Advanced Imaging Says Chiropractic Improves Brain Function

One of the greatest advances of modern technology is the invention and application of advanced imaging in healthcare. For so long healthcare assessment and outcomes were based on what hurt or didn’t hurt the patient. This approach was not as reliable or consistent as one would hope when it comes to dealing with our health. For example, let’s take an ankle injury. There are specific tests that can be done to assess the integrity of specific ligaments, tendons, and muscles. However, no two ankle injuries are exactly the same and no two patients are exactly the same. One patient may have pain during these tests which would be a positive finding while the second patient may not have pain which would indicate a negative finding. Yet, both of these patients may have ruptured the same tissues.

Advanced imaging has taken the guess work out of so many cases, like the one above. We can now use things like MRI, CT, PET, EEG, etcetera to see and know the extent of an injury and confirm or negate other findings. These imaging modalities can also be used to assess how our bodies are functioning or how they function under certain circumstances. If you haven’t already read a previous blog on how function is the key to being healthy. You can find that here.

Since the inception of chiropractic, patients and chiropractors alike have claimed that the adjustment delivered to remove interference from the central nervous system improves more than just aches and pains. We’ve even seen cases where brain dysfunction improved. So how does chiropractic stand up to advanced imaging modalities such as Functional MRI? Spectacularly.

In one study, researchers found increased blood flow to the brain resulting in normal cerebral function. In another study, visual alterations were corrected following an adjustment due to increased blood flow to the retina and brain. A third study examined how a patient responds to a stressful stimulus before and after an adjustment. The result was astonishing! The patient was better equipped to handle and adapt to stress and it could be seen on functional MRI! Similar results have been seen on EEG as well. The most profound was a study on five children with ADHD. EEG results displayed improved brainwaves after a chiropractic adjustment. This is amazing stuff!

Most people only associate chiropractors with neck pain, back pain, and headaches but the evidence is adding up that chiropractic is all about the brain! The brain controls and coordinates every function throughout the body, therefore improving brain function improves overall health and wellness. That is what chiropractic is all about.