Using an endoscope to see the inside of the stomach, 35 patients, ranging in age from 18-44, were diagnosed with ulcers. While both groups were put on the same diet, 11 of the patients were given chiropractic care from 5-22 days and the other 24 patients received traditional medical drug therapy. The effectiveness of each approach was evaluated every week with another endoscopic test.
Those patients who received the chiropractic care experienced pain relief in an average of 3.8 days and clinical remission of their ulcers an average of 10 days earlier than those patients treated by drugs.
By way of commentary, this article does not suggest that chiropractic is a treatment or cure for ulcers. Indeed, in their conclusions, the authors say that normalizing the nerve supply to the stomach and the positive reaction of the whole body to chiropractic care were the likely mechanisms at work here.
By removing interference to the nerve supply to the stomach, chiropractic care improved function to the point that the patient's bodies were in a better position to heal the ulcers themselves. Can restoring health and function in the body allow it to heal itself better than drugs? Apparently so, and in the case of ulcers, at least 10 days faster and without the toxicity and danger involved with the use of drugs.
This study shows that chiropractic care restores function in the body so that it can repair and maintain itself in a higher level of function and health.
In Touch Vol. 4, No. 11 November 2000 ISSN 1525-416X
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