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An article published in the January 2001 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics follows two case studies of patients with various types of serious cancer. The article explores the chiropractic care provided to these patients and its effect on their pain and quality of life.

The first patient was a 57-year-old man with terminal pancreatic cancer. This patient received chiropractic care during the later stages of his illness. During his remaining time, it was documented that he experienced significantly less pain and was able to reduce his medications. The journal article summarized this case by stating, “In this case, chiropractic care was able to provide significant pain relief, reduce the amount of pain medication being taken (as well as the potential side effects), and temporarily improve the quality of life for a patient with terminal cancer.”

The second patient was a 54-year-old man recovering from surgery for lung cancer. He had been suffering from upper back pain for over a year without relief. At that point, he began chiropractic care. This patient experienced immediate relief and was able to discontinue all pain medication after just two chiropractic visits.

The principles of chiropractic make it clear that the focus of chiropractic care is not to directly treat pain but to assist the body in maximizing its own healing abilities. These case studies highlight this approach and its effect on individuals with serious conditions. The journal article states, “These clinical examples offer 2 specific instances of how chiropractic may improve the quality of a cancer patient’s life.”