When people are sick, there is an understandable desire to stay away from everything and everyone around them. However, marching your sick self into our office is one of the greatest things you can do for yourself! On the one hand they are worried about 'spreading germs' to other people, but on the other hand most patients know the importance of a well-functioning nervous system. Most of the time, the benefits of an adjustment outweigh the potential risk factors and discomfort of getting to the office.

When our patients are sick, the first thing we encourage is coming in to get adjusted! Here's exactly why:

1. Immunity

The Immune System is a group of specialized cells, tissues, and organs who's main job is to build immunity against the outside world. These organs consist of the spleen, bone marrow, lymph nodes and several types of white blood cells. Whenever our body encounters a virus, bacteria or other pathogens, white bloods cells are released into the bloodstream. The white blood cells detect invasive organisms, then engulf and destroy that pathogen. If that wasn't already awesome, the body is not done! Immediately after, your body creates a memory of that pathogen, so that if the same or similar pathogens are detected again, the body will remember how to defend against it. The Immune System is vital for our survival, a decreased function (think HIV) or increased function (Autoimmune Diseases like Diabetes Type I or Rheumatoid Arthritis) is incredibly detrimental to our overall health and well being. Over time, a lowered immunity leaves us vulnerable to bigger infections or diseases. Things like cancer are opportunistic diseases! They only thrive in a body

2. Neuro - immunology

The nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord and all the corresponding nerves in the body. It is a truly amazing intelligence system that is built into every living thing. It coordinates every function in your body and allows us to adapt and respond appropriately to our outside environment. There should be a perfect balance between it's state of rest (the parasympathetic nervous system) and stress (the sympathetic nervous system). A healthy state of both sympathetic and parasympathetic are needed to function properly. What happens when people are chronically in a state of stress? This means that the body is constantly focused on short term survival and will not prioritizing things like proper digestion, hormone balance, and healing.

While in this state, white blood cells or the appropriate amount of white bloods cells are not released. Creating long-term immunity is not a priority and falls to the way-side. We become more susceptible to invading pathogens and our bodies respond slower to them, which means that we experience an immune response that might involve inflammation, mucous production and a fever...aka, being 'sick'.

3. The Chiropractor

Chiropractors focus on keeping the nervous system in optimal balance. One of the reasons people are stuck in the sympathetic or stress mode of their nervous systems is because their spine is full of subluxations. Remember that the nervous system is housed in the spine. Any pressure exerted from the spine onto the nervous system dampens the power of our immune responses to stress. Over time, these subluxations manifest into chronic pain patterns, arthritis, poor posture, neurological deficits, and a damped immunity! The job of the chiropractor is to take this pressure off the nervous system, therefore restoring balance and tone to the body.

When this happens, appropriate immune responses result! One study, from the National College of Chiropractic in Lombard, Illinois, found that disease-fighting white blood cell counts were higher just 15 minutes after a chiropractic adjustment was applied to the upper back. Another study investigated the immune response in HIV-positive patients under chiropractic care. After six months, the group receiving chiropractic adjustments showed a 48 percent increase in white blood cell (CD4) counts. Conversely, the group that did not receive chiropractic adjustments experienced a 7.96 percent decrease.

Making sure the connection between your brain and your immune system is at its best is one of the first steps to a healthier immune system, no cell will function the way it should if it is not getting the right messages. So get checked by a chiropractor!

References:

Korr IM: “Andrew Taylor Still memorial lecture: research and practice — a century later.” J Am Osteopath Assoc 1974 73:362.

Brennan PC, Triano JJ, McGregor M, et al: “Enhanced neutrophil respiratory burst as a biological marker for manipulation forces: duration of the effect and association with substance P and tumor necrosis factor.” JMPT 1992 15(2):83.

Selano JL, Hightower BC, Pfleger B, et al: “The effects of specific upper cervical adjustments on the CD4 counts of HIV positive patients.” Chiropractic Research Journal 1994 3(1):32