Chronic Fatigue and Upper Cervical Care

The Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research published the results of a study on December 11, 2012 showing chiropractic improving the quality of life of a patient suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).  According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, "Chronic fatigue syndrome refers to severe, continued tiredness that is not relieved by rest and is not directly caused by other medical conditions."

The authors of the study note that medical treatment for CFS is only centered on the alleviation of symptoms while attempting to improve a patient’s quality of life. They also note that since there are no clear indicators or tests for CFS, the diagnosis of CFS is confirmed by ruling out other conditions with the continued presence of the symptoms.

In this study 20 people with CFS were selected to participate. Each was given an upper cervical chiropractic examination and x-rays. One subject was disqualified due to having a metal plate in her head. Of the 19 remaining subjects 15 were female and 5 were male, with their ages ranging from 18 to 65 years.

The measurement of quality of life for the subjects was accomplished using the SF 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36), a standard health questionnaire form with 36 questions used to measure these types of issues and the quality of a persons life related to their health issues. These forms were filled out by participants before care was initiated and then again at the conclusion of the study 6 months later.

Specific chiropractic care was rendered for subluxation of the top vertebrae in the neck, the atlas. The subjects initial SF 36 scores were then compared to the scores of the SF 36 after 6 months and the chiropractic care.

The results showed that the SF 36 scores increased significantly for the test subjects. The General Health component increased from a score of 30.3 prior to upper cervical chiropractic care to 55.6 after the care. Additionally, the Mental Health scores of the SF 36, rose from 46.4 before care to 68.6 after care. The results of these measurements showed that there was a dramatic quality of life improvement as measured by the SF 36 test.

The authors noted that the improvement noticed with the subjects continued to show improvement. They commented, "Unlike treatment approaches for some chronic illnesses, where measurable changes recorded immediately after an intervention dwindle or vanish over time, our subjects’ SF-36 scores continued to improve compared to baseline; appreciably at three months, and substantially at six months."

(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.)

Chronic Fatigue Anyone?

THE EFFECT OF UPPER CERVICAL CORRECTIONS ON PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
Charles Woodfield, D.C., Marshall Dickholtz, Sr., D.C.

The study involved the recruitment of 20 subjects obtained and screened by a General Practitioner. They were included into the study if they had no prior history of depression and fulfilled the requirements of the Center for Disease Control definition of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

The MD determined that the patients fit the above criteria and that an upper cervical doctor referral was required through postural analysis and leg checks. Once the initial screen is completed, the MD referred the subjects to the local hospital. The purpose of this testing was to measure pre and post adjustment effects of the correction on several biological markers that may be abnormal in CFS patients.

The subject was then referred to a Psychiatrist for an evaluation to determine that the cause of CFS is not of psychiatric origin. At this point, the patient was turned over to the upper cervical doctor for care and monitoring.

Upon arrival at the upper cervical doctor's office, each new CFS patient was given a packet of forms to complete. After completing a demographics form the next form was a chronic fatigue symptom sheet that was used to verify and assure consistency of the responses on the MD's symptom form. The third form was the SF-36, used to measure the health outcome. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was also completed. The doctor worked up the subject for a correction according the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (NUCCA) standards of quality care. This includes thermographic, Anatometer and posture analysis as well as pre and post adjustment x-rays. The doctor then followed the patient's progress for 6 months. The subjects were checked and adjusted if required and the SF-36 and PSQI was administered once a month. After the subject's held their correction for 3 months, they were referred back to the local hospital to repeat the special testing. This was to determine changes brought about by the upper cervical correction. At the end of six months, the patients will be released from the study with the option to continue care. Data analysis of the SF-36 and PSQI using the paired t-test method was completed at the end of 6 months. Some long-term data has been collected from subjects continuing care. Of the twenty SPEC scans, seven proved to be abnormal, showing signs of CFS. Two scans showed depression as the etiology of CFS. These two scans converted to ‘normal' as did five of the CFS scans. There has been significant improvement in the SF-36 and PSQI scores. There are however, some individual failures that did occur. From this study the benefit of CFS subjects of receiving upper cervical care is demonstrated.