Pubdate: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 Source: Beckley Register-Herald (WV) Copyright: 2002 The Register-Herald Contact: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?brd86 Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1441 Author: Bev Davis A CHIROPRACTOR'S TOUCH COULD CURE SOME ADDICTIONS Could some new chiropractic techniques be the answer for addictions? Research by Miami chiropractor Dr. Jay Holder, backed up with supporting information from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, indicates there is a genetic cause for addictions. Faculty researcher Kenneth Blum documented studies showing 69 percent of severe alcoholics are missing a key dopamine receptor, which allows an uninterrupted flow of the proper balance of brain chemicals to produce a sense of well-being. The end of the process is the release of dopamine, which causes a pleasant sensation and assurance that all is well. The dopamine reward, Holder believes, may hold the biological secret to addictions. Holder's theory is based on a concept known as "the brain reward cascade." Like falling dominoes, brain chemicals must be released in the right sequence for a person to feel a sense of pleasure. If that release, or neurotransmitter cascade, is interrupted, the individual will not experience enjoyment, the theory asserts. People who succumb to one of the five addictions - drugs/alcohol, food, sex, work and gambling - lack a genetic component required in the cascade process, according to Holder. Beckley chiropractor Dr. Michael Evans, who studied with Holder and now uses the new technique in his Shady Spring practice, explains the deficit this way: "When the receptor gene involved in providing a sense of well-being is absent, the individual keeps looking for something to create that feeling. The addiction differs with the individual. Some people turn to food, others to sex, drugs or alcohol. Compulsive gamblers and workaholics are also thought to have this genetic deficit," Evans said. Blum's treatment, based on 30 years of research, involves the use of amino acids to balance the brain reward cascade chemicals. The technique, used in conjunction with counseling, may give addicts a better chance to beat the recidivism odds, Evans said. "This is not a treatment as such, but it's a measure that can provide addicts with another tool in their battle against addictions," Evans said. - - - - - - - Misalignment of the spine can interrupt the sequence of chemical changes resulting in what Blum calls a "reward deficiency syndrome." Chiropractic adjustments get the dopamine flowing again, balancing the brain reward cascade. The new therapy calls for a technique where the chiropractor applies a small hand-held, spring-loaded torque device approved by the Food and Drug Administration to an area of the patient's body. The cocked device administers a low-force, high-velocity technique that repositions the vertebrae that are interfering with the function of nerves along the spinal column. The correction allows the chemical reactions to occur in the proper sequence, restoring balance within the nervous system, Evans said. The microcurrent probe helps release the pleasure-producing brain chemicals called endorphins more quickly and thoroughly than acupuncture, he said. "The unique feature of this is that it does not rely on pressure by the doctor. There's no twisting of the body or physical manipulation by the doctor," Evans said. Chiropractors, who do not prescribe drugs, are trained with the philosophy that all illnesses have their origin somewhere in the spine and nervous system. "In this case, we find the place where the cascade is interrupted in the nervous system and use the torque release to make the adjustment," Evans said. The new findings not only present compulsive addicts with one more tool for recovery, but add new validation to chiropractic itself, Evans said. "It proves what chiropractors have known for a long time, but until now, we couldn't back it up," Evans said. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom