Chiropractic and Cancer Prognosis
Studies have shown the effects of chiropractic care for stimulation of the vagus nerve to aid in the healing process. It is not uncommon for life stressors to affect cell development and proliferation. This following article gives a better understanding on the role that vagus nerve can play in prevention and recovery.
From the Abstract:
This article reviews the role of the vagus nerve in tumor modulation and cancer prognosis. We present a systematic review of 12 epidemiological studies examining the relationship between heart rate variability, the main vagus nerve index, and prognosis in cancer patients (survival and tumor markers). These studies show that initially high vagal nerve activity predicts better cancer prognosis, and, in some studies, independent of confounders such as cancer stage and treatments. Since the design of the epidemiological studies is correlational, any causal relationship between heart rate variability and cancer prognosis cannot be inferred. However, various semi‐experimental cohort studies in humans and experimental studies in animals have examined this causal relationship. The second part of this paper presents a comprehensive review including human and animal cohort and experimental studies showing that vagotomy accelerates tumor growth, while vagal nerve activation improves cancer prognosis. Based on all reviewed studies, it is concluded that the evidence supports a protective role of the vagus nerve in cancer and specifically in the metastatic stage.
De Couck, Marijke, et al. "The role of the vagus nerve in cancer prognosis: a systematic and a comprehensive review." Journal of Oncology 2018.1 (2018): 1236787.
“Cancer remains the second leading cause of mortality worldwide, with prostate cancer being the most prevalent cancer type in men and breast cancer in women. Cancer is a complex condition since it includes several hundreds of different types, and because it involves and is affected by multiple body systems, despite beginning as uncontrolled proliferation of a group of cells.”
“Two crucial etiological factors which contribute to these six hallmarks are genetic changes or instability and the immune inflammatory response which contributes to all stages of tumorigenesis.”
“Importantly, studies have shown that three basic biological factors contribute to the onset and progression of tumorigenesis, namely, (1) oxidative stress leading to DNA damage; (2) inflammation which contributes to escape from apoptosis, angiogenesis, and metastasis, and (3) excessive sympathetic activity, which affects where cancer cells will metastasize.”
“The vagus nerve, also called the wandering nerve, is the 10th cranial nerve, descending from various sublocations within the brain medulla, descending in the upper neck between the internal jugular vein and the internal carotid artery. The vagus nerve then innervates multiple visceral organs including the heart, pancreas, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. The vagus nerve is a complex homeostatic system, which operates via multiple neurotransmitters and affects several systems (cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and immunological).”
“The vagus nerve is known for its protective effects in many pathological conditions.”
“Many studies have shown the importance and protective effects of the vagus nerve in importance diseases such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and autoimmune disease.”
“On the other hand, low vagus nerve activity has been related to poor outcome, and vagus nerve stimulation with a good outcome in other conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, sepsis, pancreatitis, depression, pain, and epilepsy.”
“Studies have demonstrated an association and experimental causal relationships between impaired vagus nerve activity and onset or worse prognosis in cancer. These studies support the importance of an intact vagus nerve in ‘protecting’ against a poor cancer prognosis. The next question of course is whether vagus nerve activation has therapeutic effects in cancer, which has clear clinical implications for cancer therapy. The vagus nerve can be stimulated in different ways.”
“This systematic review examined the evidence linking vagus nerve activity near diagnosis, as indexed by HRV, and prognosis in cancer patients.”
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1155/2018/1236787
The Chiropractic Care of Patients with Cancer: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Integrative Cancer Therapies. Alcantara, J, Alcantara, JD, & Alcantara, J. Abstract.
