CHIROPRACTIC EXCELLENCE

The key question when contemplating the clinical usefulness of Auriculotherapy is does it change internal physiology and chemistry? The model of Auriculotherapy is of a microsystem – that reflex points on the ear correspond with anatomical or functional parts of the body, and that stimulating particular points will result in predictable internal changes. Below is a summary based on a PubMed search using only the term Auriculotherapy and including only studies from 2009 and 2010. You can read the abstracts for yourself but let’s first summarise the physiological changes documented:

• 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…

The researchers sought to demonstrate that upper cervical specific adjustments would have a positive effect on the physiology, serology and immunology of HIV positive individuals.

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

Below is a selection of excerpts from research documenting improvements in hearing following Chiropractic Care…

Can You Hear Me Now?

Hearing loss is more than just a pain in the neck; it’s a brain thing too.

If you can’t turn up the volume on your television without waking the neighbors, consider a visit to your local chiropractor. Research suggests that mild to moderate hearing loss can be improved or restored by a single chiropractic visit. According to a study published in the journal Chiropractic & Osteopathy, 15 patients who had been diagnosed with significant hearing loss volunteered for a routine spinal adjustment. Of the 15, 6 had their hearing restored completely, 7 showed improvement, and 2 did not change.

According to Joseph Di Duro, a researcher and chiropractic neurologist at Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research in Davenport, Iowa, the biggest improvements occurred where patients needed it most – in the quieter decibel levels in everyday conversations. A year later, the researchers followed up on 3 of the study participants – all showed their hearing had remained improved and intact…

Regular visitors to the chiropractic table might be surprised to learn that the first adjustment given in 1895 wasn’t for back pain at all. It instead cured the patient’s deafness on the spot.

In another more recent case, a 36-year-old soccer player, who slammed the ball with his head and suffering severe hearing loss, had his hearing restored after a few adjustments to his spine and neck. Di Duro has been studying this intricate relationship between the nervous system, the brain, and the body…

Di Duro’s theory is based on findings from chiropractic neurology. Experts speculate that spinal manipulations spark a response back to a muscle, a joint, or the periphery, and into the central nervous system where it affects a wide range of neurological problems, including hearing deficits. Chiropractic neurology patients have reported relief from vertigo, learning disorders, pain, hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, and other problems…

Click Here To Read More…

Hearing Loss, Otalgia and Neck Pain: A Case Report on Long-Term Chiropractic Care That Helped to Improve Quality of Life

Chiropractic Journal of Australia 2002 (Dec); 32 (4): 119-130

Observation over an extended period assists in understanding the progression of chronic disorders. This patient experienced substantially reduced symptoms with chiropractic care during the 7-year observation period. Of note is the repeated exacerbation of neck pain that often precedes exacerbation in ear symptoms, along with the relief of both following adjustment and an association between improved hearing and improved cervical alignment.

Vertebrogenic Hearing Deficit, the Spine, and Spinal Manipulation Therapy (SMT): A Search to Validate the D.D. Palmer/Harvey Lillard Experience

The claim that hearing can be improved following SMT has been scoffed at as physiologically impossible, but a review of the medical and chiropractic literature suggests that hearing deficits may be associated with spinal joint motion restriction, spondyloarthrosis, irritation of the sympathetic nervous system, decreased cervico-cerebral circulation and/or decrease in tinnitus.

Click Here To Read More…

Chiropractic Care of a Patient with Temporomandibular Disorder and Atlas Subluxation

A 41-year-old woman had bilateral ear pain, tinnitus, vertigo, altered or decreased hearing acuity, and headaches. She had a history of ear infections, which had been treated with prescription antibiotics. Her complaints were attributed to a diagnosis of temporomandibular joint syndrome and had been treated unsuccessfully by a medical doctor and dentist. High-velocity, low-amplitude adjustments were applied to findings of atlas subluxation. The patient’s symptoms improved and eventually resolved after 9 visits.

Click Here To Read More…

Vertigo, Tinnitus, and Hearing Loss in the Geriatric Patient

A 75-year-old woman with a longstanding history of vertigo, tinnitus, and hearing loss experienced an intensified progression of these symptoms 5 weeks before seeking chiropractic care. The patient received upper cervical-specific chiropractic care. Through the course of care, the patient’s symptoms were alleviated, structural and functional improvements were evident through radiographic examination, and audiologic function improved. The clinical progress documented in this report suggests that upper cervical manipulation may benefit patients who have tinnitus and hearing loss.

