When Laura was born, she was completely blind. The doctors told her parents there was no hope that her eyesight would ever develop. Her problem was called congenital nystagmus, a condition where the eye experiences involuntary shaking and causes severe vision loss.

This situation did not stop Laura from working to achieve in life. As a child her vision did improve somewhat, but she was still unable to play or read like normal children. “When I was a child, I would look in an adult textbook and all I could see were dots,” Laura said. “I thought, ‘Wow, grown-ups are really special to be able to look at dots and get words out of that!’”

By the time Laura turned 16, her vision had improved some more, but she was still legally blind. Doctors continued to tell her there was no hope for her condition. Additionally, she began suffering from severe stomach ulcers.

However, Laura did not let that stop her. She decided to enter a teen beauty pageant, and
she won. That event changed her life and opened doors that would have otherwise remained closed. “That was the best thing about my teenage years,” she said.
Sometime later, Laura’s life was about to take another amazing turn!

When Laura entered college, she took a part time job in a Chiropractic office in Delmar,
Delaware. The doctor, Donald Hattier, suggested that he give her an adjustment. This is when her life turned on a dime. In fact, after her first adjustment, her ulcers disappeared and her vision began to improve. It happened that fast.

As the story continues, Laura went on through school and got to the point where she submitted her official resignation at the chiropractic office. It was at this time that Dr. Donald asked her out on a date. The happy story continues with the two of them now married and the parents of four children.

At age 39, Laura is living the life she never thought possible. Her vision has improved to
20/50. She is able to take care of her family and run daily errands. “I can pick my kids up from school, I can drive my kids to church and I can go to the grocery store for my family,” she said. “I am truly thankful for that.”

SOURCE: http://www.chiropracticresearch.org

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Atlanta, GA, January 07, 2010 –(PR.com)– According to the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation there is no human experimental evidence that chiropractic adjustments or neck manipulations are causally related to strokes.

“While plaintiff’s attorneys and expert witness make claims and statements contending that such a causative link exists, the fact remains that these are based largely on anecdotes, case reports, and case controlled studies and cannot be used to prove causation” stated Foundation President Christopher Kent DC, JD a chiropractic researcher and attorney.

According to researchers and the scientific method itself there are all sorts of biases and distortions that effect conclusions drawn from such studies and other criteria must be used to determine whether such a link exists.

“What this boils down to is a simple lack of understanding of biostatistics and epidemiology” stated Foundation Vice President Matthew McCoy DC, MPH, a chiropractic researcher and public health expert. “Words like ‘association’ and ‘causation’ and ‘risk’ have very specific meanings when it comes to their use in epidemiology and it’s clear that laypersons involved in this debate are using these terms inappropriately.”

While the experience of a stroke can be devastating and no one would suggest ignoring the concerns of those who have suffered one, the reality is that when it comes to the contention that chiropractic causes strokes – the evidence just isn’t there. And while the strokes these people have experienced are indeed real, McCoy suggests there are often other issues involved and offered an example. “Millions of people visit a dentist every year and a certain number of those same people get into car accidents on their way home. If we were to run the stats on it we might find that there is a statistical association between visiting a dentist and getting into a car accident on the way home. But no one would even consider suggesting that the dentists are causing the car accidents.”

Self described chiropractic stroke victims say there is a risk and that people should be advised about it prior to undergoing chiropractic care. The majority of chiropractors would agree that patients should be informed of the risks, benefits and alternatives of any health care intervention, but according to Dr. Kent “Such informed consent must be based on appropriate information and since there is no scientific evidence that chiropractic adjustments or neck manipulations actually cause strokes, it is inappropriate to require a doctor to suggest that such a risk exists.”

Dr. McCoy added another often overlooked issue “Chiropractors utilize a number of techniques to address joint dysfunction and vertebral subluxation and in fact there are over 300 named chiropractic techniques and many do not employ the type of manipulation that has been alleged to be a factor in vertebrobasilar accidents. This adds to the inappropriate nature of such a disclosure.”

In the end, chiropractic has an impressive safety record compared to traditional medical care with estimates are that anywhere from 100,000 (Institute of medicine) to 750,000 (Null et al) people die every year from medical care. In comparison, other than some minor soreness following chiropractic treatment, research has shown chiropractic to be very safe.

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