 CHIROPRACTIC THERAPY
Shawn Messonnier DVM
Chiropractic therapy is the use of spinal manipulation to improve health. Like other complementary therapies, chiropractic medicine is designed to work at the appropriate level of the healing process and to work with the normal inborn homeostasis (the ability of the body to remain "normal and healthy") of the body, rather than simply treating symptoms. Spinal manipulation is an old therapy, almost as old as acupuncture. The Chinese used acupuncture from about 2700 B.C., and even Hippocrates used this discipline as he felt that spine was the cause of many diseases. While chiropractic care has been used in human medicine for many years, only recently has this discipline been applied to animals. While few controlled studies have shown benefits to chiropractic therapy, a number of anecdotal reports have demonstrated positive benefits.
Chiropractic care focuses on the interactions between neurological mechanisms (the nervous system) and the biomechanics of the vertebrae. In chiropractic theory, disease arises as a result of spinal misalignment that negatively influences the nervous system. Since all body systems are regulated by the nervous system, anything (spinal misalignment being the most common cause) that interferes with nervous impulses to organs could impact on the proper functioning of those organs and body systems. Chiropractic therapy seeks to realign the spine by a variety of manipulative techniques.
Spinal misalignments are called subluxations by chiropractors (this is not to be confused with the term subluxation, meaning partial dislocation, as used by conventional doctors.) A subluxation is technically defined as a "disrelationship of a vertebral segment in association with contiguous (surrounding) vertebrae resulting in a disturbance of normal biomechanical and neurological function."
There are several hypotheses that have been proposed to explain how chiropractic subluxations cause disease. They include:
Facilitation-This hypothesis states that the subluxation produces a lower threshold for nerve firing in the spinal cord. Realigning the spine stops the nerve firing, relieving signs of disease.
Somatoautonomic Dysfunction-This hypothesis purports that the abnormal responses of the autonomic nervous system result from altered nerve function that occurs as a result of subluxations. The abnormal autonomic nervous system may cause disease in tissues regulated by this branch of the nervous system including the heart, digestive tract, and urogenital system.
Nerve Compression-This hypothesis states that the vertebral subluxations cause pressure on spinal nerves, which alters the normal transmission in the nervous system. Chiropractors believe that the nerve compression leads to ischemia (reduced blood supply) and edema (swelling caused by a build-up of fluid) of the compressed nerves, which causes the dysfunction.
Compressive Myelopathy-In this hypothesis, it is believed that vertebral subluxations may compress or irritate the spinal cord, which can cause ischemia and/or edema leading to clinical signs.
Fixation-The fixation hypothesis of why subluxations cause disease proposes that the diseased vertebrae are "fixed" within their normal biomechanical range of motion; the fixation involves local spinal muscles and nerve receptors.
Vertebrobasilar Arterial Insufficiency-This hypothesis states that the vertebral arteries are constricted due to the subluxations, which leads to ischemia of the spinal cord or structures of the head of the patient.
Axoplasmic Aberration-It is purported in this hypothesis that the intracellular movement of proteins, glycoproteins, or neurotransmitters in the nerve cells is altered as a result of subluxations. In this hypothesis, the altered axoplasmic transport may result in toxic buildup of proteins, contributing to disease.
Neurodystrophy-This final hypothesis explaining how subluxations of the spine may contribute to disease states that nerve dysfunction is stressful to the body and its organs and that this lowered tissue resistance can modify the immune system. This hypothesis proposes an interaction between the nervous system and the immune system (such interaction has been demonstrated between connections between the immune system and the neuroendocrine system of the body.)
Regardless of which hypotheses may ultimately be proven to be the cause of disease resulting from spinal subluxations, chiropractic medicine seeks to "cure" the disease process by correcting these subluxations. Chiropractors correct subluxations by performing clinical examinations and radiographic (X-ray) examinations to determine which vertebrae are misaligned. Once the location of the subluxation has been determined, the veterinary chiropractor performing the treatment will perform a spinal adjustment. The spinal adjustment, defined as a "specific physical action designed to restore the biomechanics of the vertebral column and indirectly influence neurological function" (Willoughby,) is performed as needed to realign the subluxated vertebrae and allow neurological reprogramming of muscle contractions and healing of damaged ligaments. Usually multiple adjustments are needed as the body requires time to heal.
Note: Because of the increase in popularity in many complementary treatment techniques such as chiropractic, a number of "animal therapists" have advertised chiropractic care (and massage and acupuncture/acupressure) as part of their "specialty." Only veterinarians, or chiropractors using the technique under direct veterinary supervision, should perform chiropractic therapies on pets. Laymen should not be allowed to practice any of these medical techniques on pets.
