesia on the patients with lumbar disc hernia

Liu EJ, Jia CS, Li XF, Ma XS, Shi J. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2010 Jan;30(1):35-9.

METHODS: Ninety two patients were paired according to the three factors as sex, age and degree of pain, and then randomly divided into the point-to-point needling group and perpendicular needling group. All patients accorded with the demands of McGill pain questionnaire (MPQ), before treatment, 5 and 30 min after treatment, the accumulated score of pain was recorded respectively for observing the difference of the effects in both groups. RESULTS: After 5 min treatment, the effect of analgesia on the male patients in the point-to-point needling group was better than that of in the perpendicular needling group (P<0.05), but there was no difference on the female patients in both groups (P>0.05). After 30 min treatment, the effect of analgesia in the point-to-point needling group was better than that of the perpendicular needling group (P<0.05). Besides the patients with light degree pain, there was no significant difference between the two groups after 5 min treatment as score of pain (P>0.05), paired t-test showed that the effects of analgesia on the patients with lumbar disc hernia in the point-to-point needling group was better than that of perpendicular needling group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The point-to-point needling method can rapidly relieve patients’ lumbar disc hernia of pain, which is better than the perpendicular needling method.

3) Effects of auricular acupuncture on the memory and the expression of ChAT and GFAP in model rats with Alzheimer’s disease

Miao T, Jiang TS, Dong YH, Jiang NC. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2009 Oct;29(10):827-32.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of auricular acupuncture on the learning and memory abilities of model rats with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and investigate its mechanism. METHODS: Thirty SD rats were randomly divided into a control group, a model group and an auricular acupuncture group, 10 rats in each group. The learning and memory capabilities of the rats were assessed with Morris Water Maze behavioral test, and the expressions of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were examined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Comparing with the model group, the treated AD rats with auricular acupuncture was showed that the average escape latency was obviously shortened in the place navigation test (P<0.01), the movement time in plateform quadrant was obviously prolonged in the spatial probe test (P<0.05), and the number of traversing platform obviously increased (P<0.01) after the platform was taken away. The expression of ChAT increased in the hippocampus and cortex (P<0.01, P<0.05), but the expression of GFAP obviously decreased in the CA1 region of hippocampus (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Auricular acupuncture can improve the learning and memory capability of the model rats with AD. Its mechanism might be related with decreasing cholinergic neuron damage and reducing the abnormal activation and hyperplasia of astrocyte.

4) The effect of a new treatment based on somatosensory stimulation in a group of patients with somatically related tinnitus.

Latifpour DH, Grenner J, Sjödahl C. Int Tinnitus J. 2009;15(1):94-9.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a new treatment consisting of stretching, posture training, and auricular acupuncture immediately and at a 3-month follow-up. This method has not been tested previously. From an original pool of 41 potential subjects, we recruited 24 (12 men, 12 women; ages 18-70 years) into this study and divided them from a waiting list into either a treatment group or a control group. We measured mobility of neck and posture; measured severity of tinnitus by the Klockhoff test and the visual analog scale (VAS); and measured grade of anxiety and depression with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. We also used the Mann-Whitney U-test to determine statistical significance. The statistical analysis demonstrated a significant decrease of tinnitus in the treatment group as compared with the control group, according to the VAS before and after treatment (p < .001) and at follow-up after 3 months (p < .01). We also observed a significant decrease of tinnitus according to the Klockhoff test before and after treatment (p < .001) and at follow-up after 3 months (p < .01). Our study indicates that this method, based on somatosensory stimulation, may be a useful and alternative treatment of somatic tinnitus.

5) Randomized controlled study on ear-electroacupuncture treatment of endometriosis-induced dysmenorrhea in patients

Jin YB, Sun ZL, Jin HF. Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 2009 Jun;34(3):188-92.

METHODS: A total of 80 endometriosis patients were randomly and equally divided into ear-EA group and body-EA group. Dysmenorrhea severity score (DSS) was assessed and plasma prostaglandin (PGE2) and 6-Keto-PGF1alpha levels detected by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: Compared with pre-treatment, DSS lowered significantly during the 1st and 2nd menstrual cycle in body-EA group, and during the 1st, 2nd and 3rd menstruation in ear-EA group; and the DSS of ear-EA group during the 3rd menstruation was evidently lower than that of body-EA group (P < 0.05). During the 3rd menstrual onset after the treatment, plasma PGE2 contents in both groups decreased obviously (P < 0.01), and plasma 6-Keto-PGF1alpha, levels increased considerably in comparison with pre-treatment (P < 0.01). Comparison between two groups during the 3rd menstruation showed that plasma PGE2 level of ear-EA group was markedly lower than that of body-EA group, and 6-Keto-PGF1alpha, level of ear-EA group was significantly higher than that of body-EA group (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found between two groups in clinical therapeutic effect (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Both ear-EA and body-EA can effectively relieve endometriosis-induced dysmenorrhea, and the former is superior to the later in reducing pain severity, which may be closely related to their effects in reducing plasma PGE2 and raising 6-Keto-PGF1alpha level.

6) Auricular acupuncture as a treatment for pregnant women who have low back and posterior pelvic pain: a pilot study.

Wang SM, Dezinno P, Lin EC, Lin H, Yue JJ, Berman MR, Braveman F, Kain ZN. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2009 Sep;201(3):271.e1-9. Epub 2009 Jun 26.

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this study was to examine whether 1 week of continuous auricular acupuncture could reduce low back and posterior pelvic pain associated with pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial was conducted on pregnant women who have lower back and posterior pelvic pain. These women were randomly assigned into an acupuncture group, a sham acupuncture group, or a waiting list control group. All participants were monitored for 2 weeks. RESULTS: Baseline and day 7 showed significant group differences in pain (F = 15; P < .0001) and in the disability rating index score (F = 7; P < .0001). The participants in the acupuncture group reported a significant reduction of pain and improvement of functional status as compared with those in the sham acupuncture and control groups. CONCLUSION: One week of continuous auricular acupuncture decreases the pain and disability experienced by women with pregnancy-related low back and posterior pelvic pain.

7) The effect of auricular acupuncture in obese women: a randomized controlled trial.

Hsu CH, Wang CJ, Hwang KC, Lee TY, Chou P, Chang HH. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2009 Jun;18(6):813-8.

