http://www..com/020912_flu_vaccine_shots.html

At our table we had a variety of pamphlets for people to take.  Well at the last minute on a whim, I decided to include a pamphlet on allergies and how chiropractic can help.  You know, it is allergy season, so I thought people might be interested.  WOW.  Where they interested?  Almost everyone took one.  I’ve often heard, “If you live in Virginia long enough, you WILL get allergies.”  No doubt I knew it was a struggle for many folks, but in this crowd it seemed everyone was affected, or their loved ones (with special needs) where sufferers of allergies.

This does not seem so odd to a chiropractor, but it may not be so intuitive to many.  Simply put, an allergy is an overreaction of one’s immune system to something.  Usually something foreign to our body.  We want our immune system to recognize “foreign invaders” to our bodies, but we don’t want it to overreact.  Especially to something that isn’t a threat and is very common in the environment.  Like pollen.  Like dander.  Like dust mites.  Like cleaners.  Like peanut oil.  And the list goes on.

So we know an allergy is an overreaction of the immune system.  Well, at the risk of over simplifying again, our immune system is very intimately tied to how well our nervous system is functioning.  Please see the quote  below from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease:

“Evidence is mounting that the immune system and the nervous system are linked in several ways. One well-known connection involves the adrenal glands. In response to stress messages from the brain, the adrenal glands release hormones into the blood. In addition to helping a person respond to emergencies by mobilizing the body’s energy reserves, these “stress hormones” can stifle the protective effects of antibodies and lymphocytes.

Another link between the immune system and the nervous system is that the hormones and other chemicals that convey messages among nerve cells also “speak” to cells of the immune system. Indeed, some immune cells are able to manufacture typical nerve cell products, and some lymphokines can transmit information to the nervous system. Moreover, the brain may send messages directly down nerve cells to the immune system. Networks of nerve fibers have been found connecting to the lymphoid organs.”

So it is reasonable to assume if one has some sort of stress on the nervous system (physical or emotional) the immune system would not work well and therefore allergies may develop or be aggravated.  The most common physical stress to the immune system would be the subluxation.  The correction of subluxations by a chiropractor would result a healthier nervous system which leads to a healthier immune system.  A healthier immune system would lead to less allergies, or less intense allergies, or in some cases–no allergies!

I also wanted to share some information from a blog post at The Atlas of Life blog.  Dr. Harshe explains allergies and subluxations well:

“Spring is a beautiful time of the year. Flowers are blossoming, trees are blooming, and leaves are turning green.

It is also a time for a certain disorder of the immune system, something we know as seasonal allergies.

But did you know that allergies are not a part of life, that it is not normal to experience itchiness, conjunctivitis, and runny noses dripping with mucous?

These symptoms are signs that your immune system is compromised, that it cannot defend itself against normally harmless substances we call allergens.

Because our immune systems can’t withstand these allergens, our IgE antibodies activate an excessive amount of mast cells (white blood cells) and basophils to respond, creating an extreme case of inflammation. Hence, the symptoms mentioned above.

So, if allergies are a disorder of the immune system, how do you fix it?

As it turns out, the immune system, like every other system in the body, is controlled by the nervous system. The nervous system is the master system in the body, controlling all functions in the body such as heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, gastrointestinal function, etc.

Interference to the nervous system will compromise any of those aforementioned systems, including the immune system. Interference comes by way of the vertebral subluxation, a spinal misalignment that results in pressure or tension on the spinal cord near the level of the brain stem. Since the brain stem is the mission control center of the nervous system, a vertebral subluxation at C1 or C2 can be very debilitating to the overall function of the body.

This allergy season, make sure your immune system is functioning properly by getting your nervous system checked. As someone who has suffered from bad seasonal allergies most of my life, I can tell you from experience how important this is for your health.”

Recommendations from Dr. Stover:

-For a book that is written at a lay level and does a great job of explaining how the immune system functions and how to keep it healthy check out Mary Ruebush, PhD in the book Why Dirt is Good.  Well done.

-20 Ways to Alleviate Allergies

As I see it, there is hope for folks with allergies who do not want to take the medications.  This is good.

This particular clip is about ear infections and the help a boy has gotten from chiropractic care who suffered with the problem.  The doctor does a good job of explaining what adjustments do and how subluxations can cause problems in a child which can lead to infection.  If one understands a subluxation to be:   ”a complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological articular changes that compromise neural integrity and may influence organ system function and general health” it is not hard to understand how chiropractic care (which corrects subluxations) could help children with ear infections.  Especially if the subluxation is affecting immune function or mechanisms that help the ear work correctly.  At Stover Chiropractic, P.C. we focus on the detection of subluxations, and in particular, upper cervical subluxations.

A quick glance at the ICPA website lists many case studies and studies that report chiropractic helps with ottitis media (an ear infection).  I’ve copied and abstract and comments here:

Chiropractic Results with a Child with Recurring Otitis Media Accompanied by Effusion

Author’s Abstract (Abridged) : A case study of five year old male with recurring otitis media is reviewed. Chiropractic Biophysics spinal analysis methods and adjusting procedures were applied over a six month period. During the six months of adjustments, the child had only one middle ear infection with mild effusion. In the previous year, the child had recurring middle ear infections with effusion approximately every three to six weeks.
Note: Newer studies in the effectiveness of antibiotics for middle ear infections in child are reporting that child treated with antibiotics are more likely to have recurrences. Antibiotics are known to weaken resistance to disease and that is probably why children are so affected by their use.

Chiropractic Pediatrics, 1996;2:8-10.

This should be encouraging for parents and children who find themselves in similar situations.

Check it out.

YouTube – Chiropractors Helping Kids Fight Infections.

Mechanicsville, VA — Most of the patients at Stover Chiropractic have heard me say chiropractic care can help immune function.  Along those lines I thought this was an inteteresting article.  It is an interview with a chiropractor who works in a multidisciplinary cancer treatment program.  I wish the article, and the doctor, talked more about the benefits of chiropractic care regarding immune function and wellness.  It is that aspect or benefit which is more benificial to cancer patients than only alleviating pain (which is no small thing, especially with people living with cancer and its treatments).  That being said I suspect most people will find it interesting to know chiropractors are involved in things like this.  Check out the article here:  http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=54942

However, alternative treatments for cancer are harder to evaluate and controversial. That being said I wanted to forward some information to you. Dr Johanna Budwig has amazing information and success with treatment. Hers is a nutrition approach. It is much more of a treatment for cancer than is the holistic approach chiropractic offers. Dr. Budwig has a diet that she recommends. Amazing results.