A Comparative Study of the Health Status
of Children Raised Under the Health Care Models
of Chiropractic and Allopathic Medicine

This section is compiled by Frank M. Painter, D.C.
Send all comments or additions to:    Frankp@chiro.org

FROM:   Journal of Chiropractic Research 1989 (Summer); 5: 101–103

Van Breda W, Van Breda J

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This study, published in the Journal of Chiropractic Research, found that there is a “definite correlation between chiropractic care and superior health.” In fact, this study “has shown that children raised under chiropractic care are less prone to infectious processes such as otitis media and tonsillitis, and that their immune systems are better able to cope with allergens such as pollen,weeds, grasses, etc. compared to children raised under allopathic care. There is also a significant decreased history of antibiotic use among the ‘Chiropractic’ children, indicating a lower susceptibility to bacterial infections as a result of their greater immune system response.”

Thanks to Dan Murphy for emphasizing these talking points:

1. There is a “definite correlation between chiropractic care and superior health.”

2. 69% of the chiropractic children never experienced otitis media, compared to 80% of medical children who did.

3. There is a significant decreased history of antibiotic use among the chiropractic children, “indicating a lower susceptibility to bacterial infections as a result of greater immune system response.”

The Abstract:

Two hundred pediatricians and two hundred chiropractors that were selected were surveyed to determine what, if any, differences were to be found in the health status of their respective children as raised under the different health care models. With usable responses of 35% from the chiropractors and 36% from the pediatricians, analysis of the results indicates a definite correlation between chiropractic care and superior health. While the 'medical' children had a history of fewer childhood diseases, they also had received a considerably higher percentage of childhood immunizations (94%), as compared to the 'chiropractic' children (25%). The 'chiropractic' children showed a 69% otitis media free response, while the 'medical' children only had a 20% otitis media free response. Pediatricians were more likely to feel that every child would have been on a course of antibiotics at least once, and some suggested that almost 100% of children suffer from otitis media, whereas many chiropractors reported that their children had never been on antibiotics, and the occurrence of infectious diseases was significantly less among the latter sample. The results of the study confirm the benefits of the chiropractic model of health care on the health status of children.

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