The February 18, 2005 issue of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research finds that patients under long-term chiropractic care have higher levels of the blood chemicals associated with effective DNA repair and overall wellness.

The test was a retrospective analysis of 46 patients, all over the age of 40 who had been under short- term chiropractic care for 8-52 weeks or long term wellness care for 52-312 weeks. Researchers assessed the levels of serum thiols, blood factors that have been found to help the body repair the damaging effects stress has on the structure of DNA. Serum thiols are measured in terms of nM cysteine.

The authors found that non-chiropractic treated patients in the control group had serum thiol levels of 124 nM cysteine. Patients with active disease processes going on generally had levels below 90 compared to patients under long-term chiropractic care who had values of 146.

In their conclusion, the authors say, “some final observations should be noted. The results clearly support the recommendations being made for wellness care by chiropractors. In addition, it should be stated that these results occurred under normal practice conditions and indicate what most chiropractors are likely achieving when performing long-term care. Also, it refutes earlier that five to seven years of care was necessary to optimize human health status, as indicated by serum thiol levels. Our sampling indicates that this can occur in a time frame approximately half that period. Finally, there is no doubt that chiropractic care was the dominant factor in being able to realize thiol values that in some cases have not been seen in nutriceutical testing, the only other intervention shown to improve thiol values.”

Long term chiropractic patients have higher blood levels of DNA repair chemicals.

(2005). In Touch, 9,1.