Cervicogenic Hearing Loss

Findings in 62 patients suffering from vertebragenic hearing disorders are reported before and after chiropractic management. Results indicate that these hearing disorders are reversible, as demonstrated by audiometry and OAE. The therapy of choice is chiropractic manipulation of the upper cervical spine. The commoness of vertebragenic hearing disorders emphasizes their clinical and forensic importance.

Click Here To Read More…

Hearing Improved With Chiropractic - Case Series

The study is significant as it looked for a scientific basis for the story behind the first chiropractic adjustment. In 1895, in Davenport Iowa, Dr. DD Palmer, a self taught healer, encountered a janitor, Harvey Lillard who was working in the building that housed the office of Dr. Palmer.  As history records, Harvey had lost most of his hearing 17 years earlier while working and bending.

Although accounts vary, it is accepted that Dr. Palmer examined Harvey and determined that a bone in his spine was out of place. He concluded that this spinal misalignment was the cause of the hearing loss that Harvey was experiencing. Dr. Palmer then proceeded to give Harvey the first intentional and purposeful chiropractic adjustment. The result was that Harvey’s hearing was restored.

In this series case study, fifteen people with various degrees of hearing loss were tested for certain frequencies to establish their degree of hearing loss. These subjects were then given only a single chiropractic adjustment and subsequently re-tested for any changes in hearing.

After just one adjustment most of the participants experienced significant hearing improvement at various tone levels. Using a standardized testing process known as the Ventry & Weinstein criteria, improvement was shown at various levels of hearing. At 40dB,  6 subjects had hearing restored, 7 subjects improved and 2 had no change. At 25dB using the Speech-frequency criteria, none of the subjects were totally restored, however, 11 had showed improvement, while 4 had no change and 3 missed a tone.

The results of this limited study add further credibility to the story of the first chiropractic adjustment. The researchers concluded, “The observations documented in this case series provide limited support to previous works indicating that, when hearing is tested immediately after a single chiropractic adjusting visit, hearing may be improved in both ears.”

Click Here To Read More…

Click Here To Read The Full Paper…

The first chiropractic adjustment given in 1895 was reported to have cured deafness. A new research study examined the effects of a single, initial chiropractic visit on the central nervous system by documenting clinical changes of audiometry in patients after chiropractic care.

Fifteen patients were thoroughly assessed with audiometry, before and immediately after the first chiropractic intervention. Several criteria were used to determine hearing impairment. All patients were classified as hearing impaired though greater on the right.

At 40 dB six had hearing restored, seven improved and only two had no change. At 25 dB using the Speech-frequency criteria, none were restored, eleven improved, four had no change and three missed a tone.

A significant percentage of patients presenting to the chiropractor have a mild to moderate hearing loss, most notably in the right ear. The clinical progress documented in this report suggests that manipulation delivered to the neuromusculoskeletal system may create central plastic changes in the auditory system leading to improvement in their hearing.

Click Here To Read The Research Abstract At PubMed…

DD Palmer was the first practitioner to deliver a correctional thrust to the spinal column in an attempt to restore nerve function. DD must have been aware of the shortcomings of the manual adjustment as he very clearly stated that future generations of his profession would find better ways of delivering the goods. But for many decades it has become taboo to discuss the limitations and flaws of our wonderful healing art. Thankfully there are some pioneering practitioners exploring new means of facilitating neurological change.

But first let’s do some serious soul searching…

1) Difficulty isolating a segment

We’ve all been guilty of this one – your intention is to adjust C2, but when you set up and deliver your dynamic thrust, you may or may not feel the cavitation at one of the C2 articulations; can you ever be truly sure that the joint that you wanted to move – moved? And then there are those extra “pops”. I remember being adjusted by an “old-timer-chiro” years ago: He insisted on adjusting me so I could experience a “real adjustment”. I guess he was intending to adjust my upper cervical spine, because they were the first joints that I felt separate. But then his thrust continued and I felt numerous more joints move further down my neck and what felt like my upper thoracic spine. Apparently the soreness and stiffness that I experienced for the next two weeks was an essential and needed healing process? Now I know that most of us are much more specific than this life-crunching experience; but let’s be really honest – we don’t truly know whether we hit our target on each and every adjustment.

