Online Medical Journals?

I want to research reputable medical journals that look at the use of chiropractic adjustments in the treatment of ADHD. A friend is trying to convince me that my son's ADHD was caused from spinal misalignment due to birth trauma (suction during birth). I have seen her 'proof', all in the form of data from chiropractors themselves but I'd like to see non-biased data from a quality medical journal and don't know where to look. If there is a proven correlation in proper scientific studies, I'll pay closer attention to the info she's giving me. Any suggestions?

PS I'm not looking for advice on how to treat or not treat my son's adhd.

Thanks. :) :)

perhaps you can access stuff at a university near you?
when i was attending Antioch University, I had access to all kinds of libraries on line.

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Originally Posted by mimitabby

perhaps you can access stuff at a university near you?
when i was attending Antioch University, I had access to all kinds of libraries on line.

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Yes, very true. I was thinking online from home at this point but if I have to, I can head to the Uni or the library.

Thanks Mimi. :)

I am a social worker and generally rely on the National Institute for Mental Health web site (NIMH) for information. I did a quick search for chiropractic and ADHD and came up empty handed.

Here is the general ADHD link for NIMH http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publi...lication.shtml

The other place I generally go to is the FDA web site. They review and research everything from SAD lamps to dog food to laser surgery. I can't seem to find anything there either. I will have to ask my husband (he is a pharmacist) if there is another door in to the site because the page I keep pulling up is different than the more research based one that I am used to seeing.

He also knows several online medical sites and I will get those for you as well. I am pretty sure that you have to have access to the sites and don't know what that entails.

I haven't ever heard of that used as a treatment personally, but I will ask the counselors that I work with if they have.

Sounds interesting, to say the least. From a risk/benefit analysis, the only real risk that I see is losing money and time (and anything physical, which is always a risk whenever anyone messes with the body).

Here is something that sites some research:

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54025

I just remembered that pubmed and medline are two sites that he frequents. I think that they are sister sites.

PubMed gives you free access to a lot of medical journals, with a search function... (related to the NIH link above);
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/

Definitely try PubMed, as berkeley & flybye suggested.

There's also Science Direct - you'll have limited access to it as a non-subscriber but I think the free version might be useful.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/

Hey KG -

I'm a little bored at work so I ran a search in one of the databases we subscribe to, looking for references with the combination of ADHD and birth injury (which is a generic term the db uses for birth trauma).

It brought up a couple of dozen hits. Not all of them contain abstracts but glancing through there might be some relevant articles.

PM me with your email address and I'll email the results to you.

- Jo.

Thank you everyone! I hadn't thought about going to the ADHD websites themselves. And on the National Resource Centre on ADHD, I found info about alternative treatments, including this:

Chiropractic

Some chiropractors believe that chiropractic medicine is an effective intervention for AD/HD.28, 29, 30 Chiropractic is based on the belief that spinal problems are the cause of health problems and that spinal manipulations ("adjustments") can restore and maintain health. Advocates of this approach believe that imbalance of muscle tone can cause an imbalance of brain activity, and that spinal adjustments as well as other somatosensory stimulation, such as exposure to varying frequencies of light and sound, can effectively treat AD/HD and learning disabilities.31

Other chiropractors believe that the skull is an extension of the spine and advocate a method called applied kinesiology, or Neural Organization Technique. The premise behind this approach is that learning disabilities are caused by the misalignment of two specific bones in the skull, which creates unequal pressure on different areas of the brain, leading to brain malfunction.32 The bones are the phenoid bone at the base of the skull and the temporal bones on the sides of the skull. The theory says that this bone misalignment creates unequal pressure on different areas of the brain. This misalignment is also said to create "ocular lock," an eye-movement malfunction that contributes to reading problems. The advocates argue that since eye muscles are attached to the skull, if the cranial bones are not in proper position, malfunctions in eye movement (ocular lock) occur. Treatment consists of restoring the cranial bones to the proper position through specific bodily manipulations.

These theories are not consistent with either current knowledge of the causes of learning disabilities or knowledge of human anatomy, as even standard medical textbooks state that cranial bones do not move. No research has been done to support the effectiveness of chiropractic approaches for the treatment of AD/HD.

Google scholar is another good shot: scholar.google.com

Okay, so I am one of those in the middle of this problem. I'm a graduate student in pharmacy, and have had courses in complementary and alternative medicine (aka CAM). Additionally, I am a regular chiropractic patient - I get monthly adjustments and it has greatly helped with a neck injury I sustained from an unfortunate endo.

I definitely agree with the suggestions of PubMed, accessing your nearest university library, Google Scholar, etc. I might also suggest that if your nearest university has a medical school you talk to them and see if they have a CAM practitioner to give you a helpful evaluation of the literature. Perhaps it could make a nice project for a student as well.

