THE WINSOR AUTOPSIES
Can an Unhealthy Spine Affect Internal Organs?
At the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Henry Winsor conducted an experiment based on chiropractors claim that by adjusting the vertebrae they can relieve stomach troubles, ulcers, menstrual cramps, thyroid conditions, kidney disease, constipation, heart disease, lung and other diseases. In this experiment he dissected both human and animal cadavers to see if there was any relationship between any diseased internal organs discovered on autopsy and the vertebrae and nerves that went to the organs. Dr. Winsor dissected 75 human and 22 cat cadavers. He found nearly 100% correlation between minor curvatures of the vertebrae and diseases of the internal organs.
Heart Disease
All 20 cases with heart and pericardium conditions had the upper five thoracic vertebrae misaligned (T1-T5).
Lung Disease
All 26 cases of lung disease has spinal misalignments in the upper thoracic area.
Stomach Disease
All nine cases of stomach disease had spinal misalignment in the mid-thoracic (T5-T9) area.
Liver Disease
All 13 cases of liver disease had misalignments in the mid-thoracic area (T5-T9).
Gallbladder
All five cases with gallstone disease had spinal misalignments in the mid-thoracic area (T5-T9).
Pancreas
All three cases with pancreas disease had spinal misalignments in the mid-thoracic area (T5-T9).
Spleen
All 11 cases with spleen disease had spinal misalignments in the mid-thoracic area (T5-T9).
Kidney
All 17 cases with kidney disease were out of alignment in the lower thoracic area (T10-T12).
Prostate and Bladder Disease
All eight cases with prostate disease had the lumbar vertebrae misaligned.
Uterus
Two cases with uterine conditions had the second lumbar misaligned.
Information from: Winsor, 11. Sympathetic segmental disturbances-11. The evidence association, in dissected cadavers, of visceral disease with vertebrae deformities of the same sympathetic segments. Medical times. Nov 1921, 49 pp
Subluxations
Whenever there is a disruption in the normal movement or position of the vertebrae, the result is pain and inflammation. In the lumbar spine, these usually occur at the transition between the lower spine and the sacrum. Subluxations can lead to debilitating low back pain. Fortunately, subluxations are easily treatable and often times a significant reduction in pain is experienced almost immediately after treatment.
Disc Herniations
Contrary to popular belief, a herniated disc does not automatically mean that you are going to suffer from low back pain. In fact, one study found that almost half of all adults had at least one bulging or herniated disc, even though they did not suffer any back pain from it. On the other hand, herniated discs can be a source of intense and debilitating pain that frequently radiates to other areas of the body. Unfortunately, once a disc herniates, they rarely, if ever, completely heal. Further deterioration can often be avoided through regular chiropractic care, but a complete recovery is much less common.
Sprains, Strains & Spasms
This is commonly the source of low back pain among the weekend warriors. You know, the type who have very little physical activity during the week, but once the weekend arrives, they push themselves way too much. By the end of the weekend, they are lying flat on their back counting down the hours before they can get in to see their chiropractor. Overworking the muscles or ligaments of the low back can lead to small tears in the tissues, which then become painful, swollen and tight.
Stress
Whenever you become stressed, your body responds by increasing your blood pressure and heart rate, flooding your body with stress hormones and tightening up your muscles. When you are stressed all the time, the chronic tension causes your muscles to become sore, weak and loaded with trigger points. If you are stressed out all of the time and you have low back pain, it is important to do some relaxation exercises, such as deep breathing, as well as to get regular exercise.
Treating Low Back Pain With Chiropractic
Chiropractic treatment for low back pain is usually pretty straightforward. Most commonly, its simply a matter of adjusting the lower lumbar vertebrae and pelvis to re-establish normal motion and position of your bones and joints.
Chiropractic for the low back has been repeatedly shown to be the most effective treatment for low back pain. In fact, major studies have shown that chiropractic care is more effective, cheaper and has better long-term outcomes than any other treatment. This makes sense because chiropractic care is the only method of treatment that serves to re-establish normal vertebral motion and position in the spine. All other treatments, such as muscle relaxants, pain killers and bed rest, only serve to decrease the symptoms of the problem and do not correct the problem itself.