Effect of the Toftness Chiropractic Adjustments for Children with Acute Otitis Media
John Q. Zhang, M.D., Ph.D, Brian J. Snyder, B.S., D.C.
Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research ~ March 29, 2004 ~ Pages 1-4
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Recurrent acute otitis media occurs during the early years of life in approximately 20 to 30% of the pediatric population. A clinical challenge closely related to recurrent otitis media is persistent otitis media, manifested by persistence during antimicrobial therapy of symptoms and signs of middle ear infection and relapse of acute otitis media within 1 month of completion of antibiotic therapy. Recurrent acute otitis media is often associated with morbidity, temporary hearing loss, and financial costs. The aim of this study was to study the effect of Toftness chiropractic adjustment for acute otitis media in children.
METHODS: Twenty-two children who had acute otitis media and received no prophylaxis were treated with Toftness chiropractic
adjustment.
RESULTS: Among the 21 children, 9 were females and 12 were males, ranging in age from 9 month to 9 years old. Exami-nation revealed consistent findings of acute inflammation in the inner ear with red and bulging tympanic membrane and an increased mean oral temperature of >100oF. After the Toftness chiropractic adjustment, the red and bulging tympanic membrane returned to normal in 95% of the children and a decrease in average oral temperature to 98.6oF ± 0.774.
CONCLUSIONS: The consistency of the results provides evidence that patients with otitis media may benefit from the Toftness chiropractic adjustment. The small number of subjects and the cohort study design limit the conclusions that can be made from this data. However, this data is clearly strong enough to justify a larger, more well-controlled clinical trial to determine the extent of efficacy of Toftness chiropractic adjustment at treating this widespread childhood condition.
Key Indexing Terms: Toftness; Chiropractic; Otitis media, Subluxation
