At that time there were two major progressions of thought on how to deal with such things in the west, Medicine and Chiropractic. As pragmatic as they were, they  started on what would change both professions permanently. Now scientifically validated, at the time of the flu epidemic of 1918 Chiropractic was considered an unscientific form of health care, using old antiquated knowledge.

The Influenza of 1918 proved chiropractic was not just something that people did. It was a method of health care.

The below quotes are excerpts from peer reviewed papers discussing the obvious problem within medical community.

In Davenport, Iowa, 50 medical doctors treated 4,953 cases, with 274 deaths. In the same city, 150 chiropractors including students and faculty of the Palmer School of Chiropractic, treated 1,635 cases with only one death.

In the state of Iowa, medical doctors treated 93,590 patients, with 6,116 deaths – a loss of one patient out of every 15. In the same state, excluding Davenport, 4,735 patients were treated by chiropractors with a loss of only 6 cases – a loss of one patient out of every 789.

National figures show that 1,142 chiropractors treated 46,394 patients for influenza during 1918, with a loss of 54 patients – one out of every 886.

Reports show that in New York City, during the influenza epidemic of 1918, out of every 10,000 cases medically treated, 950 died; and in every 10,000 pneumonia cases medically treated 6,400 died. These figures are exact, for in that city these are reportable diseases.

In the same epidemic, under drugless methods, only 25 patients died of influenza out of every 10,000 cases; and only 100 patients died of pneumonia out of every 10,000 cases.

The Chiropractic method for the treatment of influenza was simple, adjust when there was a subluxation. Although in 1918 the exact science was not understood, today research is finally bringing form to our understanding of how real health care and wellness care can change our lives.

Dr.B

A hypersensitivity or allergy is simply when the body’s immune system becomes so alert or so aggressive to a particular substance it builds a defense system against it. Over time this hypersensitivity can involve other tissues of the body creating symptoms that can make a diagnosis difficult. Here is a simple guide to understanding the difference between a hypersensitivity to gluten and a systemic disease like Celiac.

Gluten Sensitivity vs. Celiac Disease

Gluten allergy or Sensitivity

During a gluten allergy, the body becomes hypersensitive and mounts an attack against gluten. This attack can be measured by studying antibodies. These antibodies are used by your immune system to act as a marker signaling an alert against gluten and to attack the wheat in it’s system. In this heightened state your body’s attack involves and often disregards it’s own healthy functioning tissues. This heightened state or sensitivity can be the root cause of symptoms such as swelling, pain, periods of constipation and gas.

Celiac or (Coeliac) Disease

Celiac Disease is an autoimmune and a genetically predisposed, reaction to wheat affecting the intestines and more importantly the brain. Yes, I said it the brain. One study in 2001 [1] found 7 out of 10 subjects that had: headaches, difficulty walking and elevated antibodies against gluten demonstrated a complete resolution of symptoms on a gluten free diet!!!

Again if we compare the process in simple terms:

Gluten sensitivity & No intestinal damage = Wheat (gluten) sensitivity
Gluten sensitivity & Intestinal damage = Celiac disease

How does Gluten sensitivity turn into Celiac Disease? Well often it doesn’t, many people just have a hypersensitivity to gluten or wheat and never develop into Celiac Disease. Some researchers found newest that genetically predisposed people can become sensitive to gluten and react to a point where they develop an autoimmune disorder. In this case it is called Celiac Disease. The problem is, often people don’t know they are in an autoimmune state causing neurological damage over long periods of time. This damage progresses into conditions such as: muscle spasms, muscle weakness, coordination issues, headaches, sensory impairment and the list goes on. If you think you are hypersensitive, it is imperative to examine the possibility that you might be at risk for this often low grade autoimmune reaction that can severely debilitate you throughout your life time.

Now you understand a little more about this progressive disease process, the next step is to understand how to diagnose and treat it. And that will be for a later blog post. As always, if you have any questions please contact my office for any assistance.

Always here for you,

Dr. Joshua Borgardt

1. Headache and CNS white matter abnormalities associated with gluten sensitivity – Neurology 2001;56:385-388