The month of March is an exciting one! Not only are we closer to having our Reclaim office location finished, but it is also a month for great health awareness topics! March Madness begins with conference tournaments into the NCAA basketball tournament for all of you basketball fanatics out there (this is Indiana, it’s almost like a religion here). It is also a month of fasting and reflection for those celebrating Lent in preparation for the greatest event which saved humanity. As a Catholic Christian I am always excited for the Lenten season to continue to grow my faith, but since this is a health post I’ll stay on topic for the time being.
If you want to see the full list of awareness topics this month click HERE!
I am going to reflect on two of these awareness topics and shed some light on their importance to your health!
The first is Brain Injury Awareness Month.

For those of you who know my family, you will understand why I will outline this. I also outline this for the recent events which have impacted my fiance’s family. Brain injury can occur in many shapes and forms. Whether it be from congenital development or traumatic injury later in life. I want to delve into the world of STROKE. Let’s be honest. Most people have no idea what it is like to have a stroke, but most have had someone they know and love who has suffered from one. A common misconception is that the individual suffering a stroke has become “brain-dead” or a “vegetable” following an infarction of the brain due to either a clot creating an ischemic event or a bleed creating a perfusion event. In reality, these individuals mainly are affected through loss of motor function. They can completely sense and understand the world around them, but the problem is they have lost the ability to move and communicate back to the world around them. I recommend anyone interested in this process to read the book, “My Stroke of Insight” by Jill Bolte Taylor. Dr. Bolte Taylor is a neuroscientist from Terre Haute, IN who studies the brain and patterns of how brain injuries affect the human body. She also is a stroke survivor who wrote about her experiences. Absolutely phenomenal material. She presents an amazing Ted Talk as well! You can find the talk here!
You may be asking, “Why is a Chiropractor talking about strokes? My doctor or my friend told me they read from some news article choir-practors cause them.” WELL THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS WE DO NOT CAUSE STROKES! Some individuals have suffered strokes and point the finger at the chiropractic adjustment. This is false accusation made as a scapegoat to the true cause, which more than often is an underlying condition for which the stroke has already started. I will admit that a negligent DC who will aimlessly adjust the neck with a rotary motion may have a higher risk (still slim) of causing cervical artery dissection leading to an ischemic event in the brain aka stroke. In fact, in a study completed and published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiologic Therapeutics, “We found no evidence of excess risk of VBA stroke associated chiropractic care compared to primary care” (1). Let that sink in a bit. If you are still skeptical then take a look at a more recent study completed in November 2016 and published by the Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease which concluded, “We found no excess risk of carotid artery stroke after chiropractic care. Associations between chiropractic and PCP visits and stroke were similar and likely due to patients with early dissection-related symptoms seeking care prior to developing their strokes” (2). So to combat this claim of chiropractors causing stroke I give you this article by Chiropractic student, Bryan Pankow in which he outlines and further explains how there is no relation between Chiropractic and stroke (3). Interesting enough, the adjustment can increase function of the cortex and all structures impacted by the nervous system (i.e. the whole body). This is shown by a preliminary study which was completed in New Zealand (4). Ultimatly, the chiropractic adjustment of the spine can increase neurologic function to increase use of extremities after a stroke. So not only do we not cause strokes, we have the ability to improve recovery from them after they occur! Couple this with amazing an amazing PT department (here’s to you guys and gals at Margaret Mary Outpatient Health), and you have a recipe for phenomenal outcomes!
The second awareness topic will be discussed in two weeks over National Nutrition Month. Stay tuned!
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