Chiropractic for Anxiety and Depression

In my clinical experience I have seen many patients who are suffering from depression and/or anxiety.  According to CAMH, 20% of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime and it affects people of all ages, educational and income levels, and cultures.

Anxiety is an emotional state characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil, often accompanied by nervous behavior.  People with depression can feel sad, empty, hopeless, guilty, irritable and lose interest in activities that were once pleasurable.

I’ve seen how debilitating these states can be for my patients and how detrimental it can be to their overall health.  I have also seen that chiropractic can help moderate the severity of these conditions, helping them engage in life and rekindle an enjoyment in daily living.

A study conducted by the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation showed that over 70% of participants showed a “marked improvement” with chiropractic treatment to the upper cervical spine (neck). A total of fifteen participants were chosen for the study (all with a history of depression). Each participant was diagnosed with an upper cervical misalignment using postural analysis and precise x-rays. All participants were provided with a questionnaire prior to receiving a chiropractic adjustment and were asked to fill out a second questionnaire two weeks after. An astounding 73% of participants scored a marked improvement with their questionnaire score, with 13% showing only slight improvement.

Sometimes these emotional states are a reaction to or related with the frustration of living with chronic pain.  Recent research helps shed light on how and why patients who receive chiropractic care report an improvement in their depressive state.

Gay et al.  (2014), investigated the immediate changes in the connectivity between the areas of the brain which process and modulate the pain experience.  This pain processing network of neurons is closely linked to the regions associated with the sensation of mood and emotion.  24 participants with low back pain had functional MRIs of their brains before and after receiving chiropractic manipulative therapy.  Based on multiple outcome measures the results reveal that the adjustments create an immediate and beneficial effect on the functional connectivity of multiple parts of the brain which modulate the pain experience.

Chiropractic is a natural, drug free approach to health that should be considered when dealing with mental health issues like anxiety or depression, especially for individuals having little results with counseling and/or drug therapy.

If you, or someone you know suffers from anxiety or depression consider adding chiropractic to your treatment strategy.

References:

• http://www.cmha.ca/media/fast-facts-about-mental-illness/#.VdZDw_lVhBc
• Genthner GC, Friedman HL and Studley CF. Improvement in depression following reduction of upper cervical vertebral subluxation using Orthospinology Technique. JVSR. Nov. 7, 2005;1-4.
• Gay, C. W., Robinson, M. E., George, S. Z., Perlstein, W. M., & Bishop, M. D. (2014). Immediate changes after manual therapy in resting-state functional connectivity as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging in participants with induced low back pain.Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 37(9), 614-627

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