• McCoy M
• Kent C
• Candelaria-Perez SM
• Stiles A
• Kwon C
• Long C
• Mills B

• Affiliation / Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation
• Biomarkers
• Immune System
• Immunity
• Manipulation, Spinal
• Review Literature as Topic
• Vertebral Subluxation Complex

Objective: To discuss the existing literature on chiropractic, vertebral subluxation and immune function in order to inform the development of an integrative review of the literature, a review of immune biomarkers in relation to chiropractic, development of a research protocol, the implementation of future studies and the development of related policy.

Methods/Results: We conducted a scoping review of existing literature available to the authors and conducted further searches and gathering of documents based on that available literature. 125 papers were gathered and included in this review.

Conclusions: This is a scoping review of the literature regarding chiropractic and its relationship to neuroimmunology. It is intended to inform a larger project and give that team as much background as possible in a short period of time. The results of the already available research demands that we further explore the neuro-immuno-regulatory effects of chiropractic, adjustment and spinal manipulation and it provides a starting point for doing so. While adjustments reduce pain and inflammation, they also improve immune-regulatory function. How and to what extent is the subject of this current multi-pronged project.

Author keywords: Chiropractic, immunity, neuroimmunity,  neuroimmunology, psychoneuroimmunology, neuroimmunoendocrine system, immune biomarkers, supersystem, vertebral subluxation, adjustment, spinal manipulation

Author affiliations: MM: Vice President, Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation; CK: President, Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation; SMC-P, AS, CK, CL, BM: Research Fellows, Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation

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