International ChiroPractor’s Association Press Release

New research featuring ICA-affiliated chiropractors was made available online to the public this April in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9023133/)  The objective of the study was to observe changes in secretory IgA (SIgA) after providing an adjustment to the craniocervical junction, using an upper cervical adjusting technique. Five different techniques were used: Atlas Orthogonal, Blair, Knee Chest, NUCCA, and Orthospinology, and all adjusting doctors were either a Diplomate or Fellow of the ICA’s Chiropractic Craniocervical Junction Procedures program.

SIgA was measured before the patient’s first adjustment, 30 minutes after the adjustment, and again after two weeks. This study found an immediate increase in SIgA after an adjustment to the craniocervical junction. Two weeks after the adjustment, SIgA returned to baseline. The SF-12v2 health survey was also collected before the first adjustment and after two weeks. Significant improvements were observed in both the physical and mental components of the SF-12v2 health score at the two week time point. You can find out more about SF-12v2 here.

The results of this study have powerful implications for chiropractic. SIgA is a key component of the innate immune system, which provides a nonspecific, first-line defense against numerous pathogens. SIgA plays a key role in protecting mucosal surfaces in the intestines, respiratory tract, and urogenital tract from microorganisms. As SIgA is thought to be a marker for the status of not only the mucosal immune system but also systemic immunity, the observed increase in SIgA may indicate activation of the systemic immune system. These findings suggest that after an upper cervical adjustment, a systemic immune response is activated for a short period.

While future research is needed to explore the mechanism behind this finding, this study serves as a preliminary study for further research into the relationship between immune function and adjustments to the upper neck. This study is an example of the powerful outcomes that come from collaboration among ICA doctors of chiropractic. The ICA is proud to have facilitated this collaboration via the ICA’s Chiropractic Craniocervical Junction Procedures program.