Category: Alternative Healthcare

A study released on April 23, 2026, by Research Square looked at how chiropractic care may help people dealing with the physical challenges that often come with cancer treatment. Many cancer patients experience pain, stiffness, muscle tension, and reduced mobility after treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, or hormone therapy. These issues can make everyday activities more difficult and reduce overall quality of life. Researchers wanted to better understand whether chiropractic care could help improve function and decrease pain in this population.

The study reviewed the records of 97 adult cancer patients who received chiropractic care at a major cancer center. Researchers tracked how patients felt over time by measuring both pain levels and the ability to perform daily activities. The results showed that many patients experienced noticeable improvements. Functional ability scores steadily improved from the beginning of care through follow-up visits, while pain levels decreased over the same period. These positive changes were considered both statistically significant and meaningful for many patients.

One of the most encouraging findings was that improvements continued over time. About one-quarter of the patients achieved clinically meaningful gains in function by the second follow-up visit, and nearly half experienced meaningful reductions in pain. This suggests that ongoing chiropractic care may provide lasting support for people recovering from or actively undergoing cancer treatment. Many patients reported being better able to move, perform daily tasks, and manage discomfort as care progressed.

Researchers also found that the benefits appeared consistent across different groups of people. Men and women both showed similar improvements in function and pain reduction, and patients of different racial backgrounds experienced comparable results as well. This consistency suggests that chiropractic care may be a helpful supportive option for a wide variety of oncology patients struggling with musculoskeletal problems and reduced quality of life after cancer treatment.

The study discussed how chiropractic care may help by improving joint mobility, reducing muscle tightness, supporting healthier nervous system function, and helping the body move more comfortably. Correction of subluxation and improved spinal function may play a role in helping the body adapt to physical stress and recover more effectively. Because cancer treatments can place tremendous strain on the body, conservative and non-drug approaches to pain relief and improved mobility are becoming increasingly important in supportive care settings.

While the researchers noted that additional studies are still needed, the findings were very encouraging. The study supports the growing idea that chiropractic care can be a valuable part of integrative healthcare for people facing cancer-related pain and physical limitations. As more healthcare providers recognize the importance of improving quality of life during and after cancer treatment, chiropractic care may continue to play an expanding role in helping patients stay active, comfortable, and engaged in daily living.

When people seek healthcare, they want more than symptom relief—they want to feel heard, understood, and confident in the care they receive. A large national study published on November 26, 2025, by BMC Health Services Research, looked closely at how patients experience chiropractic care and what truly shapes their overall satisfaction. Rather than focusing only on clinical outcomes, the research explored the human side of care: communication, reassurance, involvement, and trust.

The National Survey of Patient Experience and Satisfaction with Chiropractic Care was conducted among patients in chiropractic clinics in Denmark in January of 2023. The survey included nearly 18,000 patients from chiropractic clinics across an entire country, making it one of the most comprehensive assessments of patient experience to date. An overwhelming majority of patients reported high or very high satisfaction with their care. This level of consistency suggests that many patients feel chiropractic care meets or exceeds their expectations, especially when it comes to feeling supported and informed during their visits.

One of the strongest findings was that personal interaction mattered more than facilities or convenience. Patients consistently rated their experience highest when they felt listened to, thoroughly examined, and clearly informed about their condition. Feeling involved in decisions and reassured about progress played a major role in how satisfied patients felt. In other words, quality communication and connection mattered far more than parking availability or waiting room details.

From a nervous system perspective, this makes sense. When patients feel calm, safe, and informed, the body is better able to shift out of stress mode and into healing mode. Care that focuses on improving nervous system function—including correction of subluxation—helps reduce interference that contributes to pain, tension, and stress. This may also explain why patients often report benefits that go beyond pain relief alone, such as improved confidence, ease of movement, and peace of mind.

Overall, this research reinforces an important message: people value care that treats them as whole individuals, not just a set of symptoms. High satisfaction was closely tied to feeling respected, informed, and reassured. For patients, this means chiropractic care can offer not only physical support, but also a positive, empowering healthcare experience—one that supports the body’s natural ability to adapt, heal, and thrive.

The Journal of General Internal Medicine published a study on May 20, 2025, with the title “The Impact of Chiropractic Care on Opioid Prescriptions in Veterans Health Administration Patients Receiving Low Back Pain Care.”

