Because asthma and many allergic reactions are caused by a hypersensitive immune system and/or respiratory system, they fall comfortably within the remit of chiropractic care. This is because, for your immune system and respiratory system to function well, they must rely on healthy communication from the brain and the spinal cord.
A misaligned neck can easily cause your nervous system to become imbalanced. When the upper cervical spinal joint is irritated, it can provoke or worsen asthmatic and allergic symptoms. It is quite common, for example, to see victims of accidents involving this part of the spine to experience the onset or deterioration of an allergy such as asthma.
A doctor of chiropractic can assess your individual circumstances and examine your upper cervical spine to determine if their treatment will benefit your particular allergy.
Chiropractic and Allergies Research
There are many significant published studies that demonstrate the benefits of chiropractic care for allergy sufferers. The following are a small sample:
Long Term Remission and Alleviation of Symptoms in Allergy and Crohn’s Disease Patients Following Spinal Adjustment for Reduction of Vertebral Subluxations
Background: An association between visceral disease and immune dysfunction from sympathetic segmental disturbances secondary to vertebral subluxation has been put forward by chiropractic, osteopathic and medical practitioners. We report on the positive results of a controlled study using chiropractic adjustments to reduce subluxations in patients with Crohn’s disease and allergies. We also discuss possible mechanisms for the relationship between visceral and immune dysfunction and subluxation.
Methods: We divided 57 Crohn’s disease patients into two groups. A treatment group consisting of 17 patients and a control group consisting of 34 patients. 6 patients were excluded from the study because of their symptoms, progress and changes in blood test values and because vertebral subluxations were present only in the lumbar region. With all patients continuing their present medication, we subjected the treatment group of 17 patients to spinal adjustment in order to reduce the vertebral subluxations in the thoracic and lumbar regions and compared them with the 34 patients who did not receive spinal adjustments.
Results: Of the 17 patients who received spinal adjustments,
12 showed long-term and stable remission of their symptoms and 9 experienced an alleviation effect. We found that vertebral subluxation is a common and characteristic finding in patients with allergies and Crohn’s disease.
Conclusion: According to the results of this study the possibility may be considered that chronic nerve compression secondary to vertebral subluxation in the thoracic and lumbar regions had a significant effect on the immune function of these allergy and Crohn’s disease patients. It is further postulated that this nerve compression leads to a chronic functional disorder having a significant effect on digestion, absorption of nutrients and liquids, conveyance of food as well as various other functions of the digestive tract extending to excretion.
A New Approach to the Upper Cervical Adjusting Procedure: Part I. Kessinger RC, Bonita, DV. Chiropractic Research Journal 2000 SPR Vol. 7(1) Pgs. 14-32
Patient was a 27-year-old man with chronic sinusitis, headaches, nervousness, and insomnia. His examination revealed an atlas subluxation. Patient received upper cervical adjustments over a period of 3 months. The patient demonstrated correction of their upper cervical subluxation via pre and post Blair protracto x-ray views, spinal thermography, and pelvic balance leg length equality examinations. Patient reported a 50% reduction in frequency and intensity of all symptoms at 3 weeks and at 3 months reported he had been symptom free for 4 consecutive weeks.
The types and frequencies of nonmusculoskeletal symptoms reported after chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy. Leboeuf-Yde C, Axen I, Ahlefeldt G, et al. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics Nov/Dec 1999:22(9) 559-64.
In this paper the authors asked, “How frequently [do] patients report nonmusculoskeletal symptomatic improvements and [what are] the types of such reactions that patients believe to be associated with chiropractic.”
Twenty consecutive patients from 87 Swedish chiropractors answered questionnaires on return visits. A total of 1,504 questionnaires were completed and returned. Twenty-three per cent of patients reported improvement in nonmusculoskeletal symptoms, including:
- Easier to breathe (98 patients)
- Improved digestive function (92)
- Clearer/better/sharper vision (49)
- Improved circulation (34)
- Less ringing in the ears (10)
- Acne/eczema better (8)
- Dysmenorrhoea better (7)
- Asthma/allergies better (6)
- Sense of smell heightened (3)
- Reduced blood pressure (2)
- Numbness in tongue gone (1)
- Hiccups gone (1)
- Menses function returned (1)
- Cough disappeared (1)
- Double vision disappeared (1)
- Tunnel vision disappeared (1)
- Less nausea (1)
For Your Health,
Dr. Mark Hardwick and Dr. Mitchell Jacobs