John Zhang

Effects of Biofreeze and chiropractic adjustments on acute low back pain: a pilot study

OBJECTIVE This randomized controlled study was designed to determine the pain-relieving effect of Biofreeze (Performance Health Inc., Export, PA) body surface application and chiropractic adjustments on subjects with acute low back pain (LBP). METHODS The data were collected at the baseline, 2 weeks after treatment, and 4 weeks after treatment for final analyses. Diversified manual adjustments were provided by licensed chiropractors twice a week for 4 weeks to both control and experimental groups. Biofreeze was applied to the lower back area 3 times a day for 4 weeks in the experimental group. Outcome assessments included visual analog scale, Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire, heart rate variability for stress, and electromyography for low back muscle activity. RESULTS A total of 36 subjects were recruited in the study (25 male). The average age was 34 years. Significant pain reduction was found after each week of treatment in the experimental group (P < .05). The Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire did not show significant changes in both groups. There were no significant differences for pain reduction in the control group. Heart rate variability analysis showed no significant change (P > .05) in the experimental group after 4 weeks of Biofreeze and chiropractic adjustments. There were no statistically significant changes in the electromyography readings between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION Biofreeze combined with chiropractic adjustment showed significant reduction in LBP.

Changes in pressure pain thresholds and Basal electromyographic activity after instrument-assisted spinal manipulative therapy in asymptomatic participants: a randomized, controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of instrument-assisted spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) targeted to the low-back region on changes in pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) and basal electromyographic activity (BEA) in asymptomatic participants. METHODS A repeated-measures, single-blind, randomized trial was conducted on 30 participants, 19 men and 11 women (mean age, 24.5±3.9 years), without a current history of low-back pain. Each participant attended all 2 treatment group sessions and received instrument-assisted SMT or a sham manipulation procedure. Instrument-assisted SMT was administered using the Activator Method protocol. Bilateral PPT levels over L5-S1 zygapophyseal joints, L5 dermatome, and first dorsal interossei in the hand and bilateral BEA of low back and neck region were assessed pre- and posttreatment by an assessor blinded to the treatment allocation of the participant. A 3-way analysis of variance with time (pre-post) and side (ipslateral, contralateral to the intervention) as within-group variable and intervention (manipulation or sham) as between-group variable was used to evaluate changes in PPT. A paired sample t test was used to analyze the differences between pre- and posttreatment in BEA. RESULTS The group vs time interaction was statistically significant for PPT irrespective of the site tested or the side treated. Participants receiving the instrument-assisted SMT experienced greater improvement in PPT when compared with the control group. Paired sample t tests for BEA only show an immediate decrease in BEA of the paraspinal muscle on the pelvic deficiency side of the low-back region. CONCLUSIONS The application of instrument-assisted SMT resulted in an immediate and widespread hypoalgesic effect with local muscle relaxation in asymptomatic participants. It is hypothesized that therapeutic mechanisms, either segmental or central, may be involved in the therapeutic effects of instrument-assisted SMT.

Effects of electrical stimulation of acupuncture points on blood pressure

OBJECTIVE Arterial hypertension is considered a major contributor to coronary arterial disease. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of Hans electrical stimulation of acupuncture points on blood pressure. METHODS Subjects with normal and elevated blood pressure were recruited and randomly assigned into control and experimental groups. Only the experimental subjects received active Hans electrical stimulation on 2 acupuncture points for 30 minutes each session, twice a week for 5 weeks. RESULTS Twenty-seven subjects (17 male) were recruited and completed the study. The average age of the subjects was 25 +/- 5 years. The youngest subject was 20 years old and the oldest was 36 years old. After using the Hans electrical stimulation on acupuncture points for 5 weeks, the systolic blood pressure decreased significantly in the experimental group with active treatment. The mean systolic blood pressure was 117.8 +/- 4.2 mm Hg before the treatment and was reduced to 110.8 +/- 5.5 mm Hg (P < .05) in the third week and to 110.1 +/- 5.8 mm Hg in the fifth week (P < .05). The mean diastolic blood pressure was 78.1 +/- 5.0 mm Hg before treatment and was reduced to 77.4 +/- 4.3 mm Hg (P > .05) in the third week and to 74.8 +/- 4.3 mm Hg (P > .05) in the fifth week, but both did not reach statistically significant levels. The systolic and diastolic blood pressures in the control group did not show statistically significant changes. The mean systolic blood pressure was 115.6 +/- 13.3 mm Hg before the treatment and was reduced to 113.0 +/- 12.6 mm Hg (P > 0.05) in the third week and to 112.2 +/- 10.3 mm Hg in the fifth week (P > .05). The mean diastolic blood pressure was 76.4 +/- 7.9 mm Hg before treatment and was reduced to 76.5 +/- 6.9 mm Hg (P > .05) in the third week and to 73.9 +/- 5.4 mm Hg (P > .05) in the fifth week. CONCLUSION It was concluded that Hans electrical stimulation of acupuncture points reduced systolic blood pressure but not the diastolic blood pressure in the current subject population with normal and elevated blood pressure.