BACKGROUND: The aims of this randomized study are to examine the effect of auricular acupuncture on obese women and to explore the relationship between the effect of auricular acupuncture and obesity-related hormone peptides. METHODS: Forty-five of 60 obese women aged between 16 and 65 years with body mass index (BMI) >27 kg/m2 and who had not received any other weight control maneuvers within the last 3 months completed this study. The subjects were blinded and randomly divided into groups A and B. Group A (n = 23) received auricular acupuncture, and group B (n = 22) received sham auricular acupuncture using placebo needles, twice each week for 6 weeks. The subjects’ body weight (BW), BMI, waist circumference (WC), and obesity-related hormone peptides were measured at the beginning of the study and after 6 weeks of treatment. The data were compared and expressed as percent reductions. RESULTS: This study found no statistical difference in percent reduction in BW, BMI, and WC between the group receiving 6 weeks of auricular acupuncture treatment and the control group. After treatment, group A revealed a significant increase in ghrelin level and decrease in leptin level. On the other hand, group B, who received sham auricular acupuncture, showed no significant difference in ghrelin and leptin levels. CONCLUSIONS: This study found no statistical difference in percent reduction in BW, BMI, and WC between the two groups. No adverse effects of short-term auricular acupuncture treatment were seen in the study. Auricular acupuncture may have potential benefit on obesity-related hormone peptides.

Clinical observation on the treatment of post-cesarean hypogalactia by auricular points sticking-pressing.

Zhou HY, Li L, Li D, Li X, Meng HJ, Gao XM, Jiang HJ, Cao LR, Zhu YL. Chin J Integr Med. 2009 Apr;15(2):117-20.

METHODS: A randomized, controlled, single-blinded clinical trial on 116 patients with PCH was carried out. They were equally assigned to the treatment group and the control group. The treatment group received APSP, with the pellets pressed for 4 times daily, while the control group was only asked to do lactation to meet infant demand. The therapeutic efficacy and the changes in scores of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome, volume of milk secretion, supplementary feeding and serum level of prolactin (PRL) in the two groups were estimated and compared after the patients had been treated for 5 days. RESULTS: The cured and markedly effective rate in the treatment group was 89.7%, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (27.6%, P<0.05), 95% CI (0.1543, 0.2527). The improvement of TCM syndrome, elevation of milking volume, decrease of the supplementary feeding and increase of PRL level revealed in the treatment group were all superior to those in the control group, showing statistical significance (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: APSP shows an apparent efficacy in treating PCH and is worthy of application in clinical practice.

9) Effect of ear point combined therapy on plasma substance P in patients of no-aura migraine at different stages

Yang DH. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2009 Mar;29(3):189-91.

METHODS: Thirty cases of no-aura migraine at different stages were treated with ear point combined therapy, including blood-letting at the ear back, injection of auto-blood into Fengchi (GB 20), Yanglingquan (GB 34), and pricking at ear points Nie (AT2), Yidan (CO11), Shenmen (TF4), etc. Their clinical therapeutic effects were evaluated at the end of one therapeutic course, and substance P (SP) contents were detected before and after treatment. RESULTS: The clinical effective rate was 86.7%, and the effective rate was 87.5% at the attack stage and 86.4% at the remission stage with no significant difference between the attack stage and the remission stage (P>0.05); after treatment, SP content had significant change as compared with that before treatment (P<0.05, P<0.01), and there was very significant difference in SP content between the attack stage before treatment and the remission stage (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The ear point combined therapy can relieve pain possibly through decreasing plasma SP content, and the SP content possibly is one of main factors inducing migraine attack.

10) Auricular acupuncture: a novel treatment for vasomotor symptoms associated with luteinizing-hormone releasing hormone agonist treatment for prostate cancer.

Harding C, Harris A, Chadwick D. BJU Int. 2009 Jan;103(2):186-90. Epub 2008 Aug 14.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the role of auricular acupuncture (AA) in men receiving luteinizing-hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) analogues for carcinoma of the prostate, as vasomotor symptoms can affect the quality of life in such men, and similar symptoms in postmenopausal women have been successfully treated with AA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In all, 60 consecutive patients with prostate cancer and on LHRH agonist treatment (median age 74 years, range 58-83) consented to weekly AA for 10 weeks. The validated ‘Measure Yourself Concerns and Well-Being’ questionnaire (a six-point scale to assess symptom severity) was used to assess concerns and well-being before and after treatment. RESULTS: All men completed the treatment with no adverse events recorded, apart from transient exacerbation of symptoms in two men; 95% of patients reported a decrease in the severity of symptoms, from a mean 5.0 to 2.1 (Student’s t-test, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The symptomatic improvement was at levels comparable with that from pharmacotherapy, and cost analysis showed AA to be a viable alternative. Larger randomized studies are needed to fully evaluate AA against more conventional treatments, and these are planned.

Go to http://www.torquerelease.com.au/Auriculotherapy-Discount.htm to find out more about Auriculotherapy training…

One concept that is an absolute must-study for chiropractors is that of Tensegrity:

The word tensegrity (a contraction of tension and structural integrity) was coined by Buckminster Fuller (an American architect, author, designer, inventor, and futurist, born 1895, died 1983) in 1948 to describe a class of structures first invented by the artist Kenneth Snelson (a contemporary sculptor and photographer, born 1927). Snelson’s sculptures, which are often delicate in appearance, depend on the tension between rigid pipes and flexible cables. This is achieved through “a win-win combination of push and pull”.

Fuller’s most famous outcome of this model is the geodesic dome.

Where tensegrity provides a better framework for chiropractic than traditional biomechanics is by explaining why all living forms are structurally stable yet flexibly adaptive, yielding but with a great resistance to damage.

In other words human bodies at both macroscopic and microscopic levels don’t follow normal engineering, mechanical and architectural principles – they follow tensegrity principles.

According to Snelson, weaving is the mother of tensegrity: “Weaving and tensegrity share the same grounding principle of alternating helical directions; of left to right; of bypasses clockwise and counterclockwise.” Similarly living tissues whether talking muscle or connective tissue, or the microscopic structures that form cells, are woven together and not just cemented together at their ends and corners. It is this very principle that makes living tissue flexible while enormously resistant to compression and strain.