The authors of this study begin by reporting on why the Veterans Administration is interested in non-drug approaches to back pain. “Since the start of its Opioid Safety Initiative (OSI) in October 2013, through its current Pain Management Opioid Safety and Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PMOP), the Veterans Health Administration (VA) has been working to embrace a culture of effective pain treatment while reducing the risks associated with long-term opioid therapy.”

The study reports that low back pain (LBP) is the most common reason veterans seek healthcare services through the VA. VA medical facilities have been offering chiropractic care since 2004 in certain facilities. However, the study also reports that the only 4.1% of veterans seek chiropractic services while 11-14% of the general population seek chiropractic care. This potentially speaks to restrictions or barriers to receiving chiropractic care in the VA system.

The authors note that other studies have shown chiropractic care has decreased the needs for other forms of care. They state, “Prior observational studies outside VA have shown that patients receiving chiropractic visits for LBP tend to subsequently use less of other healthcare services such as advanced imaging, therapeutic injections, and pharmacological therapies, including opioids.”

Researchers reviewed the records of patients from 2015 to 2020, who went to a VA facility for lower back pain. Patients were excluded from the study if they only went to the VA for one visit for LBP, or if they received an opioid prescription within 180 days prior to their study timeframe.

The patient records were organized into two groups. One group was called the “Chiropractic users” and the other group was referred to as “Chiropractic non-users”. After removing cases that did not fit the study parameters, the researchers reviewed the records of 128,377 veterans that did meet the study criteria. This included 7327 (5.71%) chiropractic care users and 121,050 (94.29%) non-chiropractic patients.

The researchers then compared these two groups looking to see the rate of new opioid prescriptions for patients in each of the groups. The results showed a statistically significant reduction in opioid prescriptions filled by those LBP under chiropractic care as compared with those that did not receive chiropractic care.

In the discussion section of the study the authors wrote, “Our results add to the existing literature showing an inverse relationship between receipt of chiropractic care and receipt of opioid prescriptions among patients with LBP in private sector and VA Populations.” They concluded, “The results of this study show that nonpharmacologic chiropractic care can be an important component of opioid sparing strategies for VHA patients with LBP.”

Plos One published a research article on January 13, 2025, showing that the demand for chiropractic services continues to increase by veterans according to the Veterans Health Administration (VA). The research was also published that same day on the National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information website. The study predicts that the demand for chiropractic services will continue to increase for the next five years.

The study begins by reporting that “The Veterans Health Administration (VA) introduced chiropractic services in stages starting in Fiscal Year (FY) 2001, and since then has steadily expanded its chiropractic care delivery.” They also report that the expansion was driven by Congressional mandates and by public demand. Another driving factor is that musculoskeletal pain and injuries is prevalent among military personnel.

Chiropractic care for veterans is delivered in two ways. The primary way is through chiropractors being present at VA facilities and delivering the care on-site. In areas where that is not feasible, chiropractic care is also delivered by chiropractors at private facilities who are part of the VA chiropractic delivery system.

The study showed that in the fiscal year of 2017, 1.4% of VA patients received chiropractic care. By 2022, that rate had more than doubled to 3.5% of VA patients. Of the total population of people in the VA program, the Department of Defense estimated that 13% of their total population utilized chiropractic. They also note that this percentage is higher than the general population which utilizes chiropractic at a rate of 11% of the general population.

The study predicts that by the year 2027, the usage rate of chiropractic services will double. They predict that that increase will require additional resources within the VA system to handle the increased demand for services.

For services rendered for VA eligible recipients outside a VA hospital or facility, it is estimated that 411,061 veterans will be using chiropractic by the year 2027. This increase will result in an increase in expenditures to $553.4 million by in the next two years.

In their conclusion, the researchers note that the increase in chiropractic services being rendered to veterans is in line with the overall expected demand for chiropractic services in general. They state, “This trend aligns with the broader healthcare trends towards evidence-based non-pharmacological pain management strategies and highlights the VA’s role in addressing veterans’ musculoskeletal healthcare needs.”

On March 6, 2024, the scientific journal Chiropractic & Manual Therapies published the results of a literature review study showing that people who utilized chiropractic for spine-related pain first saved money on all healthcare related costs.

The authors of the study begin by describing the magnitude of spine related pain in society. “Spine-related musculoskeletal pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide and one of the most common reasons for missed work. In the United States (U.S.), healthcare costs for low back and neck pain are rising and as of 2016 were the highest for any condition, with an estimated $134.5 billion for care related to spinal pain.”

