Quality Of Life And Parkinson's Disease: Maybe Upper Cervical Can Help

A study published on May 15, 2014, in the Journal Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research documented the improvement under chiropractic care of a series of patients suffering from Parkinson's Disease. The authors note that Parkinson’s disease, also known as paralysis agitans, is a progressive disorder that affects the central nervous system, characterized by tremor and impaired co-ordination.

The study begins by showing how common Parkinson’s disease is. "More than 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD), which is more than are afflicted with multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy combined. It is estimated that there are 100,000 new cases of PD reported annually in the United States."

In this study, three Parkinson's patients presented themselves for chiropractic care. A rating of the severity of the Parkinson's was given to each patient to use as comparison with their conditions after chiropractic care was given. The rating system is known as the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). With this system, many factors are considered and scored between 0 and 4. The numbers are then added so the lower the aggregate score, the better the patient is doing.

In this case series, the three patients were all males between the ages of 63 and 65. Each man had been diagnosed with Parkinson's between 3 and 5 years prior to seeking chiropractic. Each patient had a chiropractic examination which included orthopedic and neurological testing, thermal scans, and spinal x-rays. Subluxations were determined to be present in each of the men and a specific course of adjusting was begun for each case based upon their individual findings.

The results showed that all three men improved in many ways from their chiropractic care. The first patient went from a UPDRS score before care of 25, down to 15 after 2 months of chiropractic adjustments. The second man improved from a UPDRS score of 27, down to 15 after 5 months. and the third patient's UPDRS score went from 39 to 15 after 36 months of chiropractic care. These changes represent significant improvement in many areas resulting in a significant enhancement in their quality of life.

In their conclusion, the authors summed up the positive results by stating, "Upper Cervical Specific chiropractic care utilized on three patients with a diagnosis of PD, rated using the UPDRS test at 2 months, 6 months and 36 months. Results associated with PD included better overall health, improved ambulation, a reduced UPDRS score and a reduction in upper cervical subluxations were all obtained."

One Parkinson's Patient and Upper Cervical Care

Parkinson's Sufferer has Quality of Life Significantly Improved Under (Upper Cervical Care)

The July 30, 2012, issue of the Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research published a case study documenting the improvement of a Parkinson’s patient using chiropractic care.

The author of the study begins by reporting that in the United States, 50,000-60,000 new cases of Parkinson’s disease (PD) are diagnosed each year. It is estimated that over one million people currently suffer from this chronic and progressive disorder.

According to the National Parkinson’s Foundation, "Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative brain disorder that progresses slowly in most people. What this means is that individuals with PD will be living with PD for twenty years or more from the time of diagnosis. While Parkinson’s disease itself is not fatal, the Centers for Disease Control rated complications from the disease as the 14th top cause of death in the United State."

In this case, a 63-year-old male pastoral counselor complaining of resting tremors of the right hand, anxiety and stabbing middle back pain, went to the (upper cervical doctor). His complaints started a year and a half earlier and seemed to start shortly after he suffered a severe case of the flu that lasted 2-3 weeks which caused him to lose 15 pounds. Due to his symptoms, he was diagnosed by a neurologist with Idiopathic Parkinson’s disease.

At the time the pastoral counselor presented himself for an evaluation, he appeared frail, had a low tone of voice, and had reduced facial expressions. He stated that he also works as a marriage counselor which increases his daily stress level, and he had been experiencing restless leg syndrome at least twice a week for the past two years which affected his ability to get quality sleep.

Multiple examination procedures and x-rays confirmed the presence of (head/neck misalignment and resulting neurological interference), most notably at the level of the top bone in the neck, the atlas. A specific course of corrective adjustments was initiated to correct the (misalignment and the resulting interference).

Following his first adjustment, the man noted an improvement in his tremors. After a week of care, he also reported an increase in energy. The study records that by the end of the second week of care, he had a greater range of motion in his neck and higher level of energy, allowing him to complete his week of work and participate in extra activities on that weekend. Shortly afterwards, his mid back pain also stopped.

In his conclusion the author wrote, "We conclude that improvement of the Atlas alignment was associated with reduction of most of his Parkinson’s symptoms including decrease in frequency and intensity of his middle back pain, improvement in his quality of life and improvement in his motor function."

(Editor's note: Remember the objective of upper cervical care is to correct head neck misalignment that is interfering with proper brain to body communication. When this is corrected the body functions at a higher level and can often correct other problems more efficiently on its own. Please do not confuse upper cervical care as a treatment for any condition, disease or symptom.)

Upper Cervical Care And The Patient With Parkinson's Disease

CASE STUDY

Reduction in Symptoms Related to Parkinson's Disease Concomitant with Subluxation Reduction Following Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

Jonathan Chung DC & Justin Brown DC

Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research ~ March 14, 2011 ~ Pages 18-21

Abstract

Objective: To provide a detailed report on one case of a 67 year-old female with Parkinson’s disease under upper cervical chiropractic care.

Clinical Features: A 67 year-old female patient presenting to a private practice with an atlas subluxation complex as well as signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease that include weakness, tremors, scoliosis and rigidity.

Intervention and Outcomes: Over a period of 6 months, the patient was seen 19 times and was adjusted 12 times following the NUCCA protocol. Improvements in radiographic measurements, paraspinal thermography, and sEMG were recorded. Patient self-reported improvements in weakness, tremors, rigidity, and overall mobility.

Conclusion: The upper cervical subluxation may be a contributing factor to the symptomatic expression of Parkinson’s disease. Reduction of the subluxation with specific vectored correction may be a plausible, safe, and effective approach for managing PD. More research is warranted investigating the effects of upper cervical care and Parkinson’s Disease (PD).

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Editor's Note: Remember that upper cervical care is not a treatment for Parkinson's Disease. An individual with Parkinson's Disease will benefit from a good nerve supply free of interference due to head/neck misalignment (the objective of upper cervical care). Sometimes that improved function better enables the body to heal itself as is evident in this case of a woman with Parkinson's Disease.