Addictions – Can Chiropractic Help?

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A recent article in Psychology Today gives new meaning to the term “straighten up,” when it comes to addiction treatment and chiropractic care. Can chiropractic care help someone who has an addiction problem?

Certain brain chemicals produce a state of well being in the body. When the spine and nervous system are working properly, your body produces these chemicals in their proper proportions. Spinal misalignments are thought to suppress the production of these chemicals. Addicts often turn to outside chemicals (drugs and alcohol) as a means to “self-medicate” to try to produce the same types of “feel-good” sensations that they are lacking.

Jay Holder, DC, Medical Director of the Exodus Treatment Center, a drug rehab clinic in Miami, Florida conducted a study to determine the effect of adding chiropractic care to traditional 28-day drug treatment for patients in his facility. All of the 98 participants in his study had a 100% program completion rate (compared with a 78% national average), and their feelings of depression and anxiety were significantly lower.

Dr. Holder's research appears to indicate that when drug treatment programs integrate chiropractic care, the outcomes are more successful. According to Dr. Holder, “the correction of what chiropractors call subluxation results in a sense of well-being that allows patients to benefit more thoroughly from the group therapy and medical care of addiction treatment. Chiropractic does not treat addiction -- it does not treat any disease,'' Holder said. “We're allowing those things that treat addiction to be embraced more thoroughly.''

Dr. Oberg Asks some important questions of interest to Fort Collins residents - Chiropractor Fort Collins Dr. Oberg Asks...

Can chiropractic cure a child's ear infections?
Chiropractic isn't a cure for anything. Nor is it a treatment for ear infections. However, many children who suffer with ear infections also suffer from spinal problems in their neck, compromising nerves to the ear, depressing the immune system and preventing proper drainage. Can chiropractic help? Find out!
Are chiropractors just concerned with the spine?
Our interest in the spine is because it covers the major communications conduit between your brain and your body. As a Fort Collins chiropractor my job is to locate areas (usually along the spine) that interfere with proper nerve communications to and from your brain. Chiropractic adjustments help restore nervous system integrity. In this way, chiropractic care can affect the function of your entire body.