Multiple Sclerosis, BJ Palmer and Upper Cervical Care

Editor's Note: This is the first of a seven post series where I will be sharing five case reports on patients with MS that received upper cervical care and the results that occurred. The full article with all the reports can be read at length here.

B.J. Palmer, D.C., reported management of Multiple Sclerosis patients with upper cervical chiropractic care as early as 1934. In his writings, Palmer listed improvement or correction of symptoms such as "spasticity, muscle cramps, muscle contracture, joint stiffness, fatigue, neuralgia, neuritis, loss of bladder control, paralysis, incoordination, trouble walking, numbness, pain, foot drop, inability to walk, and muscle weakness." His chiropractic care included paraspinal thermal scanning using a neurocalometer (NCM), a cervical radiographic series to analyze injury to the upper cervical spine, and a specific upper cervical adjustment performed by hand.

While few of Palmer's Research Clinic cases were published, Palmer described one case of Multiple Sclerosis in detail. The patient, a 38-year-old male, went to the Palmer Research Clinic in Davenport, Iowa, in 1943, after a diagnosis of MS by the Mayo Clinic. At the time of admission into the Palmer Clinic, this subject was "…helpless; he could not feed nor take care of himself." His medical history included a head/neck trauma at age 16 in which "…he fell ten feet off a building, landing on his head." The fall rendered him unconscious for thirty minutes and he reported having a sore neck for several days. At the Palmer Clinic, upper cervical radiographs showed a misalignment of the atlas to the right. After upper cervical chiropractic care, the patient remarked, "I am happy to say that through (upper cervical) chiropractic, I have been made almost well. Today, I have just a little numbness left in my hands. I have the full use of my hands, feet, and my whole body."

Why Should You Visit An Upper Cervical Doctor?

(Editors note: This is a great post by an even greater friend and professional colleague, Dr. Adam Tanase. Click here to see his post and the rest of his blog.)

In the early 20th century, the B.J. Palmer Research Clinic was a renowned facility in Davenport, IA. Thousands of patients from all over the world traveled here to consult with Dr. B.J. Palmer because he had a tremendous reputation for getting sick people well. Even Dr. Charles Mayo of the famed “Mayo Clinic” brought his wife in for a chiropractic evaluation.

A small sign hung above the entrance to the clinic:

Founded for the restoration of Health to those for whom medical treatment or ordinary chiropractic adjustment and care have proven insufficient.

This sign fascinates me for a number of reasons, mainly for what it doesn’t say… It never mentions whiplash, sports injuries, sciatica or back pain. It’s more of an open invitation to any patient with a problem that hasn’t responded to traditional medical/chiropractic care.

For many patients with chronic health problems, it was the “last stop.” Interestingly enough, the clinic flourished! People got the results they were hoping for… Upper Cervical Care worked, and it did so for all sorts of different ailments.

Medical doctors and chiropractors alike scratched their heads wondering how his Upper Cervical methodology was so effective. What was he doing that they weren’t, and what were they doing that he wasn’t?

This week I received a phone call from a retiree who received Palmer Upper Cervical Care almost 60 years ago. She’s literally been searching for a “Palmer doctor” for decades because no one has been able to help her since. And that got me thinking… I can barely remember the name of doctors I’ve seen over the past 30 years, let alone whether or not they actually helped me. The effectiveness of the Palmer Method left such an impression on her that she remembered its effectiveness for over a half century!

For that reason alone, I’d say that visiting an Upper Cervical chiropractor is worth consideration… especially if “medical treatment and ordinary chiropractic adjustment” haven’t given you any answers.