Chiropractic adjustments and orthotics reduced symptoms for standing workers

OBJECTIVE This controlled study was designed to explore the effectiveness of foot orthotics in solving problems of the feet and other parts of the lower extremities and to reduce low back pain. METHODS Thirty-two subjects (24 males) were recruited and randomly assigned into 3 study groups. There were 10 subjects in the chiropractic care plus orthotics group, 14 subjects in the orthotics group, and 8 in the control group. All subjects filled out a patient information sheet and pre-screening foot pain questionnaire. Foot orthotics information was collected and the data was sent to Foot Level-ers, Inc. for orthotic fabrication. Chiropractic treatment was performed using Activator Technique. In-home exercise was prescribed to subjects receiving orthotics and chiropractic care. RESULTS The control group did not experience much change during the testing period. The orthotics group showed improvement in symptoms (P = 0.053), activities of daily living (P = 0.058), sport and recreation (P = 0.186) and quality of life (P = 0.085). While trends were apparent, the improvements did not reach statistically significant levels. In contrast, there was no trend with pain (P = 0.492). The orthotics plus chiropractic group showed improvement in the four conditions over the study period. Greater improvement was seen in quality of life (P < 0.05), symptoms (P < 0.05) and activities of daily living (P < 0.05), which were statistically significant. Improvement was also seen in sports and recreation but it did not reach statistical significant level (P = 0.097). CONCLUSION This study showed that a combination of chiropractic care and orthotics improved symptoms, activities of daily living, sport and recreation and quality of life in workers whose job requires them to stand at least 6 hours daily.

Effects of exercise and custom-made orthotics on blood pressure and heart rate variability: a randomized controlled pilot study

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to use randomized controlled research design to investigate the effect of an exercise program and custom-made flexible orthotics on heart rate variability and blood pressure at varying stages of exercise over a 5-month period. METHODS Thirteen ping-pong players were recruited and randomly assigned into control and experimental groups. Both groups had the same exercise program, and only the experimental group wore custom-made flexible orthotics. Exercise effects were compared before and after the training using heart rate variability and blood pressure. The study lasted 5 months with 1 data collection per month except in the fourth month. RESULTS Ten male players (6 in the experimental group) completed the study. The average age of the participants was 44 +/- 16 years. The blood pressure in the experimental group significantly decreased after the 5-month study period and after each exercise session. The blood pressure did not change significantly after each exercise session in the control group. The heart rate was significantly increased immediately after exercise and remained at a higher level after the 20 minutes of rest at the end of each days exercise session. The average resting heart rate decreased from 69.7 +/- 1.708 to 66.8 +/- 4.480 (P < .05) in the experimental group but increased from 69.7 +/- 1.708 to 90.7 +/- 2.808 (P > .05) in the control group. The total power reflecting the total autonomic activity was significantly decreased immediately after exercise and after the 20-minute rest period at the end of the exercise session in both the control and experimental groups. CONCLUSIONS There were positive changes in cardiac and vascular autonomic regulations with exercise training when combined with foot orthotics.

Taking nutritional supplements for three months reduced blood pressure but not blood lipid levels in students

OBJECTIVE To study the effects of a nutritional supplement on cardiovascular health determined by blood and saliva biochemistry and heart rate variability (HRV) in asymptomatic college students and faculty members. METHODS Forty subjects were recruited in the study via a school wide email notification and through personal contacts. GreensFirst vegetable supplement drink was tested to document its effect on the blood and saliva biochemistry in relation to cardiovascular health. RESULTS After taking the supplement for 90 days, both the systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly. The heart rate decreased but did not reach statistical significance. Time domain analysis of HRV showed a slight decrease in standard deviation of normal-normal and square root of the mean squared differences but did not reach statistical significance. Frequency analysis of HRV found no significant changes. Saliva dehydroepiandosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) and Cortisol decreased after taking the supplement, however, they did not reach significant levels. Blood glucose concentration was increased slightly but the change was not significant. Blood serum tests showed no significant changes in the total cholesterol or the low-density lipoprotein levels. However, it was noted that the high-density lipoprotein level was decreased significantly. Triglycerides did not show any significant changes but it were slightly elevated after the treatment period. Homocysteine increased significantly after taking the supplement for 90 days. CONCLUSION For this group of subjects, taking the green vegetable drink for 90 days reduced blood pressure but did not significantly affect the blood and saliva chemistry.

The effects of smoking on intersegmental motion in the upper thoracic spine

Objective The aim of this study was to determine if smoking has an effect on intersegmental motion in the upper thoracic spine.

The effect of fruit and vegetable powder mix on hypertensive subjects: a pilot study

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to evaluate the effects of a fruit and vegetable powder mix on cardiovascular health as determined by blood pressure and heart rate variability (HRV) in a chiropractic college faculty and student population. METHODS Forty subjects were recruited in the study via a schoolwide e-mail notification and through personal contacts. NanoGreens (Biopharma Scientific, Inc, San Diego, CA) vegetable supplement drink was tested to document its effect on the blood pressure and HRV in relation to cardiovascular health. RESULTS After taking the supplement for 90 days, both systolic and diastolic blood pressures decreased significantly in the treatment group. The systolic blood pressure decreased from 140.4 +/- 17.7 to 128 +/- 14.2 mm Hg, and the diastolic blood pressure decreased from 90.2 +/- 7.7 to 83.1 +/- 7.4 mm Hg. No significant blood pressure decrease was observed in the control group (systolic blood pressure from 130.8 +/- 16.3 to 131 +/- 16.1 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure from 83.6 +/- 9.6 to 83.1 +/- 7.9 mm Hg). Subjects body weight in pounds did not change significantly in the experimental group: from 193.5 +/- 31.1 to 194 +/- 31.3. The body weight in the control group showed an increase from 175.9 +/- 27.4 to 178 +/- 29.9, but it was not significant. The heart rate did not show any statistically significant changes. Time domain analysis of HRV showed an increase in the standard deviation of the average R-R intervals root mean square of successive interbeat intervals, but it did not reach statistical significance. Frequency analysis of HRV found an increase in the total power, but it did not reach a significant level. CONCLUSION It was concluded that taking the nutritional supplement for 90 days reduced blood pressure but not body weight in this group of subjects. The HRV was not affected by the supplement over the 3-month period. Larger studies should be conducted to determine effects on other populations.