As far as choosing chiropractors, it sometimes comes down to luck. You might want to look around for one who specializes in NUCA [neck and upper cervical (neck, not cervix) a-something] treatments. I'm surmising your friend assumes your child's affliction is related to the upper spinal cord.

Best of luck in your information quest!

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Originally Posted by wolfak

Okay, so I am one of those in the middle of this problem. I'm a graduate student in pharmacy, and have had courses in complementary and alternative medicine (aka CAM). Additionally, I am a regular chiropractic patient - I get monthly adjustments and it has greatly helped with a neck injury I sustained from an unfortunate endo.

I definitely agree with the suggestions of PubMed, accessing your nearest university library, Google Scholar, etc. I might also suggest that if your nearest university has a medical school you talk to them and see if they have a CAM practitioner to give you a helpful evaluation of the literature. Perhaps it could make a nice project for a student as well.

As far as choosing chiropractors, it sometimes comes down to luck. You might want to look around for one who specializes in NUCA [neck and upper cervical (neck, not cervix) a-something] treatments. I'm surmising your friend assumes your child's affliction is related to the upper spinal cord.

Best of luck in your information quest!

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Thanks for info from both sides. I support chiropractics for mechanical problems, and possibly even other medical issues as well, but I start to question its use for other seemingly unrelated problems. That being said, if I could find some good research that shows some relevancy, (and I did find one study by the way), I might buy into it. So far, I have found very little support though.

The young lady in question tends to get all wound up about stuff and comes armed with lots of 'data' that is often biased and/or is simply "testimonial". She's still young and doesn't know how to evaluate the things that she reads or hears. (Not to suggest that I know everything either... :o )

I don't know anything about chiropractics and even less about ADHD . . . but in terms of practitioners there's also osteopathy. I think osteopaths and chiropracters have very different training and are licensed/regulated differently.

I go to an osteopath for alignment issues related to a back injury, and I know my doc has a number of patients who are kids and dealing with some chronic issue . . . I guess the theory is that osteopathic treatment might help the body's natural healing mechanisms? I've never really asked about it.

Just another type of doc you might want to look into . . .

I hate to sound like the voice of doom, but I believe this is just another way to take parents' money. There are no substantiated studies that using chiropractic treatments cure ADD. It's like the optometrists who say "vision training" cures learning disabilities. I am a huge believer in complementary medicine, but no way on this one. I have a lot of experience with ADD; both of my kids have it and I was a special needs teacher for half of my teaching career. So far, we haven't found the magic bullet for ADD, but, I hope your friend does not spend money on this.

I had a Chiropractor (the stereotypical Quack-o-practer) tell me he could cure my vertigo, which is the result of head trauma with neural damage, if I came in for treatment 3x / week for several weeks, then 2x / week...... Yeah right. He manipulated me into one of the worst ever migraines I ever had. Took a different Chiropractor to fix the dammage. Chiro #2, also would periodically work on my microscope neck (hours sitting at a 'scope), with me leaving his office feeling much better. Stuck with #2 until I moved away. #1 advertised heavily, #2 never advertised.

Osteopaths - I used to work in an Osteopathic hospital - it's a 4 year medical school, with internships, residencies, etc. just like traditional Medical school. Graduates are DO not MD. They are licensed as full fledged doctors. Some states have them as MD on the license. They tend to look at the body as a whole, and more keen on alternative medicine techniques.

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Originally Posted by Crankin

I hate to sound like the voice of doom, but I believe this is just another way to take parents' money. There are no substantiated studies that using chiropractic treatments cure ADD. It's like the optometrists who say "vision training" cures learning disabilities. I am a huge believer in complementary medicine, but no way on this one. I have a lot of experience with ADD; both of my kids have it and I was a special needs teacher for half of my teaching career. So far, we haven't found the magic bullet for ADD, but, I hope your friend does not spend money on this.

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She wants me to spend my money on it. LOL...

Crankin' said it very well . . . complementary medicine. There's so much not known about the effectiveness of these treatments. And if they are effective, what the actual mechanism is that is working.

I will be the first to admit that I have no idea why I feel better after I go to my osteopath. Could be placebo effect. Could be that he really did something that is relieving strain off of support muscles that I otherwise don't have voluntary control/access to. I have no way of knowing.

But I also get massages, and go to Pilates classes, and do my at-home PT exercises, and I think all of these things together probably do something for me.

And of course, with kids & ADHD, we're talking about a completely different animal.

Pubmed would be a good place to look- though usually you'll just get an abstract- so if you found something that looked promising you'd have to go directly to the particular journal's website (many will then will want to charge you if you aren't a subscriber, though it varies and some will allow you to look at some or all articles for free).