In a tensegrity sculpture, individual tension lines (strings, wires or rope) are attached to the ends of struts so that each assembly comprises a closed system of tension and compression parts. Each tension line connects individually to the ends of two separate struts and the lines are made taut so that they bind the struts, connecting them as a continuous tension network. The forces introduced by the tightening are permanently stored in the structure, a state known as prestressing. The solid components resist compression while the elastic components resist tension. Now visualise any joint in the human body and you can start to see that the bony struts don’t actually completely meet at their articulations but are prestressed by the surrounding ligamentous and connective tissues creating a naturally formed tensegrity sculpture.

Because all tension lines (string, wire, cable, ligament, tendon, muscle) have some degree of elastic stretch, tensegrity structures themselves are elastic and springy depending on the tightness of the prestressing and the characteristics of the tension material and the structure’s geometrical form. If you apply a compressive or distractive load the structure will yield and adapt – distort. But as soon as the external forces are removed the structure will spring back to its original state.

Now if we shrink our viewpoint to the microscopic cellular level then we similarly find that “living cells stabilize their internal cytoskeleton, and control their shape and mechanics, using a tensegrity architectural system.” (See Tensegrity in a Cell: Click Here… )

Ingber and colleagues have even approached questions relating to how mechanical distortion of the cell and cytoskeleton influence intracellular biochemistry and pattern formation, by combining the use of techniques from various fields, including molecular cell biology, mechanical engineering, physics, chemistry, and computer science. They have shown that contractile microfilaments in the cell’s molecular skeleton, or cytoskeleton, act like stretched rubber bands as they compress hollow cytoskeletal fibers called microtubules and pull on molecular pegs that anchor the cell to an underlying scaffold – the extracellular matrix. Moreover, they have found that physical distortion of the cell and cytoskeleton can alter cellular biochemistry and even gene expression.

Don’t skip over the last statement because if you read slowly you literally see a parallel for the chiropractic model for how mechanical dysfunction can lead to physiological malfunction and how correction of this might direct towards expression of maximum human potential!

In other words, trying to re-establish a physical view of biology, Ingber has shown that cells, far from being formless blobs, use tension to stabilize their structure. And he has demonstrated, through two decades of experiments, that tensegrity not only gives cells their shape, but helps regulate their biochemistry.

Ingber says that cells have “tone,” just like muscles, because of the constant pull of the cytoskeletal filaments. Much like a stretched violin string produces different sounds when force is applied at different points along its length, the cell processes chemical signals differently depending on how much it is distorted.

One of the most ignored models of vertebral subluxation is the tonal model but if you take the time to investigate this alternative biomechanical and neurological idea you see that the spine resembles a tensegrity model (Artists have recreated spinal columns and pelvic girdles with their sculptures). And that the biomechanics of the spine cannot be isolated to intervertebral movement and its influence on the intervertebral foramen at an isolated intersegmental level; but the spine and all of its surrounding soft tissues, including the meningeal and nervous tissues form a linked closed system where change in tension and distortion influence the entire functional unit and change the degree of tension in the spinal cord, thereby modulating tonal frequency in the central nervous system.

What this literally means is that a subluxation at one level influences the entire system: And from this point of view a subluxation, especially with meningeal attachments to the spinal cord has a global impact on the physiology of the nervous system.

To paraphrase Ingber the spinal cord processes chemical signals differently depending on how much it is distorted.

Torque Release Technique offers a practical application of this model and trains participants in how to detect the site of initiation of mechanical and hence tonal distortion in the spinal column – this is known as the primary subluxation. Contemplate the primary subluxation as the source of distorting force on the spinal tensegrity model which leads to maladjustment of the tonal frequencies of the neurospinal system - abnormal sensory perception and motor output being the outcome. But because distortion at one point creates distortion of the entire system, an advanced methodolgy is required to differentially diagnose the “epicentre” of the problem: This methodology is known as the protocol of Torque Release Technique.

No other chiropractic technique has offered a live, non-linear and non-invasive method to determine exactly where and how the human body wants to be adjusted. Hope to see you at our next training program – check out upcoming dates at http://www.torquerelease.com.au/TRT-Seminar.htm

Sources and Essential Reading:

The Architecture of Life. Donald Ingber. Scientific American. January 1998. Click Here…

The Mechanical Cell. Nancy Fliesler. Dream, The Magazine of Possibilities. Spring 2004. Click Here…

Tensegrity I. Cell structure and hierarchical systems biology. Donald Ingber. Journal of Cell Science. 2003. Click Here…

Tensegrity II. How structural networks influence cellular information processing networks. Donald Ingber. Journal of Cell Science. 2003.  Click Here…

The Geometry of Anatomy. The Bones of Tensegrity. Tom Flemons. Intension Designs. Click Here…

Weaving. Mother of Tensegrity. Kenneth Snelson. Click Here…

Holograms are quantum physics photographs – a different paradigm in recording and then projecting an image of a three dimensional object. Have you ever bought one while strolling around a Sunday morning community market? You look at it from any angle and you still see the 3D image. And here is another fact about holograms – if you were to break it in half you would still see the whole image on each of the broken fragments: This is because each fragment of the whole records enough information about the whole to be able to reproduce an image of it. Another way of considering this is that the whole is in the part – and the part can reproduce the whole.

Let’s take a closer look: A traditional photograph is stored dots with spatial relationship to each other – it is a linear analogue recording of the object being photographed. When you photograph the object the information is converted to dots which copy the colour and shade of each part of the object. The higher the resolution, the more the dots in a concentrated area, and hence the more detail the image will record. Now think of how your computer printer works – it sprays coloured dots onto a piece of paper based on this image recording to give you a reproduction of the object in 2-D. Now take pair of scissors and cut the paper in half – you’ll now be left with a top half and a bottom half of the image. Keep cutting into halves and you’ll end up with a jigsaw puzzle – small parts of  a photo that make no sense until they are all pieced back together again.

A holographic recording is very different – instead of recording dots, it records relationships. The reason you see an amazingly accurate copy of the object when looking at a holographic image is because the relationships of all the components of the object are three dimensional so the image looks 3-D. And if you break the holographic image into half – what’s left will still record those relationships, so that you will see what looks like the whole object. Each time you break the image into a smaller part you lose clarity because the amount of information that is stored about the relationships of the object diminishes, but you’ll still see the whole object in the image.

Now what has this got to do with Chiropractic? The “whole in every part” concept suggested by the holographic model should not be a difficult concept for the average Chiropractor. But next we need to look at what holographic modelling has to do with the brain – then we can make the jump to what we do in our offices all day every day.

