Immunity, Chiropractic & Best Practices Document Published
The Best Practices document is part of a multi-pronged project to address questions related to the role of chiropractic care in immune function. The project has multiple parts including the completion of a scoping review of chiropractic, immunity and biomarkers, a comprehensive, integrative review of the scientific literature on chiropractic and immunity, the development of research protocols, feasibility studies, development of a prospective longitudinal health outcomes study, and the development of policy and best practice statements for practitioners and patients in an evidence informed framework.
CLICK HERE to review the project outline
The Best Practices document, developed through the Foundation's Best Practices Initiative (CLICK HERE for more on the Best Practices Initiative) includes a Recommendation statement as follows:
RECOMMENDATION
Rating: Established
Evidence: E, L
A growing body of evidence supports our understanding of the role of the nervous system in immune system function. Basic science studies and clinical reports in the scientific literature provide supportive evidence of the beneficial effects of chiropractic care in improving function, including immune system function and quality of life. These guidelines support chiropractic practice in an evidence-informed, patient centered model. Evidence-informed practice involves the integration of the knowledge and experience of the chiropractor, the best available research evidence, and the needs and preferences of individual patients. Furthermore, chiropractors must be free to discuss, publish, and otherwise disseminate the best available evidence, and in practice, apply it to the needs of individual patients.
According to the Foundation the purpose of the Best Practices project was to perform a scoping review the existing literature on chiropractic, vertebral subluxation and immune function in order to inform the development of a Best Practices/Practice Guidelines statement.
The Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation’s (FVS) Best Practices/Guidelines Committee participated in a scoping review of existing literature available to a team of researchers and conducted further searches and gathering of documents based on that available literature. 125 papers were gathered and included in a review. Based on this review a document was produced that was evaluated by a panel of experts. The panel of experts then drafted a Best Practices statement.
This statement and the accompanying scoping review was then put through peer review with 200 chiropractors completing its review prior to publication. This scoping review is a living document and will be supplemented with an integrative review of the literature on chiropractic and immunity. The literature forming the basis of the Recommendations will then be updated according to the regular cycle established by the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation’s Best Practices Initiative.
Just over one year ago the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC), the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), Parker University, several United States and International chiropractic regulatory boards and several state and national chiropractic trade associations attacked and threatened chiropractors who educated their patients, the public and their communities about the relationship between chiropractic, subluxation, the nervous system and immune function.
These groups and individuals attempted to muzzle the chiropractic profession, stifle free speech and compel chiropractors to make statements unsupported by science and research.
CLICK HERE for more on that story
Chiropractors and chiropractic trade associations are encouraged to adopt and/or otherwise endorse the Best Practices Statement from the Foundation in an effort to protect the public's right to receive the type of chiropractic care they desire and for the right of chiropractors to provide it.
