By: Taber Andrew Bain

The #1 Myth About Chiropractor Care:

You may have heard the myth that chiropractors are causing strokes in their patients by manual manipulations and adjustments. This myth is both terrifying and scary especially with the fear that a simple crack of your spine or neck could send you to the emergency room with a full blown code stroke. I am here to further discuss and debunk this myth by validating facts and providing you with the benefits of having cervical manipulation treatments.
The Actual Risk Factors for Stroke:
– Tobacco Use
– Hypertension [high blood pressure]
– Heart Disease
– Hyperglycemia [high blood sugar]

A person’s lifestyle is a major factor and predicator of an increased risk of stroke. Smoking, alcohol use, poor diet, and a sedentary lifestyle will place a person at high risk for having an ischemic stroke.

Interventions to reduce one’s risk of stroke would include smoking cessation, decreasing or abstinence from alcohol, introducing light exercise, and making better food choices daily.

So…Where did this Myth originate from?
This myth came from patients having a previous or underlying issue located in their brain or neck such as an embolism or thrombus (blood clot) which will produce symptoms such as moderate to severe neck pain. This pain won’t be relieved by over the counter medications such as Tylenol or Advil or other alternate therapy such as massage. Due to this chronic pain, patients will typically seek an appointment with a chiropractor because they have relentless neck pain but we must note that neck pain is rarely to be a sign of stroke. 

Signs & Symptoms of a Stroke provided by the American Heart Association include:

(American Heart Association and American Stroke Association Linking Policy, 2021)

An underlying condition called a  VAD (Vertebral Artery Dissection) is found to be most likely the cause of a stroke.

Ongoing 9+ year studies have proven that Chiropractic Adjustments do not place patients at a greater risk for having an ischemic stroke or ischemic attack.

• The condition VAD has occurred in patients from simply turning or rotating their head, having a coughing fit, or even normal daily movements or stretching of the neck.
• The majority of patients experiencing VAD have an underlying illness or disease in progress such as a thrombus or embolus, as previously mentioned.
• VAD is considered by medical professionals medical to be both random & unpredictable.
  (Murphy, Schneider, Perle, Bise, Timko, & Haas, M. (2016).

Recent & Ongoing Studies Prove:

A study compared over 15,500 cases over a span of nine years who were admitted to a community hospital with the diagnosis of a stroke showed there was no found link or association between chiropractic visits resulting stroke in those 45 years of age or older. (Cassidy, et, al. 2008).

Other Myths about Chiropractor Care:

Despite the word on the street or what you may have heard from other professions in the field, Chiropractors must pass a National board exam to earn their license to practice and attend schooling to complete both their undergraduate and their doctoral graduate degrees. They are highly skilled and have years of clinical practice prior to being able to practice, evaluate, diagnose, and treat ailments such as neck pain.

By: Nenad Stojkovic

In conclusion, Chiropractor care is safe & effective

From personal experience, I highly recommend seeing a chiropractor especially if you suffer from neck or back pain. Perform your own research and find a board certified and credited medical practitioner in your area. Your first visit to a chiropractor will involve an x-ray or scan and a full evaluation and history to find a treatment plan specifically geared towards your ailment and recovery.

Dr. Shawn Thistle shares his knowledge and expertise in the field to discuss common myths about chiropractic adjustments in this Youtube video below.  ↓  ↓  ↓

References

Cassidy, J.D., Boyle, E., Cote, P., He, Y., Hogg-Johnson, S.Silver, F.L., & Bondy, S. J. (2008). Risk of vertebrobasilar stroke and chiropractic care: Results of population-based case-control and case-crossover study. Spine, 33(45), S175-S183.

Heart Attack, Stroke, and Cardiac Arrest Symptoms. Accessed 12/13/21. American Heart Association. https://www.heart.org/en/about-us/heart-attack-and-stroke-symptoms

Murphy, D. R., Schneider, M. J., Perle, S. M., Bise, C. G., Timko, M., & Haas, M. (2016). Does case misclassification threaten the validity of studies investigating the relationship between neck manipulation and vertebral artery dissection stroke? No. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies, 24, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-016-0124-9

By: Kanijoman

There have been many studies that have been focusing on the neurological effects of the COVID-19 vaccines. Neurological conditions such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome have been impacting patients receiving the COVID-19 vaccines all over the world. Patients can become sensitive to inflammation and other neurological symtpoms that include htose of GBS. 

WHAT IS IT?

“GBS” otherwise known as Gillain-Barre Syndrome, is a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the nerves, triggering numbness, weakness and pain. Patients who are receving that COVID-19 vaccination are experiencing long term effects and the symptoms of GBS. Symptoms of GBS typically develop within 42 days of vaccination, and the first symptom is often numbness or tingling in your hands or feet. The typical progression of GBS is from the legs up to the arms over a one-week to four-week period which can be accompanied by progressive heaviness and weakness in the legs the arms. Also, later on, there can be difficulty with swallowing and breathing, but those are unlikely to be initial presentations. Other symptoms of GBS may include:

• Back pain.
• Muscle weakness.
• Heart rate or blood pressure problems.

Angelo Antonini, MD, PhD, University of Padua, Padua, Italy, debates the potential neurological consequences of the vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines cause the expression of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 in the host, which is implicated in the immune reactions observed during COVID-19 infections. Therefore, there are concerns that the expression of the spike protein due to the vaccine can cause similar reactions. However, until now, evidence suggests that the vaccine is well-tolerated as there is no evidence of long-term effects after vaccination, except for some cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

THE TRUTH

By: NIAID

In comparison Jarrahi et al. shows research defining whether COVID vaccines initiates peripheral immune activation such as Gullian Barre and/or affects brain function (p. 2). These studies also were used to identify patient populations at the highest risk for developing neurological symptoms. Undoubtedly, biological variables, including sex, age, comorbid conditions, pre-existing neurological diseases, and other undefined genetic polymorphisms dictate the clinical course of COVID-19. Jarrahi et al. also states that it still remains unclear whether GBS manifestation is a coincidental presentation during SARSCoV-2 infection or whether this represents a causative
relationship (p. 3). Its clear that effects of COVID-19 can lead to neurological brain symtpoms, but it is still not a positive fact on wether or not its causing patients to have GBS. The likelyhood of patients being diagnosed with GBS after being vaccinated is extremely small. Afterall, its much more common to develop GBS develops after and infection not a vaccine.

References:

Antonini, A. (2021). Neurological disorders & COVID-19 vaccines. VJNeurology. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQXq9YbXXYM

Jarrahi, A., Ahluwalia, M., Khodadadi, H., da Silva Lopes Salles, E., Kolhe, R., Hess, D., Vale, F., Kumar, M., Baban, B., Vaibhav, K., Dhandapani, K. (2020). Neurological consequences of COVID-19: what have we learned and where do we go from here? Journal of Neuroinflammation, 17(1), 1-11.

Zeneca, A. (2020). COVID-19 vaccine neurological complication. NeuroscIQ. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olRgaoi-N90&t=25s