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of the patients treated by CES alone improved during
the three weeks of the study, 37% stayed the same or even worsened, by
as much as 11%. In marked contrast, every one of' the Group II
patients (100%), in which chiropractic treatment was added to the CES,
improved during the three weeks. Figure 2
shows a comparison of the percent improvement on five of the
psychological measures. where members of Group II can he seen to have
clearly experienced a greater percent gain than did Group 1 on all the
major mood factors measured; anxiety, depression, anger, fatigue and
cognitive confusion. (See Fig. 2 below)
On the overall sleep self-rating scales. 87% of the patients, at the
beginning of the study, rated their sleep as moderate to very poor. At
the end of the study. 80% rated their sleep as moderate to excellent,
an almost mirror image turn around in quality of sleep.
No negative side effects from treatments given in the study were
reported from either group of patients, when asked at the end of the
study.
Discussion
One of our surprises was the difference in the two groups. On
percent gains in self-measured feelings of well being and quality of
life at the end of the study. It is interesting to speculate that
these ratings. coming only 20 minutes following their final treatment
manipulations, could have been made while they were still feeling some
of the physical discomforts of the treatments themselves.
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On the other hand, the study evaluations ended at three
weeks, and many therapists would expect ongoing gains from the new
postural adjustments over the weeks to come, so that the post testing
scores may not reflect the final gains the patients will experience
from either CES therapy or the combination treatment.
Conclusions
While this study is yet another positive finding of the benefits of
CES as a non-medicated treatment of fibromyalgia, it also points up
additional benefits of combining CES with chiropractic care. This was
especially true in terms of the total percentage of patients improving
when chiropractic was added, as well as on the five psychological
stress measures reported.
We conclude that CES is a valuable adjunct to chiropractic management
of fibromyalgia patients.
Dr. Steve Tyers currently serves as Director of Rehabilitation for
Integrated Medical Centers of California, La Jolla. In that capacity,
he oversees the Rehabilitation Department, directs the Nutrition
Counseling Program, and coordinates the clinical work of the medical
and chiropractic physicians on staff. He is also involved in research
projects, inc1udirig the fibromyalgia study reported here. He can be
reached at
drtyers@hotmail.com.
Dr. Ray B. Smith is Vice President for Science at
Electromedical Products International (manufacturers of the Alpha-Stim
CES device used in the above study), in Mineral Wells, TX, and
beginning his 29th year of CES research. He assisted with the
development of the research protocol and study write up. He can be
reached at ray@epii.com
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References
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2 Leventhal LJ Management of fibromyalgia, Ann Intern Med
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3. Schuster JM. Antidepressants, anxiolytics, and antipsychotics
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4. Bennett R. Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and myofascial
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5. Kirsch DL. The Science Behind Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation
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Presented at the 15th Annual International Symposium on Acupuncture
and Electro-Therapeutics. Columbia University, New York City, October
21-24, 1999.
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A
Comparison of Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation Alone or with
Chiropractic Therapies in the Treatment of Fibromyalgia.
