title: What effect does chiropractic treatment have on gastrointestinal (GI) disorders: a narrative review of the literature.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to provide a narrative review of the literature of studies describing the management of disorders of the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract using 'chiropractic therapy' broadly defined here as spinal manipulation therapy, mobilizations, soft tissue therapy, modalities and stretches. Search limiters include access to full text studies published between 1980 and November 2012 in peer-reviewed journals, English language only involving human subjects. Twenty-one articles were found that met our inclusion criteria. Retrievable articles varied from case reports to clinical trials to review articles of management options. The majority of articles chronicling patient experiences under chiropractic care reported they demonstrated mild to moderate improvements in presenting symptoms. No adverse side effects were reported. This suggests chiropractic care can be considered as an adjunctive therapy for patients with various GI conditions providing there are no co-morbidities.
authors.affiliation: Chiropractic and Health Associates Clinic, 1 St. Clair Ave West, Suite 404, Toronto, Ontario.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Angus
authors.affiliation: Private practice.
authors.forename: Sepideh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Asgharifar
authors.affiliation: Chiropractic and Health Associates Clinic, 1 St. Clair Ave West, Suite 404, Toronto, Ontario.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gleberzon
keywords: chiropractic; gastro-intestinal; manipulation; therapy