Reprinted from the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research

I’ve been away for awhile, but I’m back. I hope to be writing more frequently now that we’ve had our third child and things are somewhat finding a rhythm. This is an incredible article! This  talks about one of the many reasons people do and should stay under regular Chiropractic care. It’s not just for pain and people are starting to finally understand this. Read this multiple times….

There is a growing body of evidence that wellness care provided by doctors of
chiropractic may reduce health care costs, improve health behaviors, and
enhance patient perceived quality of life. Until recently, however, little was known
about how chiropractic adjustments affected the chemistry of biological
processes on a cellular level.
In a landmark study published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research ,
chiropractors collaborating with researchers at the University of Lund found that
chiropractic care could influence basic physiological processes affecting
oxidative stress and DNA repair. These findings offer a scientific explanation for
the positive health benefits reported by patients receiving chiropractic care.
The study was a collaborative involving Camgen, Inc. of Victoria, B.C. Canada;
Chiropractic Leadership Alliance in Mahwah, NJ; Biomedical Diagnostic
Research, LLC in Chesterland, Ohio; and Department of Cell and Molecular
Biology of Tumor Immunology, University of Lund, Sweden.
The researchers measured serum thiol levels in 21 patients under short-term
chiropractic care and 25 patients under long-term chiropractic care. The results
were compared to those of a non-chiropractic treated control group of 30
subjects. Long-term chiropractic care of two or more years was shown to reestablish
a normal physiological state independent of age, sex, or nutritional
supplements. Symptom-free or primary wellness subjects under chiropractic care
demonstrated higher mean serum thiol levels than patients with active disease,
and produced some values that were higher than normal wellness values.
Serum thiols are primary antioxidants, and serve as a measure of human health
status. The test provides a surrogate estimate of DNA repair enzyme activity,
which has been shown to correlate with lifespan and aging.
Dr. Christopher Kent, one of the authors explained, “Going through life, we
experience physical, chemical, and emotional stress. These stresses affect the
function of the nervous system. We hypothesized that these disturbances in
nerve function could affect oxidative stress and DNA repair on a cellular level.”
“Oxidative stress, metabolically generating free radicals, is now a broadly
accepted theory of how we age and develop disease,” Kent continued. “Oxidative
stress results in DNA damage, and inhibits DNA repair. DNA repair is the
mechanism which fixes the damage caused by environmental impact.”
Chiropractors apply spinal adjustments to correct disturbances of nerve function.
“Chiropractic care appears to improve the ability of the body to adapt to stress,”
continued Kent. “Further research is needed to gain additional insights that will
ultimately lead to improved clinical outcomes,” he said.