Depression improved by Upper Cervical Chiropractic

The Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research published a study that shows that over 70% of the participants showed a “marked improvement” with the treatment of the upper cervical misalignment. Fifteen participants were chosen based on a history of depression. An upper cervical misalignment was diagnosed using postural analysis as well as precise X-rays based on the Orthospinology Upper Cervical procedure. Before treatment, a questionnaire was administered and scored called the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II).  The BDI-II is widely used in many clinics and hospitals in establishing clinical depression.

Each participant was given a tailor-made adjustment to the first bone in the neck using the KH-4 Orthospinology handheld instrument.  This instrument gives a light tap to move the atlas vertebrae back into position. After two weeks, the BDI-II questionnaire was readministered and 73% of the participants scored a marked improvement with their score, and 13% showed only a slight improvement. The rest showed no improvement or worsened.

While an estimated 19 million Americans suffer from depression, there are twice as many women suffering from it as men. People suffering from depression will have persistent sadness or pessimism. They have times of feeling helpless, hopeless, worthless, or guilty. Have difficulty concentrating or remembering things. They will lose interest in activities, have insomnia, or oversleep. They can also have weight gain or loss and feelings of fatigue. They may also be irritable or anxious.

Depression can affect family and home life, as well as people’s performance at work. Severe depression can lead to attempts at suicide.  If you or someone you know is suffering from depression, encourage them to take action before it gets out of hand. Upper Cervical Chiropractic may be a natural option for them.

As an Upper Cervical Chiropractor, I know that the brain is the master controller of all of the body and its parts. The brain communicates through the brain stem, spinal cord, and nerves. When the first bone in the neck (called the atlas) shifts or twists out of position, it can irritate the spinal cord keeping the proper signals from going through.  This can wreak havoc on our health because of the importance of our spinal cord. Seemingly unrelated symptoms can show up including headaches, back and neck pain, depression, fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, asthma, digestive problems, and numbness to name a few.

If you suspect an upper cervical or atlas misalignment, or if you have multiple symptoms, please call for a free consultation.

Before attending  Logan College of Chiropractic, Dr. Polsinelli had several years of training in the healing arts, including massage, cranial sacral therapy, positional release techniques, kinesiology, nutrition, and naturopathy. He has been trained in both the Orthospinology, and NUCCA upper cervical chiropractic procedures and is currently the only doctor in Ohio that has passed level 2 in NUCCA certification. He can be reached at 440-943-6411 or drp@spinalalignment.com

source: Genthner GC, Friedman HL, and Studley CF. Improvement in depression following reduction of upper cervical vertebral subluxation using Orthospinology Technique. JVSR. Nov. 7, 2005;1-4.


While Upper Cervical Chiropractic can have a profound effect on a person’s depression, we must remember that there can be many causes and factors contributing to a person’s depression. Some of the nutritional factors that I have come across in my 18 years working in natural health are:

Iodine. Symptoms include being upset or crying for no “real” reason. People can become overly emotional at television commercials or movies. They can have cold hands and/or feet and a lowered body temperature (lower than 98.6o F). Also a loss of hair either on the head or the outer third of the eyebrow.

B-6, Folate, other B vitamins, and certain minerals are needed to produce serotonin. If a person is deficient in any of these, they can suffer from depression. Sometimes deficiencies are caused by toxicity especially from heavy metals.

One in seven people have a herediatary defect, whereby they are unable to convert folic acid into the final usable form. Not only is Folate needed for Serotonin and other neurotransmitters, it is needed for detoxification also. Supplementation with 5-MTHF (aka l-methylfolate which is the final usable form) can have a profound impact on those people.

Finally, some people can not produce energy properly in their body, they will tend to eat lots of sugar or sweet foods. This will give them a quick burst of energy, with a feeling of euphoria, that then leads to a crash. There are eleven nutrients that I test to help the citric acid cycle or Kreb’s cycle work properly. If you are craving sweets on a regular basis, chromium (or sometimes vanadium) can help.

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2 comments:

  1. Depression can also run in families and some people will be at increased genetic risk. However, this doesn’t mean that you will automatically become depressed if a parent or close relative has had the illness. Life circumstances are still likely to have an important influence on your chances of becoming ill. It’s also common for people to experience depression and anxiety at the same time.

  2. Depression can also run in families and some people will be at increased genetic risk.

    You are absolutely right. One thing to check out along these lines is a genetic problem that causes difficulty in converting folic acid. Here is an article I wrote about it.

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