Breast Cancer - Can Chiropractic Care Help?
by Dr. Adam

It is quite stunning to think that we are already plunging into October 2010. Many of us expected that solar-powered flying cars would rule the transit system by now, and that magic remedies would be available for about any condition imaginable. How nice it would be to have everything we wanted in the blink of an eye, to eat anything we desire, and to live our lives in any way we please.

The unfortunate truth is that we are as far from that ideal as we have ever been. If we had such an easy remedy, we would not be plagued with so many health problems, nor would we be currently locked in a health care crisis. Just about everything we have, including our health, is hard-earned. For the most part, we are dependent on our own daily decisions to determine the state of our health. Many of us, however, have done all the right things, but have simply been hit with bad luck, because of our genetics or otherwise.

This is why it is so crucial to increase the public's awareness of breast cancer, and to fund research on better treatments for those diagnosed with breast cancer. We must also raise awareness about what we can do to help prevent breast cancer: maintain a healthy weight, stay physically active, limit alcohol consumption, and schedule visits with our doctor especially if we notice any breast changes. It is also important to stay educated on the research, such as the risks of pesticides, unnecessary antibiotics, and long-term use of hormone therapy regarding breast cancer.

These are essential not only for breast cancer prevention, but also for being healthier in general. The daily lifestyle decisions we make impact our long-term health in ways that are often less easily identified. Chiropractors are trained to recognize many of these patterns and coach patients on how to nip them in the bud. This is why many refer to their chiropractor as their "life coach."

While chiropractic care is not a direct treatment or cure for breast cancer, our goal is to improve the quality and quantity of life for our patients. Our nutritional and exercise advice is perfectly in line with the known ways to help prevent not just cancer, but also diabetes, lung disease, cardiovascular disease, and stroke, the leading causes of death in America. Chiropractic care can reduce blood pressure, reduce pain, increase balance, help prevent falls, and keep people active even in their later years.

Chiropractic adjustments alone sometimes surprise us with mysterious beneficial effects. Overall, patients tend to adopt a more positive mental attitude as a result of chiropractic care, even when received on a maintenance basis. Studies show that the diagnosis of cancer and its treatment can wreak havoc on anyone's psyche , and a positive mentality is very helpful to prevent anxiety, depression, and a lower overall quality of life . Hence the chiropractic niche in helping with breast cancer treatment.

Although often dubbed "alternative care," chiropractic is rapidly becoming more mainstream and is compatible with other forms of health care. When a patient sees a chiropractor, it does not mean that he or she has to stop seeing medical doctors. In fact, the chiropractors at Dixon Center of Chiropractic encourage our patients to keep those appointments. We will work closely with other healthcare practitioners to provide our patients with the full arsenal of options available to help them live a happier, healthier life. It's just what we do.

Mayo Clinic staff. "Breast cancer prevention: Lifestyle factors that can reduce risk." Retrieved Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Klikovac T, and Djurdjevic A. "Psychological aspects of the cancer patients' education: thoughts, feelings, behavior and body reactions of patients faced with diagnosis of cancer." J BUON. 2010 Jan-Mar;15(1):153-6. Retrieved Wednesday, September 15, 2010.

Zenger, M., et al. "Pessimism Predicts Anxiety, Depression and Quality of Life in Female Cancer Patients." Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2010 Sep 6. Abstract, retrieved Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Read about Dr. Adam Dixon   http://dixoncenter.com/custom_content/c_40240_dr_adam_dixon.html

Read about the myths of Chiropractic Care  http://dixoncenter.com/wellness_topics/c_46_chiro_myths__facts.html

The Clinical Study Results are Here.

One of the most important studies showing the positive effect chiropractic care can have on the immune system and general health was performed by Ronald Pero, Ph.D., chief of cancer prevention research at New York's Preventive Medicine Institute and professor of medicine at New York University.

Dr. Pero measured the immune systems of people under chiropractic care as compared to those in the general population and those with cancer and other serious diseases. In his initial three-year study of 107 individuals who had been under chiropractic care for five years or more, the chiropractic patients were found to have a 200% greater immune competence than people who had not received chiropractic care, and 400% greater immune competence than people with cancer and other serious diseases. The immune system superiority of those under chiropractic care did not diminish with age.

Dr. Pero stated, “When applied in a clinical framework, I have never seen a group other than this chiropractic group to experience a 200% increase over the normal patients. This is why it is so dramatically important. We have never seen such a positive improvement in a group...”

Source:  Pero R. "Medical Researcher Excited By CBSRF Project Results." The Chiropractic Journal.

Over the last ten years, health-care providers have begun to re-evaluate traditional "accepted" means of dealing with childhood earaches and have found many of them to be inadequate. In fact, up to 60 percent of all ear infections that cause earaches improve on their own.

Doctors today are better at distinguishing between an ear infection and fluid in the middle ear. These two conditions vary in both the degree of discomfort the child experiences and in the respective methods of successfully treating each condition. One method that has shown promise in many cases is the “wait-and-see” approach.

The earaches many children experience may not be due to infection. It may simply be a result of fluid buildup in the middle ear. Typically this condition will cause discomfort due to slight inflammation in the middle ear. If this is the case, antibiotics will not help. This is where a chiropractic adjustment can open the Eustachian tube, thereby allowing the fluid to drain from the middle ear.

With the exception of extreme cases, even the infected ear may not require traditional means of treatment. But if the eardrum is bulging, there is pus behind it and the child is screaming, seek immediate medical attention. The doctors at Dixon Center are well trained in the detection and treatment of ear problems. Discussing your opinions may speed up your child’s recovery and help prevent problems in the future. 

If your child experiences recurrent ear infections, it is important that you talk to the Doctors of the Dixon Center. Doctors of chiropractic are licensed and trained to diagnose and treat patients of all ages and will use a gentler type of treatment for children. By helping to restore the normal function of the tissues of the neck, middle ear infections (otitis media) can usually be significantly reduced or completely eliminated in most children, without the use of antibiotics and surgery.