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Asthma Study on
Benefits of Chiropractic
Asthma has become a large health concern for children in recent
years. Over the past 20 years the incidence of asthma has doubled.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated
that in 1998, approximately 17,299,000 people in the United
States, or 6.4% of the population, with cases among very young
children up 160%. As reported in the June 16, 1999 issue of JAMA,
the CDC also noted that between 1980 and 1994, the number of
people self-reporting asthma grew 75%.
In a study conducted in 1996 by the Michigan Chiropractic Council
(MCC), a panel of doctors performed an out-come assessment study
to test the qualitative and quantitative effectiveness of
chiropractic care on children with asthma. The high demand of
parents seeking alternative care for pediatric asthma was shown by
the overwhelming interest in the study. More than 500 parents
called the MCC seeking to get their child involved in the
chiropractic study.
The study, which took place during May and June of 1996, examined
the chiropractic effectiveness in correcting the cause of asthma
in patients from birth to age 17. The average age of the
participant was 10 years. "After 30 days of
chiropractic health care, patients averaged only one attack,
whereas prior to the study they were experiencing more than four
attacks," said MCC Dr. Bob Graham, who directed the study.
"Medications, which can be costly, were decreased by nearly
70 percent. Finally, patient satisfaction was rated 8.5 on a scale
of 10." More than 70 chiropractors from 62 cities in
Michigan studied more than 80 children suffering from asthma.
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