As reported in this study, there are many options people utilize for caring for either acute or chronic spine-related pain. These options include prescription and over-the-counter medications, manual or behavioral therapies, injections, and surgery. They also report that in the U.S., chiropractic care is one of the most commonly utilized types of care for spine-related pain.

One of the issues related to the problem of spine-related pain is the overall costs of the care itself, as well as the “downstream costs.” Downstream costs are those additional costs that may not be directly related to the treatment of the condition but were impacted by the initial care rendered. These costs can include things such as medication side effect costs, hospital costs, work loss related costs, and costs to other areas. The authors of the study note, “For spine-related musculoskeletal pain, most often LBP, an emerging body of evidence suggests that downstream costs are significantly affected by the specialty of the initiating care provider.”

In this study, thousands of studies were reviewed. Of those, 44 studies with valid data met the criteria and were studied to look at the overall costs of different forms of care for spine related musculoskeletal pain. The results of the study showed that overall, if a patient went to the chiropractor first for spine related pain, the costs would be greatly reduced as compared to seeking medical care first.

The authors of the study wrote in their conclusion, “Patients with spine-related musculoskeletal pain who consulted a chiropractor as their initial provider incurred substantially decreased downstream healthcare services and associated costs, resulting in lower overall healthcare costs compared with medical management.”

Based upon the results of the study, and the fact that much of chiropractic care costs are borne by the patient receiving care, the authors made a recommendation for the healthcare system. “When considering this evidence, it may be in society’s best interest for U.S. healthcare organizations and governmental agencies to consider modifying benefit designs to reduce barriers to access to chiropractic providers. Modifying or eliminating preauthorization requirements, medical doctor gatekeepers, arbitrary visit limits, co-pays and deductibles may all be considered. Eliminating these barriers would allow easier access to chiropractic services, which based on currently available evidence consistently demonstrate reduced downstream services and associated costs.”

The first quarter issue of the Asian-Pacific Chiropractic Journal published the results of a case study documenting chiropractic care helping an elderly woman who was suffering with Transient Ischemic Attacks, more commonly known as mini strokes.

For several years, there was a false narrative being promoted that chiropractic care might be a causative factor in some kinds of rare strokes. This misinformation has long been scientifically proven to be wrong as chiropractic continues to be one of the safest forms of healthcare available. The authors of this study expand upon this point early in their study by saying, “Not only was Chiropractic found to not cause stroke, it is emerging that Chiropractic care may be helpful to patients undergoing in stroke recovery.”

In this study, a 78-year-old retired woman sought chiropractic care after spending a week in the hospital. The woman had survived multiple transient ischemic attacks. During her stay in the hospital, the medical team was unable to locate any specific site of bleeding. Because of this, the doctors informed her that she would be returning to the hospital with more strokes, which they predicted she would suffer.

At the chiropractic office, the woman exhibited an abnormal gait, brain function issues, balance problems, and was determined to be a risk for falling. Her dizziness seemd to come in waves and affected all areas of her life. She was unable to walk without assistance and she could not drive. Additionally, the woman reported that she was having left side numbness as well as left arm and lower back weakness.

Spinal neck x-rays were taken. The results of those x-rays as reported in the study were “abnormal cervical spine alignment, with degenerative findings and abnormal calcium in arteries of the neck.” With these findings, the patient began an intensive regime of chiropractic care that was lighter force appropriate for her condition. She also availed herself to a variety of other alternative care procedures.

The study reports that even though the woman was told that a future stroke was inevitable, she did not suffer any further strokes after starting chiropractic care. In a follow-up visit 12 months after starting chiropractic, the woman had still not had any issues with stroke and was able to resume normal activities of her life. The study authors noted, “The patient went from very limited function, to better than normal function with a full return of independent living and activities. Given the prognosis she had received during her hospital stay, this is significant.”

In the discussion and conclusion of the study, the authors summed up this case by stating, “Through three weeks of concentrated chiropractic care, the first of which occurred just days after the last stroke event, stabilization of the patient was able to be achieved, along with a reversal of all symptomatology related to the stroke and cervical artery stenosis.” According to the study authors, the woman credits chiropractic with saving her life and giving her a second chance.

The Asian-Pacific Chiropractic Journal published a report in their 2023 first quarter journal showing that the term “subluxation” is not only a key part of the chiropractic terminology, but also well used in other health professions. The title of the report is, “The Chiropractic Subluxation: Medical evidence in support of the subluxation construct.”

