February 24, 2006

The Best Wealth is Your Health

New hope for people with depression

By Dr. Adam Fields, D.C.
Special to the Times

Is a happier society on the horizon?

New treatments for depression are taking on many forms. In the February 20 issue of U.S. News and World Report an article was published on the “Miracles of Brain Repair” touting “daring surgeries for victims of depression.”

One such electrical implant emits a pulse to the Vagas Nerve every five minutes. However, for a 30-second span, every 5 minutes, the patient’s voice can get horse due to the proximity of the implant to the vocal cords. For one suffering with depression, the risks may outweigh the benefits.

Another, more experimental, technique for serious depression which does not involve surgery is transcranial magnetic stimulation. This sends a current to the left prefrontal cortex of the brain to try and stimulate happiness.

We have all heard of Prozac, which acts on the brain by increasing Serotonin levels. Kids are even being given Prozac.

Unfortunately, this has been linked to emotional problems later in life; stunted bone growth and a two times increase in suicide compared to patients given placebos. At the same time, antidepressants have, undoubtedly, given many people normal lives that would otherwise find just getting out of bed in the morning very difficult.

Are there safer avenues that can be exhausted before resorting to surgery and chemicals? What if there was something to try first that had no side effects?

This something is emerging with new evidence and stimulates brain activity from the inside out. Yes, that something is Chiropractic.

A study in the November 7, 2005 issue of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research found that patients diagnosed with clinical depression experienced a “highly significant” level of improvement in their depression symptoms after a round of chiropractic care. The care was focused on what I focus on in my office daily. That is the correction of small misalignments of the spinal bones known as vertebral subluxations.

In the study, 15 patients who were diagnosed as clinically depressed were put under chiropractic care. The study subjects were given the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) survey to determine the extent of their depression before and after the chiropractic care.

The BDI-II is a questionnaire designed to measure the presence and severity of depression in people 13 or older. It is one of the most widely used standards of psychological measures.

In the study, specific attention was paid to the first vertebra in the spine (the atlas), which is located in the upper cervical spine. The atlas encircles the brainstem as it comes from the brain and exits the skull. The cranium sits on top of the atlas. When the atlas is misaligned it can wreak havoc on the brain and body and do this without necessarily causing pain.

The researchers limited their communications with their patients during the procedures to decrease the possibility of placebo effect. No other relaxation or therapeutic methods were used in order to decrease the number of variables that might affect outcomes.

Before the patients had chiropractic care, the mean BDI-II score was 17. After the chiropractic care, the mean score had decreased to 8 (lower is better). 11 of the 15 patients showed marked improvement after care.

Stanford hosted a study that showed a change of posture to be affective in elevating moods. Chiropractic can help with posture. Here are some quotes of two people who have had their postures improved at Fields Family Chiropractic:

“I’ve got back that lovin’ feeling” said one man in his 30s who was so inspired that he went on to become a chiropractor.

A 75-year-old woman said, “Since being under chiropractic care I don’t have a down day, don’t have ‘senior moments’ and got rid of the Prozac.”

I often ask people who come to my office what their happiness level is on a scale of 1 to 10 and see improvement with chiropractic care. Many people under my care over the past 12 years have been able to eliminate antidepressant medication entirely. The next person could be you.

Dr. Adam B. Fields is a chiropractor in the Evergreen area at Fields Family Chiropractic, located on 2919 The Villages Parkway, San Jose, CA 95135. For more information and questions, please call (408) 274 2244.