As neuroscientists were studying how the brain functions they were repeatedly confronted by major problems: Where does a memory live was one of those big questions. In undergraduate studies we are taught about anatomical regions of the brain and we try to memorise the primary function of each one of these components. Problem is that it is actually not that simple even though it is a great way of writing really difficult exam papers.

As brain imaging advanced and researchers started to be able to observe which parts of the brain switch on when particular mental and physical functions are being performed it had to be concluded that memories are stored based on the relationships between different brain cells and centres that are activated when perceiving the experience – that is, memories are dispersed throughout the brain. Prior to this it was thought that the brain stored information in an analogue form – they just couldn’t find the part of the brain where the dots were stored.

In a series of landmark experiments in the 1920s, brain scientist Karl Lashley found that no matter what portion of a rat’s brain he removed he was unable to eradicate its memory of how to perform complex tasks it had learned prior to surgery. The only problem was that no one was able to come up with a mechanism that might explain this curious “whole in every part” nature of memory.

Then in the 1960s Karl Pribram encountered the concept of holography and realized he had found the explanation brain scientists had been looking for. Pribram believes memories are encoded not in neurons, or small groupings of neurons, but in patterns of nerve impulses that criss-cross the entire brain in the same way that patterns of laser light interference criss-cross the entire area of a piece of film containing a holographic image. In other words, Pribram believes the brain is itself a hologram.

And based on this breakthrough, it was recognised that the anatomical centres that had been suspected to be storage facilities, were actually processors that help to convert the perceptions of images into stored relational information and then back into being 3-D images that can be retrieved.

Pribram’s theory also explained how the brain can memorize something in the order of 10 billion bits of information during the average human lifetime (or roughly the same amount of information contained in five sets of the Encyclopaedia Britannica): Similarly, holograms possess an astounding capacity for information storage – simply by changing the angle at which the two lasers strike a piece of photographic film, it’s possible to record many different images on the same surface. It has been demonstrated that 1cm3 of film can hold as many as 10 billion bits of information.

This shift in understanding has even been taken to new heights with attempts to explain creative, intuitive, spiritual and even paranormal insight based on the idea that we as an individual are not as isolated as we might think and may be part of a bigger holographic picture – the universe: I’ll leave that for you to ponder with friends and a glass of good red in your hand, sitting on the side of a hill watching an awesome sunrise, or while meditating or worshipping however you do.

So let’s get closer to a Chiropractor in his or her practice, trying to help his or her practice members to enjoy a better quality of life. There in is the keyword – QUALITY. The quality of a holographic image is dependent on the quality of the information recorded – you have to have some pretty high-tech lasers and electronics to make a holographic image.

(A hologram is a three- dimensional photograph made with the aid of a laser. To make a hologram, the object to be photographed is first bathed in the light of a laser beam. Then a second laser beam is bounced off the reflected light of the first and the resulting interference pattern (the area where the two laser beams co-mingle) is captured on film. When the film is developed, it looks like a meaningless swirl of light and dark lines. But as soon as the developed film is illuminated by another laser beam, a three-dimensional image of the original object appears.)

In the human context the quality of your perceptions and hence all your choices that follow is dependent on your senses and the quality of the neurological connections that record and then access the stored relationships to result in pro-life choices much like a hologram.

According to Pribram, if you divide neural activity, you can divide it into propagative nerve impulses on the one hand, and then these slow potentials – hyperpolarizations, steep polarizations – that don’t go anywhere. And they form this holographic-like pattern, and it’s those that he feels are what we experience as images. DD Palmer described these polarizations as the “Mental Impulse” and this pattern as “TONE”.

The term which is most apt to connect the concept of holographic brain modelling and the chiropractic concept of subluxation is dysafferentation. Increasing numbers of research papers and intellectual commentaries are discussing how a subluxation interferes with the body’s proprioceptive awareness: And if you mess with the input, you mess with the output – “junk in – junk out”.

Another way of looking at this is that a Subluxation is like a missing piece of the hologram – the whole body picture remains, BUT, the quality of the image will be diminished – reduced quality of life!

Let’s consider this in the light of what we look at every day – posture. When you look at someone’s posture you are seeing so much more than head, shoulder and pelvis levels, forward head posture, forward pelvic tilt, and abnormal spinal curves – you are seeing a holographic projection of that person’s image of themselves. Let me say that in another way – when you observe posture you are reading that person’s language of how they see themselves – their body language – and what you see is a holographic projection from their nervous system.

I like to stretch Chiropractors perception of what they see and do and one concept that I often discuss is that posture is not body part alignment – it is the representation of a person’s ability to perceive and position their body parts in space. This depends on excellent kinaesthetic awareness and accurate somatic coordination – these are neurological phenomena, not mechanical functions.

The way I describe this to my practice members is I show them a digital photos of themselves standing, along with objective measurements of their body alignment and ask them what they see. People are not silly, and they nearly always notice their head and neck alignment and the belly that results from their pelvic distortion. I then ask them why they think they are carrying their head around like that! While some will come up with lame excuses like, “I wasn’t ready to have my picture taken, take it again and I’m sure I’ll look better” (they never do – I’ve done it), or “I wasn’t feeling too good that day, I’m feeling better today so I’m sure it will be fine now” (it never is), most on the other hand shrug their shoulders and ask me to explain: I then ask them that if they could feel that their head and pelvis were that far out of alignment do they think that they could attempt to self-correct and they all agree that they could. And that is the answer – the reason their head and pelvis and whatever else is so far away from gravitational efficiency is because they don’t know! Their holographic image of themselves is so distorted the image that they present to the world around them is distorted.

Similarly when your practice member is lying prone on your adjusting bench and you attempt to centre their torso and legs on the bench, how often do they say to you; “now I feel crooked”. But you know and can see that they are now centred – their original position was the crooked one. Again the relationship between their perception of their body alignment and the expression of their body alignment is disconnected – dysafferentation due to Subluxation has led them to express a distorted self-image – a dysfunctional holographic image.

When teaching Torque Release Technique we discuss the fourteen indicators of Subluxation, one of these being postural assessment. We break postural assessment into three types: standing, sitting and prone – each being a separate and distinct neurological projection from within. And we translate this language to assist the Chiropractor to interpret what Subluxation patterns may be underlying. A better understanding of posture acts as a great objective outcome tool, helps to make the Chiropractor’s clinical decision more intuitive and precise, and impresses practice members enormously when they see how differently they look with improved posture.