Understanding the Holistic (Natural, Integrative) Approach to Treating Your Pet
When it comes to treating most diseases of dogs and cats, owners truly have a number of options. The reason for the large amount of options is that there is truly no one "best" treatment for every pet. Holistic veterinarians share the holistic belief that each pet is an individual, and must be treated as such. They discuss this philosophy with owners right from the start. What worked for the last sick pet the doctor treated may not work for your pet. Additionally, each owner is different and has different wants and a different budget for the pet. Some owners want to do everything possible for the pet. Money is not an object, and they will often allow us to experiment and try quite a number of unique treatments. Others opt for a bit less, and may not mind the pet taking medications for the long haul. Still others never want any medications, but will only opt for more natural therapies such as acupuncture, homeopathy, herbal therapy, or nutritional supplementation.
I should point out before proceeding that the truly holistic view, desired by most pet owners, involves looking at all options and choosing what works best with the fewest side effects. Holistic veterinarians are conventional doctors by training, and conventional therapies work well for a number of pets. Most drugs (including antibiotics, corticosteroids, and NSAIDS) are not by nature harmful WHEN USED CORRECTLY (see the special reports SAY NO TO DRUGS...NATURAL ALTERNATIVES TO ANTIBIOTICS,SAY NO TO DRUGS...NATURAL ALTERNATIVES TO STEROIDS,SAY NO TO DRUGS...NATURAL ALTERNATIVES TO NON-STEROIDAL DRUGS INCLUDING RIMADYLR, DERAMAXXR, METACAMR, ANDECTOGESICR for more information on how to safely use these medications.) Some dogs and cats are more difficult to medicate then others; owners of these pets may choose to treat their sick dogs "as needed" with medications. However, when trying to do the best, most natural and holistic thing for the pet, it would be wise to consider all options before giving up and resigning ourselves to chronic drug therapy. Holistic veterinarians believe that what they do, combine and offer both conventional and alternative therapies to owners is the best of both worlds. By knowing the pro's and cons of both types of medical care, the owner and doctor can work together and pick the therapy that they are most comfortable with, and that is most beneficial to the pet. Keep in mind too, that "holistic" doesn't necessarily mean "alternative". A truly holistic approach looks at trying to heal the entire pet, and not just cover up symptoms. A truly holistic approach chooses what's best for the pet, trying to give the pet relief while minimizing side effects. Conventional drug therapy can be a part of the holistic approach to the treatment of disease IF the goal is to help the pet become a healthier pet and not just cover up symptoms while ignoring the pet's well being.
The problems that I and other holistic veterinarians have with the conventional therapy of many diseases are numerous. First, many doctors fail to get a proper diagnosis. Maybe these doctors don't want owners to have to spend much money in diagnosing their pets' problems. Maybe the doctors just decide that the pets have a certain disease, such as allergies for example, and figure it's easy enough to treat that with corticosteroids or other medications that relieve the itchiness and red skin and hope the pet doesn't experience any serious side effects. However, these are not excuses for failing to diagnose and treat the pet correctly. While allergies are certainly the most common cause of chronic itchiness in dogs and cats, other more serious conditions can also cause pets to scratch incessantly. These other causes include but are not limited to infections (bacterial or fungal such as ringworm,) parasites (mange,) immune skin diseases, food allergies, Malassezia (yeast) dermatitis, flea allergy dermatitis, contact dermatitis, skin cancers, and hormonal disorders including hypothyroidism and Cushing's disease. Every doctor can refer those cases he's uncomfortable handling.
Another thing that is quite troubling to me is that so many pets I see for evaluation of chronic "allergies" have never received a proper diagnosis, but are being treated for months or years with potentially harmful therapies (usually steroids.) A good number of these pets have not ever had ANY diagnostic tests done. When I perform diagnostic testing such as a blood profile (looking for hypothyroidism which is a common cause of chronic, undiagnosed skin disease,) skin scraping (to look for mange mites,) skin cytology (to look for yeasts, a common cause of itchiness in dogs,) fungal culture (to check for ringworm,) or skin biopsy, I often find the real cause of the pet's chronic itching (or chronic skin infections) and can treat the pet appropriately. There is simply no excuse for failing to obtain a proper diagnosis prior to chronic treatment of a pet.
So the bottom line is this: before we condemn a pet to chronic drug therapy, even if that is what the owner desires, we at the very least need to get a proper diagnosis and make sure that our treatment choice is correct.
Second, natural therapies are usually less expensive for the pet owner. Pets on chronic drug therapy often experience side effects that also must be treated, resulting in increased health care costs for the pet owner. Some therapies, such as Phenobarbital for pets with seizures, NSAID therapy for pets with arthritis, and diuretic and ACE-inhibiting therapy for pets with heart disease require FREQUENT monitoring with physical examinations and blood and urine testing. All of this testing greatly increases costs to the pet owner but is absolutely necessary to make sure the drug therapies are not killing the patient!
Finally, often a more natural therapy is better for the pet. Continuing our discussion of the dog or cat with allergies, many therapies such as fatty acids, antioxidants, herbs, and homeopathics are much safer for your pet than chronic steroid therapy. Why not pick the safest treatment for your pet? The holistic approach always seeks to answer the question, “What is the best therapy for YOUR pet RIGHT NOW?”
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