Can Chiropractic Help MS?
Multiple Sclerosis or MS is a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord resulting in loss of muscle control, vision, balance, and sensation (such as numbness). Multiple Sclerosis is considered an autoimmune disease, due to the fact that the nerves of the brain and spinal cord are targeted by a person’s own immune system. MS essentially builds up scar tissue and plaque in the brain and/or spinal cord, destroying the protective outer layer of the brain called myelin. Without the myelin, electrical signals transmitted throughout the brain and spinal cord are disrupted or halted. The brain then becomes unable to send and to receive messages.
According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the condition affects approximately 400,000 Americans and is, with the exception of trauma, the most frequent cause of neurological disability beginning in early to middle adulthood. MS is two to three times as common in females as in males and its occurrence is unusual before adolescence. A person has an increased risk of developing the disease from the teen years to age 50 with the risk gradually declining thereafter.
The most common early symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis include:
- Muscle weakness
- Decreased coordination
- Blurred or hazy vision
- Eye pain
- Double vision
As the disease progresses, late stage symptoms may include:
- Muscle stiffness
- Pain
- Cognitive processing issues
- Difficulty controlling bodily functions
How Our Doctors Can Help
The Atlas Family Health Center uses a revolutionary healthcare procedure called the Advance Orthogonal technique. This chiropractic procedure identifies subtle misalignments of the top vertebrae in the neck, and corrects them using a percussion-wave adjustment. Due to the proximity of these bones to the brain stem area, this procedure can help with a wide variety of conditions.
It has been hypothesized that there is a link between trauma to the upper cervical spine, and the generation of Multiple Sclerosis. It is well known that delivery by caesarian section (C-section) involves much greater forces to the head and neck, and a 2011 study in the Journal of Multiple Sclerosis found that children born by vaginal delivery had a lower risk of developing MS than those born by C-section. Additionally, trauma is thought to affect the fluid flow in and out of the brain. Another 2011 study titled The possible role of cranio-cervical trauma and abnormal CSF hydrodynamics in the genesis of multiple Sclerosis found abnormal fluid dynamics in the upper neck area in patients with MS. Because of these correlations, many patients with Multiple Sclerosis have showed tremendous conditional relief from Advanced Orthogonal care at the Atlas Family Health Center in Columbus, Ohio.
In fact, a 1994 study in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research found that 40 of 44 (91%) MS cases showed symptomatic improvement and no further disease progression during a period of Upper Cervical chiropractic care.