Can Allergies Be Treated with Chiropractic?

Spring is in the air. Flowers are
budding. Leaves are growing. And the
days are getting longer. That’s terrific,
right?
Unfortunately for many of us, when
we hear “Spring is in the air,” our
minds focus on months of runny noses,
itchy eyes and sneezing. We’re more
likely to grab a handful of tissues than
stop and smell the flowers.
Hay fever erupts this time of year.
Millions of us suffer from this condition,
which causes the body to become
hypersensitive to pollen and other
environmental substances. This condition
causes a number of irritating
symptoms that can make life miserable.
Hay fever is one of many allergies.
An allergy is a hypersensitivity
reaction: when you react to a substance
that is considered to be harmless to
most other people. Skin reactions,
breathing difficulty and irritations to
the sinuses are some of the most
frequent allergy symptoms. If you have
a food allergy, then problems like
bloating, indigestion and diarrhea may
result.
What Causes Allergic
Reactions?
Your immune system recognizes and
removes harmful substances from your
body. Inflammation, sneezing, coughing
and vomiting are methods the
immune system uses to expel any
dangerous substance ingested by you.
However, an allergic response is
when your immune system activates
against a substance that is usually
considered harmless. Essentially, the
allergic reaction is caused not by the
substance itself but by your body’s
interpretation the substance is potentially
harmful.
What Happens Inside the
Body?
When an allergic reaction starts, the
body activates special immune cells
called mast cells. On the surface of
their membranes, these mast cells
possess receptors that recognize
substances considered either harmful or
helpful to the body. When harmful
substances are detected, the cells
release histamines. These chemicals
sensitize the body to react, which then
attempts to remove harmful substances
by sneezing, coughing, etc.
Why Do People Get
Allergies?
No one knows for sure why people
become allergic to relatively harmless
substances.
One theory about allergies suggests
that your body is hypersensitive if
you’re a hypersensitive person. For
example, if you have a high sensitivity
to stress, your body also reflects this
sensitivity. Since the body and the
mind are connected entities, this theory
makes sense. Stress reduction
techniques designed to improve
mind-body interactions are often
successful in reducing this problem.
The end result is a lessening of allergic
symptoms in some patients.
Another theory is that an allergic
reaction is an interpretation of your
environment. In order to interpret,
your body must first get information.
The nervous system is part of this
information-gathering function of the
body. If your nervous system is
dysfunctional, then the information
interpreted will be altered, and this
makes you vulnerable to abnormal
reactions like allergies.
Can Chiropractic Help
with Allergies?
Since the beneficial effects of chiropractic
adjustments on the nervous
system are well documented, it’s not
surprising many chiropractic patients
report a reduction of allergy symptoms
when treated regularly for vertebral
subluxations. Misalignment or
dysfunctional movements of vertebra
can cause a focal irritation in the spine,
which then creates an abnormal signal
received by the central nervous system.
When this aberrant signal occurs along
the same pathway required for the input
of normal environmental messages, the
body may not interpret the information
correctly. When this occurs, an allergic
reaction can result.
Although scientific research shows
chiropractic adjustments do not cause
an improvement in all allergy cases,
they’re definitely beneficial for some.
The reason for the inconsistency may
be because there are a number of
different causes for a patient’s hypersensitivity.
Vertebral subluxation is
only one of many potential causes.
If you suffer allergies, consider
chiropractic as one of your potential
options. Even if it does not result in a
reduction of your allergic symptoms,
removing subluxations from your spine
has several positive effects on your
nervous system. And that makes
chiropractic adjustments worthwhile.

All Star Chiropractic

Whiplash - Getting Well Naturally

You're driving to work and stop for a red light. You're minding your own business and - bam! - your car rocks forward and backward, slammed in the rear by another car driven by some guy yakking on his cell phone. Or you're a passenger in a New York City taxi. The driver's cruising down Fifth Avenue when a teenager suddenly dashes into the intersection, running across the street against the light. The cabbie slams on the brakes and your head rocks forcefully backward and forward. Or for reasons known only to yourself you decide it's a good idea to go bungee jumping. You dive into space, the cord extends, and finally the cord is fully played out. Significant physical forces blast through your body as you helplessly bounce back and forth, dangling in the air like a gaffed flying fish.The result of each of these demonstrations of Isaac Newton's First Law of Motion? Later that day, or possibly within several days, you begin to experience neck pain. You might also have shoulder pain, headache, nausea, dizziness, and pain or numbness traveling down one or both arms. You have whiplash - a traumatic injury to the muscles, ligaments, and spinal joints of your neck and upper back. If you're lucky you'll get better in a few days. If the injuries are moderate or severe the various complaints will linger and may even get worse. As with any injury or illness, if you're not getting better right away you need to see your doctor. As you've suffered an injury to your head and neck, it may be a good idea to see your doctor as soon as you can, in any case, even if you think the injury is mild. Your chiropractor is an excellent choice for examination and evaluation of injuries due to whiplash. They will be able to determine the nature and extent of the damage to muscle, ligament, and bone. Taking an x-ray series is a very important part of the evaluation of whiplash, as even seemingly modest forces can result in fracture of one or more vertebras in your neck. Evaluation of nerve function, including both spinal nerves and cranial nerves, is critically important. Pain and/or numbness radiating into one or both arms suggests injury to a cervical nerve root and needs to be thoroughly assessed. If no fractures have been identified, chiropractic treatment can begin immediately. Over time, chiropractic treatment helps reduce inflammation of injured muscles and ligaments. Chiropractic treatment helps restore normal ranges of motion to your neck and upper back. With this natural form of healing you begin to make incremental, steady progress, recovering the ability to participate in all your daily activities with reduced levels of pain and discomfort. Chiropractic treatment provides optimal therapy for whiplash injuries, allowing your body to recover and return to normal by utilizing its own restorative powers.

1Kasch H, et al: Clinical assessment of prognostic factors for long-term pain and handicap after whiplash injury: a 1-year prospective study. Eur J Neurol 15(11):1222-1230, 20082Chen HB, et al: Biomechanics of whiplash injury. Chin J Traumatol 12(5):305-314, 20093Michaleff ZA, et al: A randomised clinical trial of a comprehensive exercise program for chronic whiplash: trial protocol. BMC Musculoskeletal Disord 10:149, 2009 (12/2/09)