The Bakris Study

The Bakris Study was a pilot study performed by a group of medical physicians in Chicago, led by Dr. George Bakris, M.D., after whom the study is named. Their conclusions are very important for the future of chiropractic. The study demonstrated that a single chiropractic upper cervical adjustment, a specialized adjustment for the C1 or Atlas bone, lowered blood pressure in 25 test subjects with early stages of high blood pressure. The effect of ONE chiropractic adjustment had the ability to lower blood pressure as much as a traditional medical patient using two blood pressure medications in combination. Chiropractors have for a long time claimed that chiropractic care can help with conditions like hypertension. It is a powerful thing to have science, in an experiment run by medical doctors no less, confirm what chiropractors have been saying for many years.

The study was conceived after a local MD in Chicago was sending his patients with hypertension, or high blood pressure, to a chiropractor. It was reported by this MD that after receiving chiropractic care, the hypertension appeared to normalize in his patients. It was this anecdotal evidence that prompted the study. It is interesting to note that according to the Center for Disease Control, heart disease is the number one killer in the United States with over 650,000 deaths a year (iatrogenic death is the number one killer in the US, however that data is not published by the CDC). Hypertension is related to heart disease or dis-ease as the increased pressure damages the heart and can lead to more serious and deadly complications.

In the future it would useful to have much more peer-reviewed science available to chiropractors. Clearly science is a tool and can be used positively or negatively. If chiropractors are able to devise and fund studies concerning the myriad benefits of chiropractic care, then we would be able to more clearly communicate to the world what the profession has known for decades -- that chiropractic works!

Yours in Health,

Andrew

References:

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=79865
http://www.nucca.org/files/Hypertension2007.pdf
http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/hypertensive-heart-disease
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/FASTATS/lcod.htm

What Does Chiropractic Need?

The following is a quote sent to me by a friend of mine. It captures very succinctly the status quo of chiropractic today. This profession is its own worst enemy and suffers from a lack of identity. As students its refreshing to see the perspectives of those who have gone before us. We need to sew the seeds of our success today by having the guts and the vision to stand up for chiropractic, for patients, and for the innate power of the human being. We can be more than we are today its just a matter of opening the minds of the chiropractors of tomorrow about the possibility of a future where health is the focus, not merely the treatment of the disease.

In a future where patients seek to minimize invasive and dangerous medicine, chiropractic will lead the way.

Yours in Health,

Andrew

Chiropractic doesn’t need fanaticism, chiropractic doesn’t need gimmicks, chiropractic doesn’t need dogma masquerading as philosophy and chiropractic doesn’t need medicine.

We don’t need medicine’s approval, permission or their misguided suppressive, mechanistic philosophy and belief system.

Chiropractic’s expressive, empirical (vitalistic) philosophy is far superior to medical thought and is far more effective in helping patients.

We don’t need students in chiropractic colleges confused about their philosophy, but we have that. We have students who don’t know what they can do for patients. We have students who don’t know whether or not to vaccinate their children, don’t know about natural childbirth or the subluxation or their place in the world as chiropractors.

If we are to be a light amongst the confused we need to have schools that give students the big picture, the big idea, as BJ used to say. To heal our professional schism we must understand the roots of the philosophy, art and science DD Palmer taught and let that guide our practice.

What chiropractic does need is to get sick people well, no matter what the condition, and keep them in tune with their innate expression, as much as possible.

-Ted Koren

Chiropractic & Functional Medicine

This past weekend, instead of sleeping in and taking it slow, I attended a seminar for "Kinesiology Applied to Functional Medicine" taught by Dr. Bob Rakowski. Dr. Bob is a warrior in the field of natural healing. He is high energy and knows the latest science and statistics by heart, which gives his message some weight. In addition to lecturing and traveling, Dr. Rakowski is a very successful clinician and has one of the best practices in the country. He treats world-class athletes as well as regular, everyday folks. It is obvious that his command of biochemistry and peer-review science, concerning the effects of adjustments and nutrition, are key ingredients to his success. When someone asks the question: "Do you have any research to back this up?" Dr. Bob is ready to respond: "How many references would you like? 20? 50? 100?" This understanding and scientific literacy is something to aspire towards, as it provides a foundation of understanding that goes beyond the borders of one specific and often narrow field of study. In his words, students must be "elite upon graduation" in order to make it and better serve humanity. Of course, we are given a golden opportunity to learn here...so lets get on with it!

It was an excellent seminar for all of us, esp. so for myself and three other classmates who were given some very practical information re: chiropractic, nutrition and health. Our curriculum at Northwestern Health Science University is very academic at this point, as it must be, in order to prepare us for board exams. However, it is inspiring to get hands on instruction about real-world chiropractic issues. It was a valuable experience, the best so far, and one that I look forward to continuing in the future. The science behind Applied Kinesiology (AK for short) is fantastic and in the months ahead the topic will be explored with more detail right here.

Yours in Health,

Andrew

Beginnig T2

Well in a few days T2 begins at Northwestern Chiropractic College. This time we are responsible for 27.5 hrs of studies in only 4 months. It is commonly understood that "full time" status is 12 hrs, so 27.5 is a 2x load from undergrad. The name of the game is to stay present in the moment. When something needs to be done, do it! Do things when they come to mind, that way they are taken care of quickly. I'll leave you with a photo of one of the giants of Chiropractic: B.J. Palmer. Anyone notice a resemblance?

Yours in Health,

Andrew