The report authors begin by stating, “This presentation serves to demonstrate the widespread use and acceptance of the term subluxation.” They continue, “The ‘vertebral subluxation’ is one of two keystones in chiropractic and has been for its entire 127-year history since its foundation. The other term is ‘adjustment’ which may be identified as a refined and specific form of the more generalized generic term, ‘manipulation’.”

Although the term “subluxation” may have slightly different interpretations in the medical field when compared to chiropractic, the chiropractic profession uses this term more than all others. The more exact term, vertebral subluxation, is meant to not just mean a bone out of proper alignment in the spine, but also the neurological effects of the spinal misalignment. Given the vast number of mechanisms the subluxation can affect on human physiology, the most exact term using in chiropractic is the “vertebral subluxation complex.”

The report authors point out that the other health professions including medicine, have over 500 synonyms, euphemisms, or other terms related to the basic constructs of the chiropractic use of the term subluxation. Many of the medically used terms are based upon research supporting the basic chiropractic premise. The report authors point out, “There is noted evidence of medical use of chiropractic concepts particularly in European medicine, with many medical journals incorporating papers on these concepts, far more than in English language medical journals.”

The authors reference many medical texts, including Gray’s Anatomy, that clearly speak to the basic understanding of the subluxation. Many of these books even acknowledge chiropractic as the major healthcare system addressing subluxation.

The report emphasizes the importance of unique terminology for any health profession to continue to offer a unique service to the public. “The emergence of any new health profession may be identified by its unique title. Similarly, its uniqueness may be identified by its distinct use of particular terminology otherwise it could hardly be regarded as being different to any other profession. Consequently, chiropractic has developed two particularly distinctive terms; the ‘vertebral subluxation’ and the ‘vertebral adjustment’.”

After reviewing all the various professions that use either the term subluxation, or a similar term that has the same meaning, the authors of this report concluded, “The evidence we have presented indicates that medicine, osteopathy, and physiotherapy have all used the term ‘subluxation’ in the chiropractic sense. However, the more appropriate, and inclusive descriptive term of vertebral subluxation complex is widely adopted in chiropractic and the WHO ICD-10.”

Dr. Robert Braile, a chiropractor and past president of the International Chiropractors Association, commented on this report by saying, “The bottom line is that subluxation is a scientific, provable, and clinically important entity in healthcare. Most professions either directly use the term subluxation with a similar meaning as chiropractors, or they use a different term that has almost an identical meaning. Regardless of what term is used, it is important that vertebral subluxation is addressed and corrected.”

The headline above comes from the January 4, 2023, issue of the Wall Street Journal. This article, and several others in the press on this subject, report on a study that was published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics on January 3, 2023. The JAMA Pediatrics study titled, “Physical Activity Interventions to Alleviate Depressive Symptoms in Children and Adolescents” began by asking the question, “Can physical activity interventions alleviate depressive symptoms in children and adolescents?”

The study stated the importance of the findings of this study by noting, “Depression is the second most prevalent mental disorder among children and adolescents, yet only a small proportion seek or receive disorder-specific treatment. Physical activity interventions hold promise as an alternative or adjunctive approach to clinical treatment for depression.”

This study conducted a “meta-analysis” (a review of other previous studies) of 21 prior studies involving 2441 children and adolescents. Of this total, 47% were boys and 53% were girls. Study co-author, Walter Thompson, a retired professor of exercise physiology with Georgia State University in Atlanta, commented that “This is the first time that we’ve been able to put enough studies together so that we can make a pretty good conclusion to answer the question, ‘Is physical activity and exercise good for children with depressive symptoms?” He then answered his own question with “The answer is overwhelmingly yes.”

Lead author Francesco Recchia, MSc, of the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong commented, “The available evidence supports physical activity interventions as an alternative or adjunctive approach to alleviate depressive symptoms in children and adolescents, substantiating the beneficial influence of physical activity on the mental health of pediatric populations.”

The study also discovered some additional helpful information noting that children who were 13 years-of-age and older received more benefits from regular exercise than those under 13. Additionally, they found that those teens who were already suffering with a pre-existing mental illness or depression got greater benefits than those teens who were considered healthy.

The study reported that an hour of physical activity three days a week provided the best relief for symptoms of depression. Co-author Thompson pointed out that this amount of exercise is fairly close to what is currently recommended for kids. “And you know, that’s pretty close to what the federal government has recommended as regular exercise for both children and adults, somewhere between 75 and 150 minutes a week.”

