Let food be your medicine, and let medicine be your food, advised Hippocrates (460-400 B.C.). Taking his wisdom a step further, the National College of Chiropractic in Lombard, Illinois has joined forces with the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) to research food with medicinal properties. This move makes NCC one of the first chiropractic colleges to conduct nutrition research.
Concurrently, an NCC research team is also attempting to develop a simple, more workable urine test to screen for vitamin A deficiency and toxicity.
The new research program, Functional Foods for Health (FFH), is the nation's first full-scale scientific program designed to study what components of food can help to prevent disease and promote better health. Once these components are identified, so the theory goes, the levels of these components can be increased in foods to allow consumers to reap the health benefits.
Many people are already familiar with the concept of functional foods, although the term may be unfamiliar. Functional foods is a phrase to identify edibles that are not only nutritious, but contain ingredients that enhance specific bodily functions. While bacteria are not usually identified as healthy components of food, a mixed culture of Lactobacillus bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, and Streptococcus lactis, when added to partially evaporated fermented whole milk, turns into yogurt. Other examples of functional foods are fruits and vegetables, which give indications of having anti-cancer properties. Researchers are also examining the role of soy consumption in lowering the risk of heart disease, and the part garlic plays in strengthening the immune system. These are just a few examples of the type of research that will be conducted by the program.
"In my 37 years, I have never heard of any chiropractic college doing nutritional research," says Hal Miller, DC, director of research for the American Chiropractic Association Council on Nutrition. Dr. Miller, a graduate of NCC in 1959, is excited by the possibilities this program brings. "The medical doctor has medicine and surgery. Chiropractic has our hands-on therapy, plus we have always been interested in vitamins and minerals and natural ways of helping the body heal."
Dr. Malford Cullum, PhD, an associate professor of physiology and biochemistry at NCC, agrees. "With chiropractic not dependent upon drugs or surgery, I think functional foods take the high road pushing the most straight-up alternative medicine we can find."
NCC may be among the first chiropractic colleges in the nation to conduct nutritional research, but the college has been involved with nutritional matters dating back to its founder and first president, Dr. John F. A. Howard, DC. In the early 1900s, Dr. Howard formulated a holistic health system that incorporated spinal manipulation with nutrition, exercise, and stressed the importance of fresh food, clean water, natural light, and plenty of fresh air.
"Howard referenced the use of foods as medicine," notes Dr. Cullum, National's program coordinator for the Functional Foods for Health program. "The Functional Foods Program focuses directly on the use of food and food components to promote good health."
The Functional Foods for Health Program is funded by several colleges at UIC and UIUC, as well as a number of prominent food companies, including, including Kellogg's, Ross Division of Abbott Laboratories, Monsanto, and Archer Daniels Midland.
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