There is an alternative means of adjusting which guarantees that you will impact exactly the joint/nerve you intend – one that delivers its impulse exactly where you place it…

2) Inability to deliver specific frequency

The thing that first got me excited about chiropractic was the suggestion that spinal adjustments might improve neurological performance. I was studying a Bachelor of Science at the time and had no trouble with the concept of the supremacy of the central nervous system over all other body systems – this understanding is not peculiar to the chiropractic profession. But let’s have a moment of awakening – the thought that the delivery of a correctional force vector to the spine to change nerve activity appears quite peculiar to many other members of the scientific and general community.

The ONLY way that an adjustment could change nerve function is if it can change nerve frequency.

Can you deliver exactly the right frequency needed to correct aberrant nerve activity due to Subluxation with your hands? Thankfully, technology exists that can deliver specific vibrational frequency…

3) Speed/acceleration variable

The best manual adjusters are fast. The faster you are the less the mass you have to use. This is a simple physics formula: Force = Mass times Acceleration. Increase the speed and you increase the impact of your adjustment without increasing the body weight that is needed. “Small” chiropractors can adjust just as well as “big” chiropractors – if they have speed on their side.

Imagine if you could adjust with an impulse that is finished in 1/10,000 of a second? You would hardly need any mass whatsoever to produce the same physiological changes – such a tool exists today…

4) Increased Mass

Higher speed reduces the mass you have to use. Low speed with high mass meets with more tissue resistance, reflex muscle guarding, patient discomfort and fear, and increased pressure against supporting soft and hard tissues. In other words, increased likelihood of developing clients that don’t like you and that are sore after you adjust them. If you can make this one shift alone in your adjusting proficiency, then you will dramatically increase your patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes.

Why not remove your dependence on mass altogether by using an instrument that is so fast that mass is almost irrelevant?…

5) Reliance on cavitation as THE outcome

I can still remember my early days in practice. I inherited a few patients who showed up sporadically to get their “back put back in”. I don’t know whether they had been taught that cavitation was evidence that the bone had returned to its rightful place, or whether they had made their own conclusions due to their previous DCs gleeful comments when a good “pop” was produced. Anyway, some of them would refuse to leave the practice until they were satisfied that an adequate noise had emanated from their spinal column. Praise God, I know longer have any of these kind of clients in my rooms. Most of my practice members seem to intuitively as well as intellectually get it that there are many more signs and symptoms that their adjustments are delivering health improving benefits, than just the production of “spinal farts”.

If you can rehabilitate yourself from the false belief that cavitation is any kind of sign of a neurological response then you are ready to evolve to the use of newer adjusting methodologies…

6) Poor inter-examiner reproducibility

I’ve had a lot of locum and associate DCs grace my practice rooms over the last eighteen years, and the variance in client satisfaction, and obvious variability in touch, technique and practices has been astounding. No two DCs are the same, and no two chiropractic experiences are consistent it would seem. Contrast this to my current situation – I have been fortunate over the last three years to employ locums who use the same system, method and adjusting technology that I use every day. Most recently one of my clients commented, “it was like you were there, even though you were in Marysville!”

I’ve got to tell you that it makes leaving your highly valued business and long-term clients in the hands of someone else VERY easy, when you can rely on the fact that what you do and what they do is so reproducible. Wouldn’t you like that same degree of confidence and security?…

7) Move joints into para-physiological range

Real Estate Agents speak of the golden rule of investing in property – “Position, position, position”. In terms of effective manual adjusting perhaps we can steal and adapt this concept to – “Positioning, positioning, positioning”? Previously when tutoring associate DCs to deliver precise neck adjustments I always found that if you get their patient positioning right then “all else followed”. We all know that to get a joint to cavitate we must get the joint into its para-physiological zone – don’t get there and it won’t move without extra force and excursion in our thrust; go too far and woops we’re talking sore clients.

