Chiropractic immunity

BACKGROUND: Spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) is a popular though controversial practice. The debates surrounding efficacy and risk of SMT are only partially evident in popular discourse. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the presence of critiques and debates surrounding efficacy and risk of SMT on the social media platform Twitter. The study examines whether there is presence of debate and whether critical information is being widely disseminated. METHODS: An initial corpus of 31,339 tweets was compiled through Twitter's Search Application Programming Interface using the query terms "chiropractic," "chiropractor," and "spinal manipulation therapy...

REVIEW QUESTION/OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this systematic review is to explore the experiences and perceptions of persons living with HIV who participate in mind-body and energy therapies. The review will focus on the use of mind-body medicine and energy therapies that include meditation, prayer, mental healing, Tai Chi, yoga, art therapy, music therapy, dance therapy, Qigong, reiki, therapeutic touch, healing touch and electromagnetic therapy. These mind-body and energy therapies are selected categories because they do not involve options that might be contraindicated to an individual's current treatment regime...

OBJECTIVES: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is prevalent, but specific use of CAM across cancer treatment is underinvestigated. The objectives of this study were to assess changes in CAM use across cancer treatment; specific reasons for and satisfaction with specific types of CAM used; and associations of CAM use with stress, mood, and quality of life (QOL) in women with newly diagnosed breast cancer. DESIGN AND SETTING: Seventy-seven women with early-stage breast cancer who underwent active cancer treatment participated in the study...

Background. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and integrative medicine (IM) modalities are widely used by patients, including those with infectious diseases (ID). Methods. One thousand randomly selected ID practitioners were surveyed. The survey was divided into domains related to familiarity and recommendation, beliefs and attitudes, and use of CAM/IM modalities. Results. The response rate was 31%. ID physicians were most familiar with vitamin and mineral supplementation (83%), massage (80%), acupuncture (79%), chiropractic (77%), yoga (74%), and herbal medicine (72%)...

The purpose of this collaborative summary is to document current chiropractic involvement in the public health movement, reflect on social ecological levels of influence as a profession, and summarize the relationship of chiropractic to the current public health topics of: safety, health issues through the lifespan, and effective participation in community health issues. The questions that are addressed include: Is spinal manipulative therapy for neck and low-back pain a public health problem? What is the role of chiropractic care in prevention or reduction of musculoskeletal injuries in children? What ways can doctors of chiropractic stay updated on evidence-based information about vaccines and immunization throughout the lifespan? Can smoking cessation be a prevention strategy for back pain? Does chiropractic have relevance within the VA Health Care System for chronic pain and comorbid disorders? How can chiropractic use cognitive behavioral therapy to address chronic low back pain as a public health problem? What opportunities exist for doctors of chiropractic to more effectively serve the aging population? What is the role of ethics and the contribution of the chiropractic profession to public health? What public health roles can chiropractic interns perform for underserved communities in a collaborative environment? Can the chiropractic profession contribute to community health? What opportunities do doctors of chiropractic have to be involved in health care reform in the areas of prevention and public health? What role do citizen-doctors of chiropractic have in organizing community action on health-related matters? How can our future chiropractic graduates become socially responsible agents of change?...

OBJECTIVE: Few studies have addressed the practice of chiropractic care of children in Europe. No systematic classification of conditions currently exists in chiropractic pediatrics. The objective of this study was to investigate characteristics of clinical chiropractic practice, including the age of pediatric patients, the number of reports of negative side effects (NSEs), the opinions of doctors of chiropractic on treatment options by patient age groups, the conditions seen and the number of treatment sessions delivered by conditions and by patient age...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: With vaccine-preventable diseases at record lows, few studies investigate rising parent-claimed exemptions to school immunization requirements. After finding exemption clusters in Oregon, we hypothesized that exemption risk factors may vary among communities. We surveyed parents to identify risk factors for exemptions and evaluated risk factor differences among communities with differing exemption rates. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study, multi-staged, population-proportionate sampling...

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated whether the production of inflammatory mediators and chemotactic cytokines (chemokines) is altered in patients with chronic and recurrent neck pain (NP). METHODS: Cross-sectional data evaluating blood and serum samples were obtained from 27 NP patients and 13 asymptomatic (control) subjects recruited from a chiropractic outpatient clinic. Cell cultures were activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and phytoheamagglutinin for 24 to 48 hours...

OBJECTIVE: Two recent studies that examined National Health Interview Survey data reported divergent findings regarding the propensity of adult chiropractic users to receive seasonal influenza immunization. Although one study found a statistically significant negative association between chiropractic use and influenza vaccination, another found that chiropractic users were significantly more likely to be vaccinated. The purpose of this study is to extend previous works by delving more deeply into recent data to identify adult chiropractic users at high risk and high priority for vaccination against influenza and pneumococcal disease...