AND, if you understand and communicate the deeper neurological dimensions of posture and all the other indicators that you observe, you can shift your practice members away from pain and suffering, towards a more vitalistic and wellness focussed outlook and behaviours.

But from an even bigger picture – if you improve the holographic photo that someone is taking of themselves every second of their life, you can enormously alter and improve the holographic image that they present to the world and based on the holographic model this will impact the self image and behaviour of every cell in the human body – and perhaps even the universe around them – now that sounds like a truly BIG IDEA!

To find out more about Torque Release Technique Training and to take advantage of great online savings go to this link: www.torquerelease.com.au/Torque-Release-Discount.htm

© 2010, Dr Nick Hodgson, 2005 Victorian Chiropractor of the Year

But maybe we too need a paradigm shift? Let’s take a look at the shift that occurred in Physics as a metaphor or simile to the paradigm shift that the chiropractic profession needs to make if it is to climb up to its perceived position of superiority on the wellness ladder.

Newtonian Physics was man’s logical attempts to make the universe fit into his objective and mechanistic model of how the world works: Based on the observation that big complex things are made up of lots of little simple things that combine numerically to produce basically a big machine with small moving parts. And as this domineering science invented lots of really cool machines based on this principle, and as they discovered smaller and smaller components that appeared to follow the same principles, the belief system was self-justified.

Within this model matter was made up of particles which behaved in predictable ways, while energy was seen as a separate and distinct component of nature, and this consisted of wave forms: Substances whether organic or inorganic are composed of atoms which are themselves made from smaller particles of electrons, protons and neutrons; while energy forms like light and sound are produced by different spectrums for vibratory frequencies.

But there came a point along the Newtonian quest to find the smallest particle and to better understand more about how these particles behave where this separation started to dissolve. As Physicists studied the behaviour of electrons in different environments they found that sometimes electrons behaved like particles and sometimes they behaved like energy!

This lead to enormous friction within the scientific community and pushed supposedly intelligent men to the point of irrational argument, name calling and sledging. Till finally one man, a school dropout came up with a formula that made sense of it all: E = MC2. That man was Einstein and while the understanding and the application of this seemingly simple formula has progressed with succeeding physicists, they themselves cite this “shift” as the pivotal breakthrough.

Most people can quote the E = MC2 formula as belonging to that cute and cheeky looking silver haired king of the geeks. Many can even translate it as energy equals mass multiplied by the speed of light squared. But let’s take a closer look at what this really means? Let’s forget the constant in the formula for a moment – take out the C2 and you are left with E = M! That’s the breakthrough people – energy and matter are actually different manifestations of the same thing. In other words matter is just stored energy, and energy is matter in its higher forms of existence.

We can see this transition in its simpler forms when we do our most basic high school chemistry experiments of heating ice, which becomes water, which becomes steam – they are all still water, but at different states of their energetic existence. But E = MC2 is a much bigger picture than this.

Many modern physicists are still more comfortable referring to matter and energy as almost distinct phenomena, and take solace in the fact that it takes the speed of light squared to make the change between being in a matter state versus being in an energetic state. The speed of light is basically the biggest number scientists can think of, so they argue the formula is saying that it takes something huge to shift energy into becoming matter.

Einstein actually originally proposed the formula as M = E/C2 – that matter was really just another form of energy. And this is what quantum physics is really all about – that matter is really just what we observe when energy is being pooled or stored – but it is really still just energy!

So this is where quantum physics and chiropractic could meet – if chiropractic is ready to make the same paradigm shift. I believe that some of the earlier chiropractic philosophers made this shift at about the same time as the physicists did. But unlike the Physics profession that got to the point of accepting the new idea, the chiropractic profession successfully suppressed and circumvented the shift.

RW Stephenson authored the 33 principles in 1927, and this could perhaps be the analogous shift in understanding the human state as E = MC2. Stephenson talks of the three components of our formula as force, matter and intelligence: This is the chiropractic equivalent of E = MC2! Force equals energy, matter equals mass, and intelligence is the hugest constant that we can possibly think of. Maybe our formula could read as F = MI2.

So why am I saying that the chiropractic profession missed this shift? Firstly the self-proclaimed intelligentsia and political leadership have quite successfully removed the constant from the formula. It has been successfully argued that intelligence is not required to practice chiropractic! And what I really mean by this is that concepts such as innate intelligence and the mental impulse have been denigrated as being pseudo-religious nonsense. When in fact intelligence is the missing piece that makes matter possible!

Secondly chiropractic has been successfully reduced to matter therapy – bones, muscles, ligaments, alignment and manipulation. It is becoming rare to see any reference to the nervous system when reading articles written by chiropractic publishers – but the nervous system connection is the connection between our matter and our force – our energy. And this capability is the ultimate representation of intelligence.

Hence, the current chiropractic formula looks more like “M = M”…

I was listening to one quantum physicist speak and he made the statement that the only place we really see Quantum Physics at work is in space. And then I had the revelation that he was SO WRONG. You see, most living biological organisms are classic examples of quantum converters. And the human being is the best example of a system that is able to use intelligence to continuously convert matter to energy, and energy to matter!

Now let’s get back to the paradigm shift that could happen, which would position chiropractic as the quantum shift in the healing arts: If matter is energy in a different state, then a subluxation is a person’s matter in a different energetic state. In other words a subluxation is not a physical state, it is an energetic state – it has less to do with what the particles of the body are up to, and more to do with what the wave forms of the body are up to.

Wave forms in the human body are represented by frequencies, so a Subluxation could be defined as an abnormal frequency pattern. There appears to be a movement in the chiropractic profession that dislikes the term subluxation because of its medical definition – “less than a dislocation”, which has obvious shortcomings as a clinical description, and at the same time they dislike what they see as almost esoteric connotations of the word to Chiropractors. The problem that results though – is that the offered alternative terms are almost universally less encompassing and in the context of this discussion grossly inadequate: spinal joint dysfunction, biomechanical lesion, mechanical back pain.

