Wow, that is quite a mouthful. Good thing scientists don’t typically write poetry, yikes!
Over the weekend, I was at my annual Activator Methods seminar. I’ve been advanced rated since before I even graduated from Palmer. It’s nice to go every year, get a refresher and learn about some of the new research they have had their hands in. One of the advantages for the Activator technique is, is that the instrument delivers the same amount of thrust every time it’s fired. That means setting up research/experiments can potentially be easier because the thrust is replicable.
This experiment originally began in 2012 which also coincided with the release of their newest Activator (the V). This experiment on rats was done using the Activator V tool.
The researchers wanted to see what would happen to rats who had their ovaries removed (mimicking the effects of a hysterectomy or menopause), the rats had already developed osteoporosis and the consequent effects of the Activator on their hind legs.
Here are my top 3 takeaways from this article:
- Without delving completely into the anatomy jargon, the research showed one amazing piece of information. It was that using the Activator V on the rats hind legs increased bone density! Let me say that again, a chiropractic adjustment using an instrument promoted bone growth. Whoa…The treatment plan was that the rats got adjusted 3x/week for 6 weeks. The researches had taken x-rays of the hind legs before treatment and the osteoporosis was noticeable. Once treatment was finished, the x-rays were re-taken and their was obvious trabeculae formation in the hind legs. The idea is that since the muscle overlays the bone, through adjustments the muscles (myokines) are being stimulated and muscle stimulation causes bone growth.
- This research paper was published in a non-chiropractic, high impact journal. This means that scientists and doctors from all fields would be reading this. I think it also shows that researches are looking for non-pharmaceutical ways to reduce osteoporosis and improve bone growth.
- What could this potentially mean for the future of chiropractic? I’m not trying to get ahead of myself because obviously this needs to be replicated and of course tested in humans. Imagine if future studies showed the same results? What if chiropractic was also the non-drug method to prevent or reverse osteoporosis? What would that mean when it comes to main stream acceptance? MD referrals and recommendations from the American Medical Association (and other related groups like them), insurance companies, Medicare (government insurances) taking care of the baby boomers and the tidal wave of geriatric patients…if chiropractic can do this, would that open the door for researchers to start testing chiropractic for other non-musculoskeletal ailments?
How do you think research being published on non-musculoskeletal diseases will affect the chiropractic profession?
For more information or to read the article check out the link below:
“Impact of Chiropractic Manipulation on Bone and Skeletal muscle of Ovariectomized Rats.”
Lopez-Herradon A et.al.
Calcified Tissue International
2017 Nov; 101(5):519-529
Kassandra Schultz D.C
