Inherited Internal Disorders ---- Via the Spine?

When I was a student at Palmer Chiropractic College, I heard a very fascinating discussion by one of our lecturers about a unique project that had been performed at Logan Chiropractic College. Full spine x-rays were taken of a large group of very young grade school students. These x-rays were then analyzed for spinal misalignments and categorized, depending upon where these vertebral aberrations were found. A few years after the initial spinographs were taken, there was a hepatitis epidemic. Without knowing which children succumbed to hepatitis during this period, based on their original spinal interpretations, the researchers selected the names of those young people that they believed would have been most susceptible to a liver ailment. Though they had not determined every child who did get this disease, the remarkable result was that of all those selected, hepatitis was contracted.

I am sure that we are all familiar with fascinating experiences of the pioneers of our incredible profession. The one story that had the greatest impact on me was how they examined the spines of patients, and then attempted to tell these patients what their problems were, even before taking a case history. Our professional forefathers were so frequently right that this palpation method became one of the major practice building procedures employed during the years when the word chiropractic held no meaning for most of the population of America.

If these were "truths" of the early years of chiropractic, then they should be just as true today! Throughout my 32 years as a chiropractor I do not ever recall examining a spine whereby I couldn't find spinal misalignments, even when the person was totally asymptomatic. What has been even more fascinating was, when dealing with a symptomatic patient whose vertebral reason was easily observed, and how, after adjusting and relieving this patient, the offending vertebra still palpated in the misaligned position.

These chronic spinal misalignments appear to be present in all spines. The one common symptomatic characteristic that they all share is that they always elicit pain upon palpation. This should not be taken lightly for the science of pathology teaches us that tenderness or pain is a sign of irritation and inflammation. You may apply digital pressure to these same spinal segments next week, next month, or next year, and it will make no difference how much you adjust them, they will still produce tenderness. The major difference in a chronically misaligned vertebra that is producing acute symptoms and one that is not, is that the one that is acute will generate much more tenderness upon palpation. I believe that these permanent vertebral faults are, in most cases, due to congenital malformations.

Consider the innumerable possibilities that exist in and around an individual vertebra and one can easily understand why these anomalies so frequently occur. Four minute joints, composed by the union of the superior and inferior articular surfaces of each vertebra, each structurally, just as complicated as a shoulder joint. Two articulations with spinal discs, the one above and the one below. If it is a vertebra in the thoracic spine, then there are an additional two to six more articulations with adjacent ribs. In addition to all of these, there are the many connections with the varied ligaments, tendons, and muscles that surround the spine. A congenital malformation to any of the above is quite capable of creating a permanent misalignment. And, of course, additional ones may be created by injuries to the spine and/or its connective tissues.

During the mid 1800s the noted Austrian monk, Gregor Johann Mendel, via his experiments with garden peas and other plants, unlocked the secrets of heredity. Today, because of this science of genetics we have a relatively good idea why our body features and structure are mainly "hand-me-down," from our parents. We have learned about the role that genes, chromosomes, and DNA play in this complex development of life. Thus, for example, we now understand why red-headed parents will most probably give birth to children with red hair. Or, why our nose, fingers, or overall body shape resemble those of the same two people who produced us. We also have a better insight as to why certain health problems tend to be endemic to entire families. Statistically, children who are born to parents who have heart problems in their mid-life years will have a greater potential for this same problem in their similar years. The same prognosis applies whether it be the lungs, liver, pancreas, etc. Yet, in most cases, science has not been able to prove that the root source of these inherited familial tendencies are truly due to congenitally weakened or malformed organs or defective body chemistry. Or --- could it be some other part of the body that genetic science has not even considered?

What about the spinal column? As chiropractic doctors we know that functional and/or organic problems can be related to an irritated nerve fiber emanating from between two vertebrae. What are the ramifications to body health from having a lifetime of chronic irritation due to a permanent vertebral misalignment? What significance would it have to the future health picture of a child, who genetically inherits such a seemingly minor deformity within his spine, that continually, during his lifetime, creates a slight irritation to a spinal nerve that correlates to his pancreas? Could this be the reason why he, like one or both of his parents who happened to develop diabetes mellitus during their adult lives, would also develop this problem during his adult life?

One of the most remarkable researchers on the subject of spinal manipulation has been a neurophysiologist from the United States, Dr. Irvin Korr. In the March 1989 edition of The Chiropractic Report (edited by Dr. David Chapman-Smith of Toronto, Canada), there was an interesting dissertation about Dr. Korr and his amazing research surrounding the vertebral subluxation. Most of the information that I am now presenting about Korr is being quoted from this excellent newsletter. Of Korr's earlier experiments, he wrote, "On the principle of chronic segmental facilitation vertebral subluxation, with or without pain, may cause sustained impulses into the central nervous system which modulate and upset the balance of those parts of the nervous system influenced by that joint or segmental level in the spine. At each level there are three functions of the nervous system, Motor, Sensory, and Sympathetic" (a fourth, Trophic, was added during later research). After explaining the findings on motor, and sensory function, we read the following about sympathetic function, "Facilitation or hyperirritability of sympathetic function was now considered. Korr measured this at each spinal level by investigation of the sweat glands and skin blood vessels. Electrical resistance of the skin (ESR) increases when it is dry and lowers with sweat secretion. A large percentage of patients revealed the relationship between areas of low ESR and pathology in organs or structures innervated from that level." Even more exciting implications, to quote Korr, "emerged after several years following large numbers of apparently healthy persons with spinal subluxation and prominent areas of low ESR. A growing number of these subjects developed signs and symptoms of visceral disease in viscera related to the dermatome with low ESR."

Dr. Korr's research certainly lends credence to the hypothesis that long-term subluxations can lead to visceral problems. He states that these vertebral deviations can be present with or without pain. My contention is that there is always pain and this can be easily elicited by gentle palpation. If it is true, that most of these misalignments are there at birth, then the ramifications could be gigantic for our profession and mankind. It could mean that by chiropractically examining young children, we could know what health problems they might be prone to. It could also mean that once a determination of this type is concluded, a specific treatment and follow up program could be arranged, thus preventing or prolonging these functional and/or organic problems from occurring. In addition, as already described, new chronic misalignments can be induced by injuries to the spine or its connective tissues. Isn't this one point alone a strong reason for the efficacy of periodic spinal examination?

In my mind the question is not whether there is this correlation with the spine or not. No, I believe that the question that is presently before us is, "When we inherit a familial tendency towards some internal ailment, how often is the root cause related to the spinal column and its corresponding nerves?" Also, "What about other internal ailments (non-familial) or proneness to certain infectious diseases that occur to people through a lifetime?" Who among you, who are reading this article can recommend a way to research this hypothesis?