Wouldn’t it be good if we could find a way of adjusting which didn’t require resting on that knife’s edge? A way of adjusting that could be performed with a joint in its neutral, totally relaxed position? That “way” already exists and patients will love you and enter into very deep states of relaxation when you adjust with this method…

“Bone-crunching”

“Bone-crunching” has made chiropractic famous – It has also made Chiropractic infamous: There is a large segment of the population who will never go to a chiropractor that “crunches bones”. And I know that there isn’t a single chiropractor on the planet that thinks they are a bone cruncher – but if you manually adjust, producing audible popping sounds, then good luck trying to convince the skeptics that what you do is not bone crunching. These skeptics will however visit a chiropractor who uses a low force methodology: I know this to be true because 50% of my new clients nowadays, have never been to a chiropractor, and all of them tell me the same story; “I swore I would never go to a chiro but then someone told me that you helped them without crunching their bones, so I figured I would give it a go”

There’s lots more of this untapped new patient market place awaiting you too…

9) Less specificity of vectors

Imagine if there were some tests you could perform that would differentiate exactly what correctional vectors were needed to provide the most effective adjustment – wouldn’t that be great? They exist and are very quick and simple to perform. However, is there any point knowing within a few degrees these vectors required, if you then cannot deliver those vectors with your adjustment. Unfortunately with a manual adjustment there are some basic flaws which preclude exact correctional vectors.

It requires an instrument which has true reproducibility to be able to deliver precise vectors. Unfortunately most instruments on the market require the practitioner to fire the instrument, and research has shown that this can vary the reproducibility of the thrust by as much as 300%. There is however one instrument which has pre-loading with pressure sensitive firing, so that every adjustment varies minimally from the last…

10) Iatrogenic risks – disc, Fx, vascular

We all know that what we deliver is amazingly safe, especially when compared to the statistics from other more “conventional” healing practices. Nevertheless there are some published risks especially associated with manual adjusting: Most of the risks appear to be proportionate to the amount of mass delivered during the adjustment, and the positioning of and thrusting upon patient’s joints into “para-physiological” ranges.
Exacerbation of disc prolapse is one such documented risk – I would hope that every DC exercises a great degree of caution and a certain amount of hesitancy when faced with a patient showing classic signs of disc protrusion; and I would hazard a guess that a significant number of DCs have erred on the side of too much force on at least one occasion.

I’ve seen two cases of cracked ribs in my practice in 18 years of practice – one was produced by a locum DC who adjusted an elderly female client’s thoracic spine in the prone position producing a loud crack, and instant pain which took 6 weeks to resolve and much “TLC” to appease. The second happened to me when I was setting up for a prone thoracic adjustment on a seemingly healthy mid 30’s male – we both heard the weird cracking noise – and then I was astonished when he announced that he should have told me that he had cracked that same rib several times and he sincerely apologised for not warning me!? I suspect that any other form of fracture supposedly attributed to chiropractic would be due to some un-diagnosable pre-existing weakness in the bony architecture.

The issue of vascular complications due to neck adjustment is controversial: It is clear that the estimates of the relative risk are at best imaginary and seemingly always overestimated. I have seen other statistics which claim that chiropractic reduces the risk of stroke in an adjusted population! The obvious fact is that nearly every DC will never see this in their practice. Let’s say that the risk of stroke from cervical “manipulation” was 1 in 1 million. In my estimate this means that there are 20 people in the whole of Australia who shouldn’t have their neck adjusted manually. My secret prayer has been that not one of this tiny group lives anywhere near my rooms, and that if they do, they intuitively know to go and see a Physio instead of me…

It would seem that every chiropractic cynic has a story of someone who was crippled by a chiropractor; one loud-mouthed critic I was confronted by once even claimed that “a nurse had told him that there was a whole ward full of chiro-cripples at a well-known Melbourne hospital”. We all know that this is absolute nonsense, but this does demonstrate a common fear of our “therapy” – safety – there are chiropractic techniques available right now which minimise risk and maximise safety…

11) One segment at a time – no “Double Ended Contact Assist”

To understand this concept fully you need to attend Torque Release Technique training. The concept of Lovett Brother Reactors is not a new one in chiropractic, but it is an ignored concept in many manual models. I wonder if this is due to the fact that you cannot manually adjust two segments at the same time? Most DCs if they possess a protocol to determine if an adjustment has held (you’ll learn this at TRT too) will keep adjusting the same segment until it submits. Deeper understanding of the neurological coupling known as Lovett Brothers provides the answer to this scenario though; and if the DC also possesses a protocol to simultaneously correct the two coupled segments at the same time then these persistent subluxations can be coerced into correction in a very quick and gentle manner.

The shortcomings discussed here have all been carefully solved through the research and development of Torque Release Technique and you will learn numerous strategies to evolve beyond these flaws as well as how to adjust with the purpose-built Integrator Instrument…