Sherman College News

Rugby Returns to Sherman College

September 17, 2012

Rugby Returns to Sherman College of Chiropractic

In a quote often attributed to Winston Churchill, rugby is described as “a hooligan’s game played by gentlemen.” This fast-paced sport, well known for both its physical and social aspects, has returned to Sherman after a 26-year hiatus, thanks to the initiative of coach Adam Ashcraft, a former rugger and Sherman’s director of continuing education.

The team’s first home match will be Saturday, September 22, at 2 p.m. at Pride Park on the Sherman campus (2020 Springfield Road in Spartanburg) against seasoned competitors The Columbia Olde Grey. The Sherman College Rugby Football Club is part of the Palmetto Union of men’s teams and will play three seasons: fall, spring and summer. The club has six scheduled matches in the fall season and looks forward to the support of the Spartanburg and Sherman College communities; Ashcraft believes fans will enjoy watching the physical nature and the constant action of the sport.

He is enthusiastic about the club’s first season.  “While The Sherman Pride may lack the experience that many of our opponents have, we are training hard and expect an exciting season,” Ashcraft says. “Most of our players have never played rugby before, but all of them have latched on to the philosophy and passion of the game, and we can’t wait to take the pitch.”

After proposing the resurgence of Sherman rugby to Sherman President Jon Schwartzbauer, D.C., and the board of trustees earlier this year, Ashcraft officially started the program back up in March with much excitement from the college community and 100 percent administrative approval. The team has been practicing all summer.

“It’s more than a game, much more,” Ashcraft says of the camaraderie and the fraternal aspect of the sport. “I wanted to bring that community back to Sherman. It’s a philosophy of enjoying life to its fullest. When you go to a rugby match, people are laughing, smiling and really enjoying themselves, including and especially the players on the pitch.”

Ashcraft knows this from experience, having played rugby for 15 years, beginning as a high school senior in 1982 in Alexandria, VA, then moving on to college play at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (where he served as captain) and Florida State University. He later played with teams in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Atlanta and Richmond, as well as nine years in Knoxville, TN, finally ending his career as a player in 1996. He is certified as a level 200 coach through USA Rugby.

Spartanburg chiropractor and Sherman faculty member Dr. Kevin Power is also an integral part of the resurgence of Rugby at Sherman, having played fullback on the college’s original team in 1978 and now serving as backs coach.

While he acknowledges the challenge of molding a team that includes many inexperienced players, Power says it’s a task he knows will pay off. “I am immensely proud of our young men and the effort, energy and enthusiasm that they are bringing to the game,” he says. “I believe this team will be a great rallying point for the campus community and that they will be tremendous representatives of Sherman College as we travel to compete against other teams.”

Admission to the game is free; refreshments and Sherman rugby t-shirts will be available for purchase. Local companies sponsoring The Pride include Southeast Sports Chiropractic (the official Sherman Rugby Team chiropractors), RJ Rockers and Nu-Way Lounge and Restaurant.

For a schedule and more information about Sherman Rugby, go to www.sherman.edu/rugby or the Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/Sherman.Rugby.

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Sherman College of Chiropractic provides students with a comprehensive chiropractic education, preparing them to enter the field as primary health care professionals who are highly skilled, compassionate, ethical and successful. On its 80-acre campus in South Carolina, Sherman offers a first professional degree program unique in its approach to health care and known globally for the skill and art of chiropractic delivered by graduates. For more information, visit www.sherman.edu or call 800-849-8771.

 

For more information, please contact:

Karen Rhodes
Director of Public Relations
Sherman College of Chiropractic
Phone: 800-849-8771, ext. 242
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.sherman.edu

Sherman College to Research Correlation between Chiropractic Care and Reduction in Seizure Activity

August 28, 2012

Sherman College to Research Correlation between Chiropractic Care and Reduction in Seizure Activity; Patients Being Accepted

Jasen Van Dyke has seen first-hand the positive effects of chiropractic care on epileptic patients; after beginning chiropractic care, his young daughter, Lilli, experienced a dramatic reduction of seizures, and her quality of life continues to improve under regular care.

In fact, after sharing Lilli’s story with other parents, Van Dyke eventually decided to leave a successful career and enroll in Sherman College’s doctor of chiropractic program. Now less than a year away from graduation, he intends to take his personal observations with his daughter’s case a step further by piloting a research project studying the correlation between chiropractic care and seizure activity, autonomic nerve function, and quality of life.

“Having a daughter with epilepsy,” Van Dyke says, “I know that I want to open a family practice with an emphasis on special needs. All bodies function best without nerve interference, including those with special needs. I want to give hope to parents with no hope,” he says, thinking back to the days when he and his wife, Jennifer, were searching for an answer that would help their own child. Before getting started in practice, though, he’s working on a research project (guided by his advisor, Sherman College’s Assistant Director of Research, Dr. John Hart) studying chiropractic’s effects on seizure activity and the function of the autonomic nervous system.

Van Dyke has found several case studies that indicate improvement in autonomic function of patients with cerebral palsy (like his daughter, Lilli) who received chiropractic care to remove vertebral subluxations, which are misalignments of the bones of the spine. He’s also studied research that shows a correlation between the correction of subluxations and positive effects on the autonomic nervous system. But, he says, autonomic nervous system involvement in patients with epilepsy has rarely been studied and has shown conflicting results.

“I’m proposing that the correlation between chiropractic care and the reported resultant decrease in seizure activity is due to the improvement or regulation of autonomic function upon removal of subluxations,” Van Dyke explains.

Patients Being Accepted

Up to 30 patients of any age with a history of epilepsy will be accepted for the study. The group will be randomized into an intervention group and a placebo group. The intervention group will receive chiropractic care to remove subluxations. Both groups will undergo standard Sherman College protocols to locate and analyze vertebral subluxation(s); x-rays will be used to help assess listings if deemed clinically necessary.

The medically diagnosed causation for patients’ epilepsy will be documented, but causation alone will not play a role in determining eligibility for study participation. The intervention group will receive free chiropractic care at the Sherman College Chiropractic Health Center for the duration of the study, and the placebo group will receive free chiropractic care at the Health Center for a time equivalent to the study duration. After consulting with a pediatric neurologist of Greenville Hospital System, Van Dyke has determined that heart rate variability (HRV) will be used to assess the function of the autonomic nervous system. Autonomic assessment will also include thermal pattern analysis (TPA) findings.

Patients will be asked to complete health/wellness surveys and keep a seizure log to assess frequency, duration, and severity of seizure activity throughout the plan of care and the study, which should last approximately two to three months. For information about participating in the study, please contact Jasen Van Dyke at the Sherman College Health Center, 864-578-8777, or e-mail [email protected].

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Sherman College of Chiropractic provides students with a comprehensive chiropractic education, preparing them to enter the field as primary health care professionals who are highly skilled, compassionate, ethical and successful.

On its 80-acre campus in South Carolina, Sherman offers a first professional degree program unique in its approach to health care and known globally for the skill and art of chiropractic delivered by graduates. For more information, visit www.sherman.edu or call 800-849-8771. For more information, please contact: Karen Rhodes Director of Public Relations Sherman College of Chiropractic Phone: 800-849-8771, ext. 242 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.sherman.edu