So let’s take a fresh look at the word subluxation:

• Sub = Below; under; beneath; less than completely or normally.
• Lux = A basic unit of illumination
• Ation = The act of; the condition of being; the result of

So why couldn’t we redefine the term Subluxation as something like “the condition of less than normal energy transmission”. If you wish to be more philosophically correct you might adapt this to “less than normal intelligence transmission” (Intelligence being the chiropractic equivalent to light).

If we can grow up enough to jettison the Newtonian model of subluxation description, and accept that Quantum Physics has filled the knowledge void, and that our definitions of chiropractic must evolve to a similar level, then we might even find that chiropractic makes more than a paradigm shift – it could make a quantum leap into the hearts, minds and bodies of the community.

How? If Chiropractic persists with its Newtonian descriptions of what it is about then it will continue to receive a Newtonian response from the public – “spine doctor”, “back cracker”, “bone cruncher”. But if the profession shifts to the quantum model, and effectively communicates this shift, then the connection between what we do and the nervous system is completed, the relationship between an adjustment and someone’s quality of life is restored, and the explanations of how chiropractic relates to issues like emotions, human potential and wellness become logical.

Torque Release Technique training provides you with the Science, Art and Philiosophy of how to make this Quantum Leap: Check it out at this link: http://www.torquerelease.com.au/TRT-Seminar.htm

And that encounter can look quite different between practitioners. For example, it’s Monday morning and the first patient for the day is waiting, eagerly anticipating that they will be feeling “better” after their adjustment: Here are some possible generic scenarios:

1) The Chiropractor goes through their standard procedure of adjusting both sides of the neck, thrusts on a few thoracics, then rolls the patient onto both sides to loosen up the low Back.

2) The Chiropractor checks their notes from the last progress exam to see which segments had been determined to be needing adjustment for the next course of corrections, and then follows that recipe.

3) The Chiropractor palpates down the spine to find tight and tender points then proceeds to manipulate those symptomatic areas to improve the mechanical function of the spinal joints.

4) The Chiropractor uses some form of orthopaedic or neurological examination which can lead them to adjust anywhere between 6 and 12 subluxations on any given visit.

But there are some inherent weaknesses in the above approaches which must be reconciled if our goal is truly to deliver adjustments with that something extra:

1) If we don’t have a method to prioritise where someone really needs to be adjusted then should we call ourselves practitioners or technicians? One root of burnout is boredom: When every spine starts to look the same and when we start to diminish the value of each adjustment, then our sense of importance and passion also diminishes.

2) If we believe that adjustments initiate change, then shouldn’t the adjustments need to change through time? If a person’s spine and nervous system is healing, adapting and even evolving under our care, then why would today’s adjustment be the same as last month’s adjustment? And if someone’s life circumstances have altered since they started care, wouldn’t the pattern of Subluxation change to reflect this, and last week’s adjustment would now be inappropriate?

3) Chiropractors have long made the claim to be treating the cause. But if we treat based on symptoms, whether pain or tenderness, then don’t we make a mockery of this claim? If we claim to be removing interference from the nervous system, then shouldn’t we have some means of determining where that interference is, and how best to reduce that interference?

4) Most chiropractic techniques have talked about concepts such as primary and secondary subluxations, compensations, referral, distant effects from local interference, reflex projection. In other words not all Subluxations are created equal, and not all Subluxations need to be adjusted on every visit, because adjusting the “primary” subluxation will influence and reduce the connected secondary and compensatory malfunction. If we don’t have a method to differentiate between these types of Subluxations then won’t we be wasting some of our precious time?

Now consider a fifth option: On any given day, at the very moment that you are examining a spine, depending on the most recent physical, chemical and emotional stresses to your practice member’s nervous system, and superimposed over the long term accumulation of tension in their spinal system – there is one predominating subluxation, which if adjusted will produce bigger neurological changes than adjusting any other segment in the spine at that time. You would want to know how to differentially diagnose that segment wouldn’t you?

Watch Short Video Explaining The Concept of Primary Subluxations…

(If you can’t view this video try this link: http://www.screencast.com/t/YjliZjgwN )

This model has been developed during the research method design for a ground breaking, randomised, placebo controlled, prospective scientific project run in conjunction between Holder Research Institute, Turning Point Addiction Recovery facility, and the University of Miami School of Medicine’s famous Biostatistician Bob Duncan. This technique is today called Torque Release Technique and has been published in major journals such as Molecular Psychiatry, the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, and Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, as well as being featured on the Discovery Health Channel.

Thankfully modern chiropractic can stand on the shoulders of its technique pioneering giants: Palmer, Thompson, DeJarnette, Van Rumpt, Logan, Toftness and more contemporary ground breakers like Epstein; and the development of TRT saw the best of the best being integrated to produce an amazingly streamlined and efficient means of determining which segment of the spine needs to be adjusted, with precise correctional vectors, and to confirm the success of a single adjustment or plot the objective improvement in indicators of subluxation through time.

Another gift from the research project was the Integrator – the first chiropractic instrument to be specifically designed and patented for the correction of Subluxations. What makes the Integrator stand alone is its ability to deliver a three-dimensional correction which includes all of the defining features of a Toggle Recoil adjustment – high speed, recoil, and torque. Plus it offers a feature that takes reproducibility and reliability to new levels – a preloading trigger that means that every adjustment delivers just the right amount of force and frequency.

Because of these breakthroughs TRT developed the reputation for being the twenty first century technique for Chiropractors to shift their practice model away from a mechanical and orthopaedic paradigm, towards a neurological and tonal application of our wonderful vitalistic philosophy.

And the consistent feedback from the hundreds of Chiropractors who have now completed TRT training is that it provides that missing piece in the technique puzzle – how to provide an adjustment which responds to the current physiological needs of the practice members’ nervous system, and how to generate big changes in state of wellbeing on each and every adjustment – physical, chemical and emotional.

2010 sees TRT in its 8th year of training Australian Chiropractors with Dr Nick Hodgson offering training programs in varied locations each year. Nick has organised numerous TRT training programs, has been personally mentored by the developer of TRT, Dr Jay Holder, and is one of Australia’s most experienced practitioners.

Click Here To See Upcoming Dates and Locations…

As we drove towards Whittlesea you could see the hills ahead as a dark grey backdrop, as opposed to the usual lovely Eucalypt-green-blue hue, with small smoke clouds still being visible in small sections of the forest. Having been a visitor on many occasions to this region while visiting close friends in Kinglake West, traffic was noticeably heavier than usual, and the township of Whittlesea resembled a country carnival. As you enter Whittlesea the cemetery looms on the left, and a large collection of dark suited people were paying respects at a memorial service – some people will be visiting that place regularly over the ensuing weeks.

