With the spring season upon us, I hear many parents comment on the increase in asthma symptoms their children experience. Whether the increased is caused by the abundance of outdoor physical activity, or the new growth of seasonal plants and grasses, asthma sufferers often dread this time of year. Fortunately, chiropractic can help. Recent research demonstrates the beneficial effects that spinal adjustments have on the immune and endocrine system, and chiropractic treatment is a great way to naturally help manage bronchial distress. Several case studies and one trial study have indicated that with regular chiropractic care patients saw an increase in their ability to breathe during physical activity and had less need for inhalers and other asthma medications (2). One study mentioned the participant, “Could run during soccer games” and “almost never used his inhaler.” He also “slept more soundly” and “hardly ever had bouts with mucous clogged nasal passages” (2,3). A second study showed a 34-month-old boy with asthma who had not responded to medical care and had more than 20 emergency hospital visits in a 12-month period received three chiropractic adjustments administered over an 11-day period and the asthma symptoms ceased for more than eight weeks (4). A third case told a similar story of a three-year-old girl who began experiencing asthma symptoms after having a chronic history of colds and flu. She was taken to the emergency room on several occasions and eventually hospitalized over a 3-day period for her asthma. She used medication several times daily which included a nebulizer as well as a third medication for symptom onset. After her fifth chiropractic adjustment her severe asthma ceased and she has been adjusted regularly there after for maintenance with no further episodes (5).
As these cases demonstrate, chiropractic can play a vital role in managing and preventing asthma effectively. Why is chiropractic so successful? According to one trial study, six weeks of direct chiropractic treatment not only reduced salivary cortisol levels over a 14-week trial period, it also “decreased the erratic nature of IgA levels” (1). Both cortisol and IgA (immunoglobulin A) are substances in the body that affect its response to inflammation and fighting off infection. The study attributed these positive results to the body’s improved overall ability to function, which in turn allowed patients to better “ward off potential pathogenic invasion (or the like)…” (1). Because the spine surrounds and protects the nervous system, while the nervous system in turn affects every vital system and organ in one’s body (including the immune system and lung function), chiropractic adjustments are a gentle, yet powerful way of naturally aiding the body in self healing. If you are (or your child is) frustrated by asthma symptoms that prevent you from being as active as you like, make an appointment with one of our family chiropractors at Healing Hands Chiropractic for a consult and treatment.
1. Effect of Chiropractic Treatments on the Endocrine and Immune System in Asthmatic Patients: Proceedings of the 2002 International Conference on Spinal Manipulation, Toronto Ontario, Canada, Oct 2002: 57-8
2. Garde R. Chiropractic Pediatrics. Vol 1 No.3 Dec, 1994. Asthma and Chiropractic.
3. http://icpa4kids.org/Chiropractic-Research
4. Bachman TR, Lantz CA Proceedings of the National Conference on Chiropractic and Pediatrics (ICA), 1991: 14-22. Management of Pediatric Asthma and Enuresis with Probable Traumatic Etiology.
5. Asthma and Enuresis (Case Report #1374) Zell, Paul, ICPA Newsletter, May-June 1998
