Can Chiropractic Care Help With Seizures?
The Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research published a study on April 10, 2014 documenting the case of a young girl with pseudoseizures being helped with chiropractic care.
The study authors reported, “A seizure is characterized by an abnormal discharge of nerve cells in the brain that can cause altered awareness or abnormal sensations, involuntary movements or convulsion.” Similarly, pseudoseizures are identical in their presentation and symptomatology to grand mal seizures, but lack the presence of neurological activity measured on an EEG.
In this case, a 14-year-old girl was brought in for chiropractic care by her mother who reported that her daughter had been suffering from 30-40 seizures per month for the previous three months. The history noted that the young girl’s seizures often occurred in multiples on one day with two to three seizures at a time and one to two minutes of quiet in between. The frequency and severity of the seizures was continually getting worse since their onset. Her problems were so severe that she had to discontinue traditional school in favor of being home schooled.
Prior to the chiropractic examination the girl had been examined by her primary care doctor, an allergist, a neurologist, a psychiatrist and a psychologist. She had been subject to a battery of tests including multiple MRI’s, EEG’s, CT’s and blood work. The tests had not shown any pathology, so the medical diagnosis given was that the girl was suffering from pseudoseizures.
A chiropractic examination and analysis revealed the presence of vertebral subluxations. Specific chiropractic care was then rendered to correct the subluxations. Care began at the rate of 2 to 3 visits per week.
The study showed that by the girl’s sixth visit, she had gone without a seizure for eight days which was the longest time period since her seizures began three months prior. She experienced one additional seizure during her eighth visit to the chiropractor, and was adjusted at that time. This event was followed by another eight days of her being seizure-free.
As chiropractic care continued, the girl’s seizures continued to decrease in frequency. After 5 months of chiropractic care, the girl would still get the pre-conditions and feelings like a seizure was coming, but no seizure would ensue. She continued to remain seizure-free and was able to return to school after 8 months of chiropractic care.
“It is postulated that a relationship between subluxation, specifically upper cervical subluxation, and childhood seizure disorders exists,” the authors noted in their conclusions. “Evidence from this case supports the elimination of vertebral subluxations as an effective management approach in the care of children with seizures.”
If you or someone you know is suffering with seizures, they should be checked by a Doctor of Chiropractic for vertebral subluxation. Please call (512) 452-2525 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Swanson today.