Remission of myasthenia gravis following cervical adjustment

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder, caused by circulating antibodies against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) and associated proteins. Anticholinesterase medications and immunomodulating therapies are the mainstays of current treatment. Presented here is a case of a 51-year-old female who had been diagnosed with MG based on symptoms and continued elevation of antibody to AChR (anti-AChR) by her family physician. The patient’s anticholinesterase medication was halted due to significant side effects affecting bowel function. She only received acupuncture treatment in the past 4 months prior to this presentation. Myasthenic symptoms deteriorated and the anti-AChR titer kept elevating after stopping medication. She originally came to us due to neck and back pain rather than myasthenic complaints. This case is interesting that her back pain and myasthenic symptoms went into complete remission within 1 month of initiating chiropractic adjustment. The concomitant recession of the myasthenic symptoms raises considerable interest for the mystery of MG, including the causal link between stress and autoimmune disease, the role of ACh in immune regulation, and the possible mechanisms of disease amelioration. Further studies would shed more light on the efficacy of various modalities in treating MG.