However, I'm doubtful that there is any quality data on this topic. Even for more mainstream chiropractic treatments like back pain, there's only a handful of articles in traditional peer reviewed medical journals.

Good luck.

As an M.D. I'll stay out of the CAM/chiropractor part of the conversation...

Www.emedicine.com is a reputable site that has a lot of good medical information.

This one is an ADHD advocacy group that has a lot of articles and links: http://www.add.org/index.html

In college I worked for a group of doctors (the MD type). They hated to see their patients go to chiropractors because the theory behind it has no basis in science. So I've always had that prejudice...

Then to compound it, my brother married a HS dropout who gathered and ground up leaves and sold them in capsules to people who believed she knew what (and how much of it) could heal diseases or prevent them. She didn't file a tax return for years...when she left my brother she went to chiropractor school on a displaced homemaker grant + the $ she made from the puppy mill she operated in her kitchen,:eek: and now she calls herself Doctor.

I'm sticking with MD's.

Sorry KG, I know you said you weren't asking for advice... but I can't bite my tongue on this one.

I am a certified manual Physical Therapist. After the basic PT deg I went through 6 years of clinical experience, multiple intense courses and equally intense exams to become certified to do spinal manipulation. It is an effective treatment when used appropriately and I use it with caution. I would never consider manipulating the upper neck on a child appropriate or safe. A child's upper neck is not ossified completely and serious damage can occur from a manipulation. In the case of the neck that damage can lead to death. Chiros will argue that the risk is very small, much smaller even than taking an aspirin. That is statistically true. But the consequences could be severe and if there is no good science to support any type of benefit from the technique, why risk it.

I'm sure I'll get flamed for that but so be it.

Note: I am not anti chiro, I know some great chiros that treat very responsibly. I just don't agree with this particular situation.

DEFINITELY check the credentials of any type of practitioner that you consult. There is a lot of good information and a lot of misinformation out there, and it can be tough to sort through, especially with "alternative" therapies.

Wahine makes a good point that some treatments may do more harm than good in some cases.

I'm someone who grew up being steered away from alternative treatments because dad is an MD and believes it's all rubbish. Since I don't necessarily do what he says, I've always operated on the rule of thumb that, if I'm desperate and nothing else is working, and if I feel like it can't make things worse, then maybe I'll try it. I think there's an element of being mentally, emotionally and physically receptive to a treatment that can also influence whether it's effective.

To illustrate: at various times and for various reasons, I've let people talk me into trying acupuncture. Generally it's had zero effect on me. In the case of a shoulder injury (dragonboat racing -- the scrip was ice and ibuprofen, which was not helping), it actually made my wrist swell up. Thankfully my wrist did not hurt as much as my shoulder.

I related this whole episode to my Taiwanese grandmother a week later, who had been a qi gong practitioner for 20 years. To which she said, "that's not right. Mind if I try something?" I thought anything my grandmother does to me couldn't possibly make things worse, so I said sure. And then she did this Mr. Miyagi thing and I actually felt better, for about a week. Probably would have lasted longer if I hadn't had another mishap the next week.

Bottom line is, I can't explain why acupuncture hurt and why qi gong hocus-pocus helped. Approach any treatment and practitioner with a healthy skepticism.

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Originally Posted by Wahine

Sorry KG, I know you said you weren't asking for advice... but I can't bite my tongue on this one.

I am a certified manual Physical Therapist. After the basic PT deg I went through 6 years of clinical experience, multiple intense courses and equally intense exams to become certified to do spinal manipulation. It is an effective treatment when used appropriately and I use it with caution. I would never consider manipulating the upper neck on a child appropriate or safe. A child's upper neck is not ossified completely and serious damage can occur from a manipulation. In the case of the neck that damage can lead to death. Chiros will argue that the risk is very small, much smaller even than taking an aspirin. That is statistically true. But the consequences could be severe and if there is no good science to support any type of benefit from the technique, why risk it.

I'm sure I'll get flamed for that but so be it.

Note: I am not anti chiro, I know some great chiros that treat very responsibly. I just don't agree with this particular situation.

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Actually, I just meant I didn't want to start up a whole thread about the pros and cons of using medication etc. Your points are well taken and give me more reasons to say no to her. She's off my case about taking him to the Chiro now for the time being anyway.

I use pubmed, but the problem for you at home may not be runnning the searches but downloading the articles to read. If you run the searches from a University Library, you will be able to download the articles too.

My personal experience with chiropractic is bad. They can hurt you if they don't understand the underlying cause of the problem. I had a chiropracter scream at me cuz I couldn't relax my back, but the problem was a damaged SI joint and all her pounding on it only inflamed it further. She never bothered to run an x-ray to find out my 3 cm LLD was caused by mis-healed fractures and not an 'alignment problem.' It took a good orthopoeadist and physical therapist to get well.