Chiropractic and Autism – Unlocking Potential
We can all agree that a major level of brain dysfunction is present in people dealing with autism. Without getting into the cause, the characteristic behaviors or any of that, it is clearly an issue in the brain and central nervous system. When we start working with a child with autism, we always include a static electromyography scan, or sEMG for short. (It’s completely non-invasive and safe for all ages.)
What we are physically measuring is the electrical nerve signal through the muscles. This gives us an insight into the efficiency of their brain-body communication. The relevance for children with autism, is that typically their brain-body communication is terribly inefficient. They tend to show scans that display great amounts of wasted energy. The wasting of energy means that they are going to be limited in their ability to self-heal and self-regulate. Here’s an example of what that looks like.
The white vase shaped line that you see in the middle of the gray zone is the statistical norm. The patient’s readings are represented by the black lines on each side. In this young boy’s case, his scan is showing a tremendous over expenditure of energy. This mean his brain-body communication is inefficient. Refer to label at the bottom the picture labeled “Total Energy Index: 553.4″. That number should ideally be 100.0. So this little guy is working so hard and wasting so much energy that things like focus and attention are being completely thrown off.
If you noticed the date, this scan was taken back in October. Our recommendation at that point in time was that he come in for adjustments 3 times per week until his next scan. Our objective with each adjustment was just to make some forward progress. At first the progress was minimal at best. Then things started shift. He had improvements in his digestion. He showed better levels of attention. And overall he was way more relaxed.
Fast forward to his most recent scan.
Now you will notice some remarkable differences. The first one is the black line. While not perfect, it more closely reflects the ideal white line that we are shooting for. Secondly, the Total Energy Index score of 157. 9. This is a dramatic change in the efficiency of his brain-body communication. In a little over 3 months he has consistently made improvements toward normal function.
So what does this mean for him day to day? Is he cured?
This is the starting line for him. Previously he really had no shot at normal self-healing and self-regulation. So much of that wasted energy meant that everyday was a struggle to get through. His body didn’t have the reserve energy to go into healing mode. He was living in survival mode.
Now as his parents start to add in lifestyle changes and restorative processes, his body will be ready to accept them and do something with them. Chiropractic has helped to unlock his potential for healing. And we’re excited to see where the rest of the journey will take him.