CHIROPRACTIC CARE AND IMMUNE FUNCTION

CHIROPRACTIC CARE AND

IMMUNE FUNCTION

Dr. Frederick T Schurger

If you’ve been in chiropractic for any length of time, one of the things you’re bound to have heard about is how benefi cial chiropractic is for immune health. Many have heard of Dr. Ronald Pero’s research out of the University of Lund showing improvements to the immune system after chiropractic care, the numbers of people that were saved during the Spanish Flu pandemic under chiropractic and osteopathic care compared to medical care, or just the teacher who reports that she no longer gets sick around her students and peers when its cold and fl u season. Unfortunately, these examples have been critiqued for having poor documentation or being anecdotal evidence. Thankfully, the chiropractic profession now has peer-reviewed clinical research showing a relationship between chiropractic care and the immune system! On April 6, 2022, the article secretory Immunoglobulin A and Upper Cervical Chiropractic: A Preliminary, Prospective, Multicenter, Observational Study; was published in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, showing an increase in secretory IgA (SIgA) after an upper cervical adjustment at the craniocervical junction. A fi ve-site study was performed utilizing the most popular Upper Cervical Adjusting Techniques (UCATs) to observe changes in SIgA after an adjustment. We found a statistically signifi cant increase in SIgA from baseline to 30 minutes after an adjustment. SIgA levels dropped to baseline levels after two weeks. Our research suggests that after an upper cervical adjustment, a systemic immune response is activated for a short period. Our innate immune system is our fi rst line of defense against outside invaders. While it communicates with our adaptive immune system for a longterm response, the innate system is nonspecifi c and responds rapidly. Among the components of the innate immune system is secretory IgA. SIgA is the most abundant immunoglobulin in the human body and the most important immunoglobulin to fi ght infectious pathogens in the respiratory and digestive systems at the point of pathogen entry. It is present in mucosal secretions, such as saliva, tears, and breast milk. SIgA attaches to antigens on viruses and bacteria and can delay or prevent them from penetrating the epithelium at mucosal surfaces.4 Early discussions of how best to fi ght SARS-CoV-2 included how best to bolster the response of mucosal IgA through vaccines. Sterlin et. al. Looked at IgA responses in 159 patients, and found that early SARS-CoV-2 humoral responses were dominated by IgA antibodies, fi nding that IgA contributed to virus neutralization to a greater extent compared to IgG. Further, the neutralizing IgA remained detectable in saliva for 49 to 73 days post symptoms. The role of IgA in fi ghting SARS-CoV-2 is still being explored. Our study included the most utilized UCATs: Atlas Orthogonal, Blair, Knee Chest, NUCCA, and Orthospinology. Our researchers were located in Illinois, Florida, and Toronto, Canada. All adjusting doctors were either a Diplomate (one a DCCJP student at the time samples were collected) or Fellow of the Chiropractic Craniocervical Junction Procedures program. UCAT protocols were followed for each technique as taught by their respective groups, and adjustments were restricted to C1 and C2 for study participants during this period of time. We accepted patients for the study January 1 – June 1, 2019. Saliva samples were collected just prior to a new patient’s fi rst adjustment, 30 minutes after the adjustment, and after two weeks. We found a statistically signifi cant increase in SIgA from our baseline to our postadjustment samples. After two weeks, levels returned to baseline. Our study also used the SF-12 survey to measure corresponding changes in overall physical and mental health over time. We found that both physical and mental health scores signifi cantly improved during the two-week period. This study showcases the strength of Upper Cervical adjusting, as it focuses on the ability of these often very different procedures to share similar outcomes overall. Eriksen et. al. Showcased similar positive outcomes among Upper Cervical practitioners, demonstrating excellent improvement in a patient’s overall health. This study is a pilot study, and further research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind our observations regarding SIgA secretion. We encourage other chiropractors to perform similar studies to replicate our fi ndings. We recommend repeating our study with more frequent samples and collecting data over a longer time period to explore in greater depth how SIgA changes over time. We are thankful to the Upper Cervical Research Foundation and the Orthospinology Society for their generous funding of this study. Donations to either organization are appreciated so we can continue sharing clinical evidence of what we know to be our amazing innate abilities.

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