How Can Chiropractic Care Help Cancer Patients?

Cancers are primarily an environmental disease with 90-95% of cases attributed to environmental factors and 5-10% due to genetics. Environmental, as used by cancer researchers, means any cause that is not inherited genetically, not merely pollution. Common environmental factors that contribute to cancer death include tobacco (25-30%), diet and obesity (30-35%), infections (15-20%), radiation (both ionizing and non-ionizing, up to 10%), stress, lack of physical activity, and environmental pollutants.

It is nearly impossible to prove what caused a cancer in any individual, because most cancers have multiple possible causes. For example, if a person who uses tobacco heavily develops lung cancer, then it was probably caused by the tobacco use, but since everyone has a small chance of developing lung cancer as a result of air pollution or radiation, then there is a small chance that the cancer developed because of air pollution or radiation.

Chiropractor, Dr. Eric Lampinstein applies gentle, small adjustments to the spine. Dr. Lampinstein says chiropractic care can be beneficial to many cancer patients’ overall health. He notes, “By adjusting and correcting the neuro-musculoskeletal dysfunctions, we reduce stress to the nervous system, which in turn, helps restore the body’s ability to heal. It’s also a way of helping the body to function better.”

Chiropractic treatment can relieve pain and stiffness in your joints and muscles caused or intensified by surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Specifically, chiropractic adjustment helps to properly align the spine and other joints and restore nerve function. It can also help alleviate a variety of symptoms, including:

• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Headaches
• Sciatic nerve pain
• Painful walking
• Nausea
• Neuropathy (pain or numbness in the hands and feet)

While chiropractic care can be helpful to patients undergoing treatment, there are some precautions, which should be taken to ensure safe delivery of care. A chiropractor should always review the patient's most recent X-rays and bone scans to ensure there is no bone metastasis. Also, the patient’s platelet count should be carefully monitored. According to a recent research study, Upper specific Chiropractic adjustments have a profound effect on the physiology, serology and immunology of individuals. The effect of specific upper cervical adjustments on the immune system, CD4 cell counts individuals were measured by CD4/mm3 in the blood. These tests were performed by the patients’ independent medical center where they were under medical supervision for the regular groups were dramatically increased over the counts of the control group. A 48% increase in CD4 cells (Immune cells) was demonstrated over the six-month duration of the study for the Chiropractic adjusted group.