Turning into the town centre you pass some opportunity shops which now have crowds of people outside and inside collecting what necessities they lack – noticeable were the piles of filled plastic bags, boxes and clothing seemingly spilling out the fronts and sides of these tin buildings – much has been given – maybe even to excess? We proceeded to the community centre where we were halted, questioned and then directed to the tent where Chiropractors were working. The whole area was a hive of activity with numerous services and food vans which refuse to take money for their produce, even when you offered it.

It seemed difficult to differentiate volunteers from victims; some had official aid clothing, while others were wearing texta-drawn bibs offering “free hugs”; everyone you walked past said hello and either asked if they could help you or thanked you for being there.

It was a cool and windy day, starkly contrasted to the soaring thermostat of a few days before, but we worked in an open tent regardless, and adjusted anyone who approached us, even some of the ones that mistook our “Telstra” tent for a place to recharge their mobile phone. I would have liked to adjust everyone that passed us that day, but I had the recurring feeling that many were embarrassed by the amount of care and aid that was available, and seemed reluctant to partake of what could have been freely theirs.

As a chiropractor we not only hear what ails our patients, we also feel what emotion is being stowed in their bodies as we palpate and adjust them, and I felt bodies which were in states of shock, defence, confusion and internalisation. The recurring response to the adjustment was “can I stay there”, as they arose with blurry, relaxed but tired eyes. I’ve worked in a few scenarios now, where the people I adjust are facing severe hardship and crisis and I must share that the Chiropractic adjustment is a wonderful gift to be able to impart – its ability to reduce tension and to somehow impart hope has a powerful effect on people in desperate need.

I couldn’t help think that perhaps reality has not yet completely set in to this community – how can someone grieve over so many things all at once, and at the same time contemplate where they are going to live over the next months, how are they going to earn a living, how do they help their kids understand death and lack, and how do they prepare their lifestyle to somehow avoid this same scenario?

And as we drove out of that pained town, on our way to spend some time with our close friends who had lost their home, business and two immediate family members, it was difficult to think of what could be next for all these displaced people: We could only pray that the wave of humanity will continue and that we will be caring for these people until they have homes and the beginnings of new life and regrowth in their hearts, as this same process of regeneration inevitably unfolds in the natural environs where they live.

My name’s Nick Hodgson and I face all the same struggles that you do in private practice. I’ve started two practices from scratch, bought and managed a successful practice for eighteen years, employed and mentored associates. And at the same time I have organised countless training programs featuring some of the world’s top chiropractic presenters, culminating in my being awarded the Victorian Chiropractor of the Year in 2005, for contributions to the profession. More recently I have been honoured to be the Australasian Training Provider for Torque Release Technique and would like to invite you to join me at one of our programs this year.

TRT is the first chiropractic technique developed through a scientific research project, published in major medical journals, and then featured on the Discovery Health Channel. But the real benefit occurred when TRT escaped the peer reviewed journals and entered the average chiropractic practice. The overwhelming conclusion has been that TRT is the 21^st century upgrade that improves a chiropractor’s life without compromising clinical results or ethics.

You see it has answered the two biggest chiropractic questions: “How do you offer your patients the best possible improvements in their health and quality of life, AND AT THE SAME TIME minimise the amount of work that you have to do to achieve these great results?”

Solving these two dilemmas resolves all stressors in the life of a Chiropractor: If your patients get great results, they get excited and they refer and spread the word, and they comply with your recommendations, because they are impressed. And if you get great results with the minimum of effort then you can either make more money by seeing more people, and/or you can spend less time in your rooms and more time on your lifestyle.

But don’t just listen to me: Here’s a sample of some Chiropractors’ personal experiences…

“I have been amazed at the results I’ve been getting out of this process. I would never have believed this to be possible with such a simple technique.” AC, South Africa

“Certainly this technique changed my life… has really helped me finally understand what Chiropractic is and man was I wrong.” CS, USA

“With your help I am able to make a very smooth transition from a pain practice to a wellness practice. ” TG, USA

“It was the best conference and technique seminar I have ever been to. It provided me with some very timely answers to a lot of questions that had been coming up for me, especially about knowing that Chiropractic and being a Chiropractor is truly what I am here for, but being endlessly frustrated by it (me) just not working the best I knew it (I) could. That was until I learnt about primary subluxations and non-linear adjusting.” JR, Australia

“I have found TRT to be the first technique to be superior to what I have done in the last twenty seven years… I have seen intriguing and wonderful results with TRT.” PR, Australia.

It’s so rewarding to get lots of this feedback after every training program…

And the huge advantage of TRT training is that what you learn can be implemented in any style of chiropractic practice:

You love to manually adjust? TRT will show you how to get bigger changes by adjusting less segments – the ones that really need it: You’ll become more specific, more precise and more confident with your adjustments.

Looking for a low-force alternative? We’ll introduce you to the Integrator, the adjusting instrument which was purpose designed, built and patented to correct subluxations. Not like those instruments which are adapted medical instruments. The Integrator offers pre-loading trigger, incredibly high speed, recoil and torque to produce a three dimensional adjustment which has been measured to produce big shifts in state of wellbeing.

See yourself as more of a craftsman than a technician? You will love the fourteen diagnostic indicators of subluxation, and the precise differential diagnosis system to identify the Primary Subluxation at any moment in time, with built in safe guards and review methods to track the response to each and all of your adjustments.

Prefer High Volume? With the assessment and adjusting system you take back to your office, you will be stunned with how quickly you can deliver a magical adjustment. No matter how many patients you currently see – you will be able to see more in less time.

Believe that Chiropractic is more about the nervous system than the musculoskeletal system? Then you need an assessment and adjusting system that breaks out of the mechanistic orthopaedic mould.

You have a Wellness focus? Then you’ll need an approach which breaks out of the mechanistic back pain model and into a neurological state of wellbeing model – TRT offers a unique selling proposition which has the ability to improve quality of life.

You like to be on the cutting edge? TRT has a pedigree of research and development and the next few years promise some revolutionary upgrades to what is already one of the most exciting breakthroughs in chiropractic’s history.

