When Dan Farkas was 20, a car accident altered his life forever. "I couldn't walk for over 30 days," he recalls. "I was in so much pain and my legs just didn't want to work. I went through all kinds of treatments and therapy, and finally I went to a chiropractor and got adjusted and I walked out of the office.
"It was amazing. I was sold on chiropractic ever since."
Not only did the adjustment help him walk, it led him down the path of becoming a chiropractor himself and being able to help others. "When most people think of going to the chiropractor, they think of going after a car accident or a slip and fall," Farkas says. "But I also see people for things like headaches, stress, digestion problems, pregnancy issues and people who were injured by vaccines."
Another problem he helps with is treating patients with HIV/AIDS.
Dr. Farkas will be giving a presentation on the ways that chiropractic care can benefit AIDS patients at 7 p.m. Oct. 11 at his Ferndale office. Members of the HIV/AIDS advocacy group Higher Ground will be treated to refreshments and have an opportunity to ask questions. Anyone who is interested in learning more about treatment for themselves or others is welcome to attend.
AIDS is an autoimmune disease that causes patients' levels of white blood cells, known as T cells, to decline, reducing the body's ability to fight disease. Since the 1980s, studies have found a connections between the immune system and the central nervous system through the endocrine system.
A more recent study shines a glimmer of hope that there could be a correlation between spinal adjustments and T cell levels. In 1994, Dr. JL Hightower of the Sid. E. Williams Research Center of Life Chiropractic University studied HIV-positive patients for six months. One group of patients received regular chiropractic adjustments, and the control group was given "fake" adjustments. Patients who were treated experienced a 48-percent increase in CD4 cells, while the control group actually saw a 7.69-percent drop in levels.
"Enhanced Phagocytic Cell Respiratory Burst Induced by Spinal Manipulation," a study that came out in 2001, revealed that following an adjustment, a patient begins reacting by strengthening its resistance to disease. "To me it just makes sense," Farkas says. "The spine houses a big part of your nervous system, and your nervous system is what carries messages from your brain to the rest of your body. Improving that communication, but adjusting your spine, helps the rest of the body work well."
In addition to sharing AIDS related research, Dr. Farkas plans to speak on the benefits of good spinal health for any individual. Listeners can learn how a small spinal misalignment (called a sublexation) can deteriorate the body over time.
Rick Henning of Higher Ground will also be on hand to talk about the group and their work advocating for HIV/AIDS patients.
Chiropractic Care for HIV/AIDS Patients
Office of Chiropractor Daniel Farkas
22540 Woodward Ave., Ferndale
http://www.ferndalechiropractor.com
For more on Higher Ground and upcoming events, visit http://www.higherground.org.