“This study adds to the body of knowledge that good health is obtainable without the overdependence on medications,” commented Dr. Selina Sigafoose-Jackson, president of the International Chiropractors Association. “The chiropractic profession has always valued a drugless approach to health and continues to hold that many of society’s growing health issues can be improved by searching for non-pharmacological solutions.”

The British Journal of Healthcare and Medical Research published the results of a narrative review on October 25, 2022, describing the findings from multiple scientific studies documenting that chiropractic combined with spinal exercises showed the best results for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS).

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases describes this condition on their website by saying, “Scoliosis is a sideways curve of the spine. Everyone has normal curves in the spine, and when looked at from behind, the spine appears straight. However, children and teens with scoliosis have an abnormal S-shaped or C-shaped curve of the spine.”

Typical medical care for scoliosis begins with watching and waiting. If the curvature continues to worsen, then a brace is, many times, the common recommendation. For the more severe cases, surgery may be recommended. Both bracing and surgery are difficult steps for an adolescent. It has long been felt that more conservative means of care for scoliosis should be considered before bracing or surgery.

The authors of this study stated their purpose for doing this investigation. “This narrative review aimed to investigate the efficacy of chiropractic treatments and scoliosis-specific exercise (SSE) for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) as an alternative treatment for bracing.”

The researchers conducted an exhaustive search for scientific articles on chiropractic care for scoliosis. The search included the sources PubMed, Index to Chiropractic Literature, Spine Journal, BioMed Central, Google Scholar, and Research Gate databases. In total, they found 156 articles on the subject. From this total, they selected six papers that represented the highest scientific standard and credibility. One additional paper was included because of the value of the information.

As part of the researchers review, the authors of this study noted that, “All the reviewed papers reported the benefits of exercise and chiropractic as part of AIS management. Only one study showed that SSE alone slows curve progression, whereas the other six papers (four papers investigating chiropractic intervention alone and two investigating SSE alone) showed significant curve reduction after analyzing the X-ray findings.”

From this data, the researchers concluded, “The results obtained from these six papers showed that only two were able to demonstrate help with scoliosis through exercise only. The other four papers showed that chiropractic, either alone or in combination with exercise were able to help those with AIS.”

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health Chiropractic published the results of a study on October 18, 2022, documenting that chiropractic care did not have any adverse effect on the fetal heart rate when chiropractic care was administered to their pregnant mothers. The title of the study is “Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring of 33 Pregnant Women Undergoing Chiropractic & Midwifery Care.”

John Hopkins Medicine describes Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring by stating “Fetal heart rate monitoring measures the heart rate and rhythm of your baby (fetus). This lets your healthcare provider see how your baby is doing. Your healthcare provider may do fetal heart monitoring during late pregnancy and labor. The average fetal heart rate is between 110 and 160 beats per minute. It can vary by 5 to 25 beats per minute. The fetal heart rate may change as your baby responds to conditions in your uterus. An abnormal fetal heart rate may mean that your baby is not getting enough oxygen or that there are other problems.”

The purpose of this study was to see if chiropractic care had a negative impact on the fetus by measuring the fetal heart rate. If chiropractic were having a negative effect, the results should be picked up in an abnormal fetal heart rate.

In this study, 33 women met the criteria for inclusion in this study. The criteria for inclusion was, (1) the woman underwent a complete history and physical examination with their respective provider, (2) the patient attended consistent and continuous care with both a midwife and chiropractor, (3) the patient provided consent for the review of both the chiropractic and midwifery patient records, and (4) fetal heart rate monitoring was performed and recorded. The records from these women were reviewed and correlated to give a full picture of their chiropractic care and any effect on the women’s fetuses.

The results showed the average age of the women in this study was just over 30 years. These women averaged almost 20 chiropractic visits during their pregnancy in addition to over 11 prenatal visits. In all, there were a total of 216 fetal heart rate monitoring recordings performed with about 99% of them occurring after the woman’s chiropractic visit.

The results showed no adverse effects to the fetal heart rate of any of the fetuses. This showed that chiropractic care did not have a negative impact on this major fetal health measure. In addition, all pregnant women delivered healthy babies without any complications.

In their discussion, the study authors commented, “The safety of the chiropractic care of pregnant women and the unborn fetus is a concern not only among chiropractors19 but also by other healthcare providers involved in prenatal care.” They concluded, “The use of spinal/pelvic chiropractic adjustments during pregnancy did not result in adverse events for the fetus as measured by FHR, a major indicator of fetal health in obstetric care.”