By Dr. Deanna Barbaro
The chiropractic adjustment severs to correct the abnormal position of the vertebra, thereby reducing the amount of nerve interference. Keeping the nervous system clear and able to communicate with the body allows us to respond quicker and more effectively to an infection. It also has a stress relieving effect which will be beneficial to the immune system. Anything you can do to reduce stress in your life, including physical stress such as tight muscles, will help your immune system.
The immune system is constantly sending a stream of information into the nervous system over those spinal nerves. The large amount of information transmitted during an infection can cause a “spill over” to adjacent nerves going to spinal muscles. This causes those muscles to tighten up and prevent the vertebra from moving correctly. This subluxation causes more errors in the information transmitted over the nerves and now we have a spiral effect. Many of the nervous systems chemical messengers also “talk” directly to the immune system. It has been show that the amounts of these messengers are changed when there is a subluxation. The changes in the amounts are significant enough to suppress immune function.
Research has show a definite correlation between the chiropractic adjustment and improved immune function. One nervous system chemical that affects the proliferation of T-lymphocytes, substance P, has been shown to be increased after a chiropractic adjustment. Another study showed a consistent increase in T-4 lymphocytes in patients who have regular chiropractic care. Studies are continuing to determine what is the optimum treatment frequency. This is usually determined by patient response, as each body responds differently to an infection.
A body can not function properly if the nervous system is “out of whack.” Do yourself (and your immune system) a favor and get checked out by a chiropractic doctor.