Treatment of acute atopic eczema by chiropractic care. A case study.

Objective: To investigate a patient with atopic eczema and assess how they responded to chiropractic care.

Method: The study was run over a 7 week period with chiropractic treatments (diversified technique) on a once weekly schedule.

Outcome measures: To measure the effect of treatment, a rating system was developed and the intensity of a range of symptoms was recorded (through a questionnaire) on a twice weekly basis.

Results: The results attained showed there was a marked improvement in the eczema symptoms following the chiropractic care. The patient reported an improvement in eczematous symptoms of excoriation, pruritus, oedema and general psychological ease. These findings were also confirmed by photographic evidence which documented the change in the lesions.

Discussion: The case is presented to assist practitioners making a more informed decision on the treatment of choice for eczema. The outcome of this case is also discussed in relation to recent research that concludes that chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy has a role in the treatment for some people with non-neuromusculoskeletal conditions.

Conclusion: It appears that chiropractic care may have assisted this patient with eczema. However, more research is required to investigate the role that chiropractic has in the treatment of patients with eczema, and the potential mechanisms that could explain the improvement.