A multi-modal chiropractic treatment approach for asthma: A 10-patient retrospective case series
Objective: To describe the clinical management of 10 cases of childhood asthma using a conservative, multi-modal treatment approach based on applied kinesiology (AK) chiropractic methods.
Clinical Features: Ten patients are presented (7 male, 3 female) between the ages of 3 and 22. Each patient had been medically diagnosed and treated for asthma, and all patients were taking one or more asthma medications.
Intervention and Outcome: After physical, orthopaedic and AK manual muscle testing examination, the patients were admitted to a multi-modal treatment protocol including chiropractic manipulative therapy, cranial manipulative therapy, muscle therapies aimed at strengthening the muscles of respiration, and nutritional evaluation using the methods developed in applied kinesiology chiropractic. Outcome measures for the study included subjective/objective visual analogue respiratory impairment scales (VAS), improvement in exercise-induced asthma symptoms, reduction of respiratory distress with daily activity, reduction in the frequency of coughing during the day and night, and ease of breathing. These assessments were gathered from both the children and their parents or guardians. Additionally, each patient was able to go off their asthma medications over a range of 3-6 visits (covering a range of 14 days to 5 months time) without a return of their asthma symptoms. All the patients remained off their medications during a follow-up period ranging from 3 months to 4 years.
Conclusion: A percentage of patients presenting to chiropractors have asthma. This case series report suggests that a potential benefit may exist in asthma-associated symptoms for selected cases treated with this multi-modal chiropractic protocol.
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