You’re committed to excellence? You see profits and patient numbers as secondary to the quality of the service that you provide, and you are more interested in the product than the profit: TRT is definitely for you as there are no hard sales techniques attached – it’s less about convincing patients that they have to see you forever; and more about providing such great results that they tell you they’ll be seeing you forever.

What’s involved with TRT Training?

ü  A two-day intensive highly interactive training program

ü  Plenty of hands on demonstration and workshop so that you are ready to use what you have learnt

ü  Training manual included with your registration

ü  Tea breaks and lunches catered for inclusive

ü  Free email support following the program to answer any questions

ü  Regular email newsletters and practice tips

ü  Follow-up advanced hands on training opportunities to further your technical mastery

ü  Access to online and phone referrals from the numerous enquiries we get for TRT practitioners

How can you register?

1.      Use our online registration gateway which connects into the international safe and secure PayPal shopping cart. You can pay with your PayPal funds or use your credit card in the safest possible payment gateway

Click Here To Register Online…

2.      Download a registration form and pay us by cheque or electronic transfer

Click Here To Download A Registration Form…

3.      Call us and register over the phone

Call 0419 104 076 (ISD 61 419 104 076)

What happens after you register?

1.      Upon completion of your registration we will mail your invoice with some free preliminary resources

2.      Your training manual will be given to you at the training program

3.      Equipment and resources will be available for purchase at discounted rates at the program

4.      Notify us of any special dietary needs at least one week prior to the event so we can cater

5.   If you are unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances make sure you give us at least 72 hours notice prior to commencement of program

Relevant articles in English were retrieved through a search of MEDLINE and the Index to Chiropractic Literature. Key search terms included: chiropractic, immune system, nervous system, sympathetic nervous system.

The paper concluded that there appears to be numerous modes of communication between the nervous system and the immune system. It also appears, not only in theory but in practice, that chiropractic adjustments may have a beneficial effect on the functioning of both the nervous and the immune system.

For many years chiropractors have claimed that spinal adjustments can help improve the overall health of an individual. There is a growing body of scientific research to support this contention.

Click Here To Read More At The Journal Of Vertebral Subluxation Research…

Tests were performed on the patients by an independent medical center. The CD4 counts in the regular group were dramatically increased over the counts of the control group. A 48% increase in CD4 cells was demonstrated over the six month duration of the study for the adjusted group.

This paper analyses the efficacy of upper cervical chiropractic care for HIV positive patients.

A small randomised, controlled clinical trial was carried out on two patient groups, each with 5 patients. The regular adjusted group was given upper cervical adjustments to the atlas using the Laney instrument, and for the control group a placebo adjustment was carried out by placing the stylus on the patients’ mastoid process with the instrument emitting no force.

The results are quite remarkable. In summary, the control group experienced a 7.96% decrease in CD4 cell levels and the adjusted group experienced a 48% increase in CD4 cell levels. It would be desirable to carry out follow up studies with far larger groups in an attempt to establish both a link between the nervous system, immune system and upper cervical region.

Click On This Link To Read More About This Research At Upper Cervical Spine…

Super Healthy Tip…

I have seen a diverse number of research papers and case studies over the years which consistently illustrate improvements in immune function when chiropractic adjustments are received. My fairly black and white brain looks at it this way – chiropractic adjustments kick start the immune system. In my own practice if someone rings to cancel their appointment because they’ve “got the flu” – we try to insist that they keep their appointment – and repeatedly we have seen much quicker recoveries in the people who keep their appointments, than the ones who we are still ringing two weeks later to see if they are up to an appointment yet.

But how can this be – someone adjusting your spinal column – improving your immunity?

Consider the following:

1. Your spinal column houses your central nervous system
2. Direct nerve connections to immune system tissues have now been isolated
3. Many of the chemicals of communication found in rich deposits in the spinal cord, have receptor sites on many of the types of white blood cells – so even without direct nerve connections there must be a chemical communication process between the two systems
4. The key to a healthy immune response is dependent on the recognition and reaction to invading microbes – not only do the white blood cells that encounter a microbe need to know about it – they need to tell all the other white blood cells too – this needs a fully functional communication network – we know this as the nervous system
5. Malfunction in the spinal column could interfere with this communication network, and correction of this malfunction would therefore restore the network

Ground-breaking research has, for the first time, identified the actual changes that occur in the body, the nervous system and the brain during chiropractic spinal adjustments.

The study was conducted by award-winning Auckland researcher, Dr Heidi Haavik-Taylor. It demonstrates that chiropractic care sends signals to the brain that change the way the brain controls muscles.

“The process of a spinal adjustment is like rebooting a computer. The signals that these adjustments send to the brain, via the nervous system, reset muscle behavior patterns,” said Dr Haavik-Taylor.

“By stimulating the nervous system we can improve the function of the whole body. This is something that chiropractors and their patients have known for years; and now we have some scientific evidence to prove it.”

Dr Haavik-Taylor has spent the last seven years researching the effects of chiropractic adjustments on the nervous system. However, in her latest research, carried out in conjunction with fellow New Zealander, Dr Bernadette Murphy, she was able to measure how brain waves are altered before and after spinal adjustments.

“This is the first time that anyone has used EEGs to prove that there are definite changes to the way the brain processes information after chiropractic care.”

Click Here To Read More At Scoop…

SUPER HEALTHY TIP… 

The statement that this is the first time Chiropractic has been studied using EEG is not entirely correct. Other investigators have shown that chiropractic adjustments change EEG patterns…

There is a growing body of scientific evidence that shows that chiropractic adjustments influence brain activity. How can that be? Someone “cracking” your back changing what is happening in your skull? Consider the following:

1) The spine houses the spinal cord - modern thinking sees this as being a component of the brain - maybe even the home of the subconscious mind.

2) Most chiropractors use modern, precise and gentle adjusting methods which go way beyond someone randomly twisting your spinal column to stretch joints open - the primary focus of “good” chiropractic is to detect the source of neurological dysfunction in the spine and to correct the function in this area.

Recently while training a group of Chiropractors in Johannesburg, we had a visiting PhD psychologist who specialises in brain EEG mapping do some testing before and after adjustments; and we consistently saw a “shift” in brain activity - on each occasion towards a more balanced, relaxed and focussed electrical state.

This may explain why so many people get up off a chiropractic table and the day seems brighter, their body feels looser and they experience increased feelings of wellbeing.

Healthier spine? Healthier Brain…