New Frontiers in Treatment Continued from Page 28 of addiction and chiropractic has been published in several referenced journals; he is also the creator of the Torque Re- lease Technique and has been offering programs to professionals from all dis- ciplines in addiction education through the American College of Addictionology and Compulsive Disorders. Holder had long believed that sublux- ation-based chiropractic, along with tra- ditional addiction treatment, could help an addiction patient “kick the habit” fast- er, and more easily, than traditional treat- ment alone. In 2001, Molecular Psychia- try, a Nature journal published an article showing just that.1 These were the results that Canteenwala presented at the UNLV conference. The chiropractic group had a 100 per cent retention rate for addiction treatment, a phenomenon not seen in the recovery movement to date. The study, done at the Exodus Treat- ment Center in Miami, Florida, in con- junction with University of Miami bio- statistician Bob Duncan, showed some remarkable outcomes for those addiction patients under chiropractic care during a 30 day residential addiction treatment program. The study, a single-blinded, ran- domized clinical trial, showed that those undergoing chiropractic care, utilizing Torque Release Technique, had a statis- tically signifi cant decrease in depression and anxiety. As well, the adjusted group made fewer visits to the nursing station during the 30 days. Most significant was that the chiropractic group had an unprecedented 100 per cent reten- tion rate, with respect to the addiction treatment, a phenomenon not seen in the recovery movement to date. It was these results that caught the interest of UNLV, a fl agship institution in the field of addiction medicine. WHY DOES CHIROPRACTIC HELP? Making the link between chiro- 38 • CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR |FEBRUARY 2008 Canteenwala and Holder believe that the separation an addiction patient feels is caused by subluxations in the spine that interfere with the Brain Reward Cascade, causing Reward Deficiency Syndrome. Thus, the resultant need will be for an individual to escape, or abate, undesirable feelings. Canteenwala, for this reason describes the subluxation as a “separation from wholeness.” Canteenwala stresses, however, that Dr. Canteenwala in his clinic in Winnipeg. practic and addiction recovery requires an understanding of how addiction affects the brain. Much work has been done to explain the addicted brain. Today, researchers have discovered that, for most addiction patients, addiction is not a choice but a bodily demand, like eating or sleeping. However, when the brain is “hardwired” for the wrong things, the effects can be- come fatal. Researchers look at the Brain Reward Cascade, the many neurotrans- mitters that fi re in the brain, setting up a domino effect with resultant feelings of well-being. In the addict, this reward cascade is interfered with, or not func- tioning correctly to begin with, causing the addict to manifest what is called Re- ward Defi ciency Syndrome, or RDS. In November 2000, The Journal of Psycho- active drugs published an entire journal dedicated to RDS.2 Subluxation-based chiropractic is sug- gested as a possible treatment option in this publication as well. The idea is that if someone is manifesting RDS, or an in- ability to manifest a state of well-being on their own, they may be high risk for addiction. Dr. Canteenwala, himself an instructor for the American College of Addictionology and Compulsive Disor- ders, makes no distinction between dif- ferent types of addiction. “Everybody wants one thing and that is to feel good,” he says. “If they do not have the ability to feel well on their own, they are high risk for finding something that will make them feel good. The sub- stance does not have to be drugs; it can be food, alcohol, work, sex or risk taking behaviours, like gambling.” chiropractic care is not a treatment for addiction, but rather a form of care that allows an individual patient to express a true state of well-being through proper nervous system function. CHIROPRACTIC GLEANS ATTENTION FROM ADDICTION SPECIALISTS University of Nevada, Las Vegas research- ers are not the only ones taking notice of chiropractic’s role in addiction medicine. In 2006, esteemed authors, and leaders in the fi eld of addiction medicine, David and Merlene Miller, dedicated an entire chapter of their book “Staying Clean & Sober: Complementary and Natural Strategies for Healing the Addicted Brain” to chiropractic’s role in addiction and to Holder’s Torque Release Technique. Psy- chology Today also featured this topic as a frontispiece article in 2007. 3 DR. CANTEENWALA Canteenwala believes the chiropractor has an essential role to play in helping addiction patients recover. “We need a multidisciplinary ap- proach to care,” he says. “With the chi- ropractor being in a primary care role, and having the ability to interface with a signifi cant percentage of the public, we have an opportunity to serve the public, and our patients with a unique and drug- free approach to ‘getting clean.’” Canteenwala believes the chiropractic profession is positioned perfectly to lead in the role of recovery. “Throughout the period that we see patients who are addicted, they become calmer, less depressed and less anxious. These outcomes lead to the addicted pa- tient being more able to fully gain the benefi ts of group, one-on-one and be- havioural therapy, essentials of any ad- diction treatment program.” In his offi ce, Canteenwala is currently working with many patients who are addicted. www.canadianchiropractor.ca
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