ARLINGTON, VA -- Chiropractic neurologists are gaining respect for their treatment of patients suffering from hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, autism and other disorders as recent clinical findings suggest that problems in central nervous system function could be a source of many of these conditions.
An article in the June 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Chiropractic Association (JACA) reports on the growing specialty of chiropractic neurology and new research in the neurological sciences that points to chiropractic as a possible non-drug treatment for a host of baffling disorders.
"Chiropractic is neurology," says Dr. Gail Henry. "That's what we do -- affect the central nervous system. We affect segmental spinal cord reflexes. That has an immediate segmental response back to a muscle, a joint, out into the periphery, and into the central nervous system."
For example, chiropractic neurologists have successfully treated attention deficit disorders (ADD/ADHD) without drugs, according to the JACA article. Doctors isolate aspects of the brain that are not developing or functioning properly and determine the appropriate therapeutic approach.
"We use modalities to effect either a calming or an activation and increase of stimulation of a part of the brain that controls mood, attention, problem-solving qualities and thought processing," Dr. Henry explains. "These children do wonderfully. They usually respond very quickly, especially in the absence of any brain damage. We are usually simply dealing with developmental patterns and the development of the brain. Some respond well to music, but of course, the treatment is very individualized."
Chiropractic neurology is also addressing autism. "Many children may be autistic as a result of compromised cerebral and thalamic integration," explains Dr. Michael Hall. "A chiropractic neurologist may be able to provide additional clinical insight and clinical procedures to impro
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Contact: Teri Howell
Thowell@amerchiro.org
703-276-8800
American Chiropractic Association
11-Jun-2000