Our bodies are very vulnerable when it comes to facing illnesses. The part that is responsible for keeping you safe from all possible illnesses is called the immune system. It’s the body’s natural way of preventing you from getting sick. It’s also the part responsible for promoting healing when you get sick. The system is characterized by several components such as antibodies, blood cells, specialized tissues, and organs. All these components act towards fighting the infectious agents in your body.
If any of the components is compromised and doesn’t work as required, you easily become ill. In most cases, other conditions like cold and flu take advantage of your immune system’s weakness to attack you. There is also a case of the immune system attacking itself resulting in autoimmune diseases such as Lupus, Diabetes Type 1, Multiple Sclerosis, and Grave’s Disease. While there are several traditional ways that you can boost your immunity such as nutritional counseling and lifestyle changes, experts also recommend chiropractic care.
You have to remember that there is a close connection between your spine and your immune system. The spine is very significant since it determines how your immune cells are coordinated inside your body. In case the spine is misaligned (a condition called subluxation), your immune response becomes compromised. So, chiropractic works by realigning the crooked spine so as to facilitate an effective immune response. Generally, here are the top benefits of chiropractic care for your immune system:
Fights Inflammatory Infections
The nervous system which comprises the brain (the coordination center), the spine (the coordination and support component), and the nerves (the messengers) has a close connection with the immune system. The two are involved in constant communication. If there is a communication failure, you get sick. This is because the communication between the two is dependent on the secretion of chemical messengers (hormones) by another system called the endocrine system.
A communication failure shuts the paths that allow distribution of hormones such as adrenaline. This, in the long run, translates to an inflammatory response. Inflammatory cells are stimulated at specific points in your body. These cells are very painful and can be traumatic. This is how infections such as tonsillitis (the inflammation of the tonsils) and vasculitis (the inflammation of the blood vessels) develop.
Chiropractic care is very important when it comes to an inflammatory response for one major reason. The therapy helps to treat subluxation by decompressing the compromised nerves so as to restore the communication that existed between your nervous system and the immune system. Of course, the endocrine system is also stimulated to secrete defensive hormones naturally. The gentle manipulation also addresses hypotension (low blood pressure), which is associated with inflammatory infections.
Fights Immunodeficiency Diseases
Immunodeficiency Diseases are those infections that render your immune system vulnerable to other infections. Great examples are HIV/AIDs and Drug-Induced Immunodeficiency Disease. Research shows that chiropractic care has amazing benefits when it comes to fighting these immunodeficiency diseases. This is possible because the therapy helps to boost the amount of CD4 cells (involved in fighting HIV virus) and the white blood cells (involved in providing natural immunity against infections). In the case of CD4 count promotion – experts argue that patients who are having chiropractic care tend to be better in health than those who are not if they add the technique to medication and lifestyle changes. As in the case of the white blood cells – chiropractic helps to open up the paths that facilitate efficient distribution of WBC and the manufacturing of the same. Since the white blood cells are the first cells to respond to an infection, it becomes easy to manage the immunodeficiencies.
Fights Allergic Reactions
There are suggestions that chiropractic care helps to lower the secretion of histamine (the chemical that is released when a threat is introduced into your body). Sometimes, the release of histamine is in response to something that actually does not pose any negative effect on your body. This is what causes an allergic response such as itchiness, rashes, and hives.
According to a recent publication in the Journal of Manipulation and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT), chiropractic care helps to stimulate the manufacture of phagocytes and neutrophils. These cells are involved in digestion of foreign materials that may be among those which cause the allergic response. The journal advocates having chiropractic care sessions as often as possible if you are prone to any form of allergy.
Lowers Stress Hormone
As mentioned earlier, the endocrine system which is responsible for secreting hormones has a close relationship with the immune system. One critical hormone that is released by the endocrine system is Cortisol (also known as the stress hormone). The hormone is a natural inhibitor and so it hinders the functioning of the immune system.
The moment your immune system is overwhelmed by high cortisol levels, conditions such as stress and anxiety set in. Chiropractic care helps to turn off the release of cortisol hormone so that your body’s immune system is not conquered. This is possible through the correction of subluxation effects. In the long run, you are able to manage stress, fear, and worry as you look forward to being happy.
Promote Speedy Recovery
At times, your body may fail to prevent an infection from messing up your body. If it’s a case of spine misalignment, it may take time before you can fully recover if you are just using medications. However, you can speed up the recovery by using chiropractic care to address the subluxation. This will help to stimulate your overwhelmed immune cells.
Some patients are afraid to have chiropractic care when they are sick since they feel that all they need are prescribed medications and therapy. What they don’t understand is that chiropractic care is also a form of therapy that has been practiced for decades. It helps to restore your immune system to its natural status so as you can recover from what is ailing you much faster.
The Wrap:
Dr. Dee at Healing Hands Chiropractic, located in Murfreesboro, TN, can help boost your body’s immune system through chiropractic care. From the pointers discussed, it’s undeniable that your body’s immune system could use chiropractic care. It makes easy for your body to not only fight common infections but to also offer prevention support. This will ensure that you stay healthy most of the time. You just have to find a great chiropractor to help you with the spinal adjustment routines. Contact Healing Hands Chiropractic today!
