Health Articles

In the February 3, 2011 issue of the Journal Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research, a case study research article documents the improvement of a 9-year-old girl with Occipital Lobe Epilepsy under chiropractic care. In this case, improvement was shown with specific chiropractic adjustments being rendered to the upper cervical (neck) spine.

The study notes that epilepsy is a condition characterized by two or more seizures, brief attacks of altered consciousness and abnormal motor activity. The worldwide population with epilepsy is estimated to be 10.5 million, 25 percent of whom are children under the age of 15.

In this case, a 9-year-old girl was brought to the chiropractor by her mother. The child was suffering with uncontrollable blinking of the left eye. She had been previously brought to a neurologist who diagnosed the girl with occipital epilepsy. The neurologist recommended an anti-convulsion medication but the girl's mother decided to seek chiropractic care rather that subject her daughter to drug therapy.

The girl started suffering from uncontrollable eye blinking approximately two weeks before the visit to the chiropractor. Additionally, she had shown other associated symptoms including seizures, tics, spasms, dizziness, and fainting. Other conditions the patient suffered from included constipation, seasonal allergies, rashes, itching, and skin lesions.

A chiropractic examination was performed that included a variety of specific procedures including x-rays designed to look for subluxations in the upper cervical spine.  These tests confirmed that the girl was a candidate for upper cervical chiropractic care. Care was initiated with a specific adjustment to the top of the neck.

Within six days of the initial visit, the girl's mother reported that the left eye blinking had decreased in frequency. Shortly thereafter, it was noted that her symptoms were progressively decreasing and were only present at night.  After two months of care, the eye blinking had completely stopped. The blinking only returned once after that but disappeared again following another adjustment.

In his conclusion, the author summed up this case and explained how chiropractic can help those with epilepsy by saying, "The relationship between an upper cervical subluxation and epileptic conditions in children exists but remains elusive. Evidence from this case supports the elimination of the upper cervical subluxation in the resolution of occipital lobe epilepsy signs and symptoms. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder and it is the opinion of this author that it should be treated conservatively in children before medical and surgical intervention."