Research Shows Chiropractic Can Help Infants with Colic and Reflux

Atlanta, GA, May 22, 2009 --(PR.com)-- The research on 16 infants, reported in the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic, revealed that ten of the infants experienced a difficult birth that may have resulted in spinal injuries predisposing the children to these problems.

“Research is revealing that injuries to the upper part of the neck may be a factor in a number of disorders. These injuries lead to misalignments in the neck that may compress the spinal cord and other nerve structures in the neck. This compression leads to nerve interference and can result in a host of disorders such as colic and acid reflux” stated Dr. Erin Elster the author of the study.

Dr. Elster previously studied the relationship between upper neck injuries and such disorders as Parkinsons, multiple sclerosis, asthma, headaches and Tourette’s in clinical studies. Reviews of the scientific research reveal numerous other studies that have shown a similar connection.

“It makes a lot of sense when you think about it” stated Dr. Matthew McCoy a chiropractor, public health researcher and editor of the journal that published the study, “If you damage or compress the neurological structures in the neck this can have far reaching implications on the functioning of the body. Through research like Dr. Elster’s we are finding that correcting the misalignments associated with these injuries reduces the nerve compression and people improve. In this study it was infants suffering from colic and acid reflux.”

Ordinarily infants suffering from colic and acid reflux may be given medications that in many cases have not been fully studied in children. Finding the cause of the colic or reflux is a much better strategy. One such cause is thought to be spinal misalignments, termed vertebral subluxations by chiropractors, which result in structural and neurological interference to the spine and nerve system. It is this interference that may cause symptoms such as those seen in this study and chiropractors correct or reduce this interference.

In the study, sixteen infants with colic or acid reflux were evaluated and cared for using protocols developed to correct upper neck subluxations. Histories of birth trauma were reported in 10 cases; upper cervical subluxations were found in all 16 cases; and 100% of the cases responded to chiropractic care with symptoms completely resolved. According to Dr. Elster, these results suggest a link between birth trauma, upper cervical injury, and the onset of colic and acid reflux. Correcting the injury to the upper cervical spine through the use of specific chiropractic adjustments appears to eliminate colic and acid reflux. The author calls for further study in a controlled environment with larger sample sizes.

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