On April 9, 2018, the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health published the results of a case study showing chiropractic helping a 9-year-old who was suffering from asthma as well as a number of other functional health issues.

The study begins by noting that in 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that approximately 10 million children were diagnosed with asthma, of which 6.8 million of those children continue to live with this problem today. The study reports that in the period between 2002 and 2007, the cost of asthma in the U.S. was 56 billion dollars. Additionally, in 2008 alone, it was estimated that children were absent from school for a total of 14.4 million days from this condition.

According to the professional version of the Merck Manual, “Asthma is a disease of diffuse airway inflammation caused by a variety of triggering stimuli resulting in partially or completely reversible bronchoconstriction”. The authors of the study explain asthma by stating, “Asthma is a bronchial tube disorder that is caused by an immune response to a variety of stimuli that causes airways to hyper react to its environmental input.” In layman’s terms, asthma is when some kind of irritant causes the tubes leading to the lungs to constrict and reduce airflow.

In this case, a 9-year-old boy was brought to the chiropractor. The boy was suffering with a number of health complaints with the chief among these being asthma. His asthma had resulted in four previous trips to the emergency room with one of those visits requiring a five day in stay at the hospital. His problem required him to use an Albuterol inhaler one to four times each day.

In addition to the asthma, the boy also suffered with mid back pain that was worse when sitting at school. He also suffered from headaches and neck pain that was accompanied by dizziness. Since birth, it was reported that it would take the boy between one to three hours to fall asleep each night. In addition to all these issues the boy was also suffering with episodes of low back pain, leg and foot pain, colic, sugar cravings, stomachaches, constipation, diarrhea, allergies, behavioral problems, ADHD and eczema.

A thorough chiropractic examination revealed a number of areas of postural distortion and neuromusculoskeletal system dysfunctions. Thermal scans and surface EMG scans also showed variations along the child’s spine. It was determined that subluxations were present and chiropractic care was started.

As the chiropractic care progressed, the child’s asthma started to show steady improvement to where he was able to reduce his medication from four times per day to an as needed basis. Additionally, the other symptoms he was experiencing also started to reduce. His sleeping returned to normal so that it did not take hours for him to fall asleep. The boy’s complaints of headaches, stomachaches, constipation, diarrhea, neck pain, and back pain were all resolved. It was even noted that he no longer needed special accommodations at school for his ADHD diagnosis.

Previously, the boy would regularly miss days of school due to his asthma and illnesses. After starting chiropractic care, it was reported that he only missed one day of school, his grades greatly improved, and the boy made honor roll.

In the study conclusion the authors wrote, “This case study shows that chiropractic care to reduce vertebral subluxations may lead to improved health outcomes. It adds to the current literature on the positive outcomes of chiropractic care and children with asthma and other functional disorders.”

For more tips on how to reduce symptoms of asthma, please see a chiropractor in our office and ask how we can help.

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