Molecular foundations of chiropractic therapy

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genetics
• Alternative Medicine

Background:

• Chiropractic, a drug-free healing science, posits a link between body structure and health.
• It emphasizes the nervous system's role in regulating bodily functions.
• While effective for chronic pain like back pain, its molecular mechanisms, particularly neuroplasticity, are under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the molecular mechanisms of chiropractic therapy.
• To investigate the potential role of neuroplasticity and neurotrophins in chiropractic treatment.
• To identify potential genetic factors influencing response to chiropractic care.

Main Methods:

• A literature search was conducted on PubMed.
• Keywords included: chiropractic, neuroplasticity, and neurotrophin gene polymorphism.
• The search aimed to provide a panorama of molecular mechanisms.

Main Results:

• A set of genes and functional polymorphisms potentially correlated with chiropractic therapy response were identified.
• Evidence suggests chiropractic therapies may modulate neuroplasticity via neurotrophins in animal models.

Conclusions:

• Further association studies are needed.
• Confirmation of a correlation between single nucleotide polymorphisms in specific genes and improved chiropractic therapy response is required.