OBJECTIVE: Some authorities are concerned that the use of complementary and alternative medications (CAM) may replace recommended preventive health practices. This study was done to determine if users of individual types of CAM were less likely to receive recommended immunizations. METHODS: We used data from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey of over 23,000 adult, non-institutionalized U.S. citizens using bivariate and multivariate analysis to determine if users of individual types of CAM were less likely to receive influenza and/or pneumococcal vaccinations...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to present a case of a child with Prader-Willi syndrome and the observed improvement in the degree of scoliosis, immune function, and behavior documented during the course of her treatment. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 7-year-old girl presented to Kentuckiana Children's Center with a 15 degrees lumbar levoscoliosis and diagnosis of Prader-Willi syndrome. INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME: The treatment plan consisted of chiropractic adjustments, craniosacral therapy, movement therapy, and nutritional therapy...

This study investigated provider-based complementary/alternative medicine use and its association with receipt of recommended vaccinations by children aged 1-2 years and with acquisition of vaccine-preventable disease by children aged 1-17 years. Results were based on logistic regression analysis of insurance claims for pediatric enrollees covered by two insurance companies in Washington State during 2000-2003. Primary exposures were use of chiropractic, naturopathy, acupuncture, or massage practitioner services by pediatric enrollees or members of their immediate families...

The Immunization Information Resource Web site is provided as a public service by the Chiropractic Health Care Section of the American Public Health Association. The site compiles annotated bibliographies of citations from the scientific literature, as well as other authoritative peer-reviewed information sources on this topic. Our intent was to create a resource of information for health care professionals that is current, accurate, objective, evidence based, and as user-friendly as possible. This article describes the Internet-based Immunization Information Resource Web site developed and sponsored by the Chiropractic Health Care Section of the American Public Health Association and discusses current issues and future challenges for sustaining and further advancing such evidence-based initiatives for the chiropractic profession...

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the relationship among chiropractors' personal immunization decisions, the vaccination status of their children, and their interest in referring patients for immunization. METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of data collected in a 2002 postal survey of Alberta chiropractors (response rate, 78.2%). Analysis was restricted to chiropractors with children (n = 325). Chiropractors indicated their own vaccination status, that of their children, and their interest in referring patients for immunization...

The exceptional growth of allergies in recent years has been attributed to an increase in hygienic conditions which is linked to an under development of the immune system. This can be counteracted by the use of beneficial bacterial cultures (probiotics) which can provide a safe alternative for immune development.

PURPOSE: To describe the profile of patients presenting to a private chiropractic clinic specialising in Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) and to identify trends in the presentation of symptoms from these patients. METHODS: 761 consecutive new patients presented to a large, multi-doctor chiropractic clinic in which practitioners all adopt a similar philosophical paradigm and practice NET From January 2005 to December 2005, self-referred patients completed a new patient questionnaire, in which they self-reported one primary complaint for why they were visiting the practitioner...

This article provides an overview of primary chiropractic issues as they relate to public health. This collaborative summary documents the chiropractic profession's current involvement in public health, reflects on past barriers that may have prevented full participation within the public health movement, and summarizes the relationship of current chiropractic and public health topics. Topics discussed include how the chiropractic profession participates in preventive health services, health promotion, immunization, geriatrics, health care in a military environment, and interdisciplinary care...

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this white paper are to review and summarize the basic science literature relevant to spinal fixation (subluxation) and spinal adjusting procedures and to make specific recommendations for future research. METHODS: PubMed, CINAHL, ICL, OSTMED, and MANTIS databases were searched by a multidisciplinary team for reports of basic science research (since 1995) related to spinal fixation (subluxation) and spinal adjusting (spinal manipulation)...

OBJECTIVE: This study describes the prevalence and correlates of perceptions of Canadian doctors of chiropractic regarding the adequacy of their undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) educational preparation to counsel patients about immunization/vaccination and explores their preferences for continuing education (CE) in this area. METHODS: A cross-sectional population-based postal survey of Alberta chiropractors was conducted in the summer of 2002. RESULTS: The response rate was 78...

OBJECTIVE: To explore how the topic of vaccination arises during interactions between chiropractors and their patients, the advice that is given to patients, and the factors that influence the opinions of the chiropractors. METHODS: Data were collected in semistructured interviews with a purposeful sample of chiropractors in Calgary, Canada. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis and constant comparison. Participants were chiropractors who had participated in a postal survey of immunization-related beliefs and behaviors and who consented to contact for further study...