Restoring Normal Nerve Function

The March 2015 cover of Scientific American featured “Electric Cures,” and the descriptions of the new “bio-electronic medicine” will be more than a bit familiar to doctors of chiropractic and of all philosophies.

The premise is that instead of treating chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disorders with synthetic drugs, the body can be encouraged to create better drugs naturally by specific placement of a nerve-stimulating implant.

The article made me think of BJ Palmer and AE Homewood, talking about the reflex arc, interneurons, and Sherrington’s exploration of how motor neuron stimulation affects organ function via the neurotransmitter release. The vagus nerve’s connections are targeted as significant because “reflexes that tune the activity of different organs are also essential for regulating inflammatory reactions set off by the immune system.”

Some other direct quotes from the article:

• “Nerve signals that link the brain and the rest of the body inhibit the making of immune molecules that cause inflammation.”

and

• “Exposure to heat, pressure, light or chemicals sets in motion a process to ensure that bodily organs do not overreact to these stresses.”

Dr. Weiniger’s Conjecture:  Mechanical changes from normalizing postural kinematics and/or segmental spinal dysfunction may have a normalizing effect on inflammation and autoimmune function.

In other words, normalizing structure can help normalize function, which summarizes the original chiropractic message.