Chiropractic Care of a Pediatric Patient with Asthma, Allergies, Chronic Colds & Vertebral SubluxationJournal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health - Chiropractic 2009; 3: 1–7A 7-year-old male was presented by his parents for chiropractic evaluation and possible care. The suffered from chronic colds, allergies, and asthma since the age of 5 months. At the time of initial evaluation, the patient was on a 1x/day dose of prescription Alavert for allergies and Albuterol for asthma. The patient was cared for using specific, low-force adjustments with the Activator Instrument to address areas of vertebral subluxation in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbosacral spine. Within two weeks of initiating chiropractic care, the patient was able to discontinue his allergy and asthma medications (as decided upon by his parents) and the use of his nebulizer.

Can Chiropractic Help Allergies?

Allergy Relief Through Chiropractic Care?

The next time you sneeze, it may be a good time to visit a chiropractor. Yes, a chiropractor. Most people never think about it, but chiropractic care can help provide allergy relief.

That’s because chiropractic care, often thought necessary for only back and neck problems, can help with keeping the body operating at peak performance. The body’s immune system helps with preventing disease and infection, dealing with stress and overall well being. The immune system also tackles the invasion in a body of foreign substances such as pollution, dust, dead cells, etc. Current research is showing that there is a direct link between the nervous system and the immune system. Chiropractors remove nerve interference and allow the immune system to work optimally.

The immune system is affected by nerves and hormones. An immune system not operating effectively can:

Allergic reactions are the most frequent immune disorders and happen when the body’s immune system overreacts to allergens such as dust, pollen, pet dander, etc. The response is that the body overproduces neutralizing chemicals such as histamines to correct the problem.
What causes allergies? No one knows for sure. Some theories say it’s our increasing sterile environment. Others suspect the overuse of antibiotics and vaccinations. The idea here is our immune system is at its best when fighting off disease, parasites, and bacteria all by itself. The more we try and help it, the weaker it becomes. It is proven that children who live on farms and are exposed to different animals and the outdoors have fewer allergies than those who are not exposed.
Traditional allergy treatments only deal with the symptom without addressing the cause. This is because western medicine has no cure for allergies. Worse yet, antihistamines used over time or combined with other medication can be deadly. More recently, Canadian researcher Lorne Brandes, in an article published in the May 1994 Journal of the National Cancer Institute, has produced research showing that certain antihistamines (Claritin, Hismanal and Atarax) make cancerous tumors grow faster in lab rodents.

But just how can chiropractors help with such problems?
The answer is simple, chiropractic care releases stress on a patient’s nervous system. This allows the immune system to operate more effectively, which is beneficial to anyone and especially those suffering from allergies.

The chiropractic approach is to remove subluxations, a term for a misaligned spinal vertebra pinching a nerve. Subluxations place stress on the nervous system. Free from nervous system stress, your body will work more effectively to neutralize the allergy-causing chemicals in your environment.
No matter what disease or condition you have, you can benefit from a healthy spine. Spinal health can be as important for your overall healing as proper nutrition. Are you and your family carrying the vertebral subluxation complex in your spines? Only a chiropractic spinal checkup will tell. A healthy spine can improve your life – see your chiropractor for periodic spinal checkups.

Main Causes of Asthma

ASTHMA IS IN YOUR LUNGS WHETHER YOU FEEL IT OR

NOT

Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways of the lungs. Unfortunately, asthma never goes away, but the right treatment can help keep it under control.

CAUSES OF

ASTHMA

Some people think there is only one cause of asthma symptoms. But actually, asthma symptoms have two main causes, and both occur within the airways of your lungs:

AIRWAY

CONSTRICTION

This is the cause of asthma symptoms that you may feel as a tightening in your chest. The muscles around the airways of your lungs squeeze together or tighten. This tightening is often called "bronchoconstriction," and it can make it hard for you to breathe.

INFLAMMATION

This is the cause of asthma symptoms you probably do not notice. If you have asthma, the airways of your lungs are always inflamed, and they become more swollen and irritated when your asthma symptoms worsen. Inflammation can reduce the amount of air that you can take in or breathe out. In some cases, too much thick mucus is produced, which further obstructs the airways.

Together, airway constriction and inflammation narrow your airways, which can result in wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, or shortness of breath—likely familiar feelings to you. And in people with asthma, the airways may be inflamed even when they are not having symptoms.