| In December of 2007, I was lucky to come | | | | neuroplasticity: his good arm and hand are |
| across two documentaries covering the topic of | | | | immobilized, and he is set cleaning tables. At first |
| neuroplasticity, The Brain That Changes Itself and | | | | the task is impossible, then slowly the bad arm |
| Fixing My Brain. I eagerly watched them both, and | | | | remembers its skills. He learns to write again, he |
| have been unable to let go of what I had seen. | | | | plays tennis again: the functions of the brain areas |
| The Brain That Changes Itself is narrated by Dr. | | | | killed in the stroke have transferred themselves |
| Norman Doidge, M.D., and based off of his book | | | | to healthy regions. |
| of the same name. One of the most influential | | | | An amputee has a bizarre itch in his missing hand: |
| stories involves the Arrowsmith teaching | | | | unscratchable, it torments him. A neuroscientist |
| program, which happens to be the subject for | | | | finds that the brain cells that once received input |
| Fixing My Brain. | | | | from the hand are now devoted to the man's |
| It brought back memories of what I had learned | | | | face; a good scratch on the cheek relieves the |
| at Life Chiropractic College West as the science | | | | itch. Another amputee has 10 years of |
| of chiropractic benefits greatly as our | | | | excruciating "phantom" pain in his missing elbow. |
| understanding of neuroplasticity grows. It also | | | | When he puts his good arm into a box lined with |
| reminded me of some of the personal struggles I | | | | mirrors he seems to recognize his missing arm, |
| had to learn some of the difficult subject matter | | | | and he can finally stretch the cramped elbow out. |
| at all levels of my school career. Luckily for me I | | | | Within a month his brain reorganizes its damaged |
| recognized my learning differences and managed | | | | circuits, and the illusion of the arm and its pain |
| to figure out how I learned on my own. This could | | | | vanish. |
| be the reason why I have such a major interest | | | | The most amazing part of each story is that |
| in the subject of The Arrowsmith School, so | | | | each expert stresses the brain to promote the |
| children with learning differences can overcome | | | | change they are looking to accomplish. For some |
| their difficulties before they are labeled and cast | | | | it is touch, some others it's repetition, and visual |
| aside. | | | | stimulus for another group. This again, made me |
| Neuroplasticity is a simple word to explain that our | | | | think about the chiropractic adjustment as a |
| brains are malleable, and continue to change | | | | premier way to provide a stimulus to the nervous |
| throughout our lifetimes based on our | | | | system in order to effect neuroplasticity of these |
| experiences. This may seem like common sense, | | | | same cases. |
| but not until recently has the medical community | | | | When using the example of the Arrowsmith |
| validated the potential of an ever changing brain. | | | | School, they focused on the repetitive stressing |
| This change in perception should end up effecting | | | | of areas of the brain that are determined weak. |
| the medical standard of care in the fields of | | | | This includes the use of visual components of |
| neurology, psychiatry, and psychology. | | | | reading a multi-handed clock, symbol tracing, and |
| While at LCCW, we focused heavily on the study | | | | recognizing visuals cues. Instead of making these |
| of neurology. This focus translated into a better | | | | struggling students go towards their academic |
| understanding of each person who sought our | | | | strengths, each student is forced to utilize the |
| help, and gave us a level of certainty when | | | | side of their brain that is weakest. This is |
| choosing to adjust a specific spinal segment. | | | | accomplished by covering the eye related to the |
| Over time, the chiropractic adjustment acts as an | | | | strong side of the brain, and literally exercising the |
| impulse which effects the neurology of the body | | | | brain like you would a weak bicep. |
| and neuroplasticity of the brain. I remember | | | | As my wife finishes her master's degree in early |
| seeing this specifically in a case study presented | | | | childhood education, I like to imagine a place |
| at LCCW from a student clinician, where he used | | | | where parents in Seattle have access to such a |
| specific chiropractic adjustments to retrain a | | | | program for their struggling student. I realize there |
| patients brain following a severe stroke. The | | | | are programs, but most are focused on accepting |
| patient in question regained full range of motion in | | | | a disability and not attempting to rewire their |
| his left arm and hand, as well the ability to speak | | | | pliable brains so it goes away. Permanently. |
| by 80%. This was done over a six month period. | | | | When I saw this I wondered if the same |
| Examples used in The Brain That Changes itself | | | | stimulation could be used via the other senses of |
| include The Arrowsmith program, but also give | | | | touch while using less used cortical stimulus via the |
| amazing examples which are broken down by the | | | | cranial nerves. Could smell or aromatherapy used |
| New York Times in this article: | | | | via the olfactory nerve? Could a chiropractic |
| New York Times:The Brain: Malleable, Capable, | | | | adjustment be used to effect a certain spinal |
| Vulnerable | | | | tract and relay the impulse to a weak area of the |
| For patients with brain injury, the revolution brings | | | | brain? |
| only good news, as Dr. Doidge describes in | | | | Some of these questions are rhetorical as I |
| numerous examples. A woman with damage to | | | | already know the answer, but it is a shame that |
| the inner ear's vestibular system, where the | | | | only small niche groups of Chiropractors strictly |
| sense of balance resides, feels as if she is in | | | | focus on the brain as it relates to neuroplasticity. |
| constant free fall, tumbling through space like an | | | | Yes, many of us are creating this positive |
| ocean bather pulled under by the surf. Sitting in a | | | | response via the adjustment, but there could not |
| neuroscience lab, she puts a set of electrodes on | | | | be a better time to educate our patients on the |
| the surface of her tongue, a wired-up hard hat on | | | | subject. Now could be the time to ask the public |
| her head, and the feel of falling stops. The | | | | to send it patients who have struggled with brain |
| apparatus connects to a computer to create an | | | | injuries, learning difficulties and strokes. |
| external vestibular system, replacing her damaged | | | | Currently for me, it is a reminder to keep learning |
| one by sending the proper signals to her brain via | | | | about my profession so I can better help each |
| her tongue. | | | | and every member of my practice. I also want |
| But that's not all. After a year of sessions with | | | | the ability to refer patients and their children to |
| the device, she no longer needs it: her brain has | | | | the proper professional if they are struggling with |
| rewired itself to bypass the damaged vestibular | | | | learning differences, so these differences do not |
| system with a new circuit. | | | | become disabilities. |
| A surgeon in his 50s suffers an incapacitating | | | | Chiropractic is amazing, and there is no better |
| stroke. He is one of the first patients to enroll in a | | | | time to be or see a Chiropractor. |
| rehabilitation clinic guided by principles of | | | | |