Chiropractic Care and Your Immune System
With the increased presence of COVID-19, many of us have taken additional steps to understand the functions of our immune system and learn about different ways we can protect ourselves from getting sick. Despite the many challenges that COVID has caused us to deal with, one of the benefits of the pandemic is a greater public awareness of not only our own health, but also in protecting the health of those around us.
With a greater public interest related to health, more of us have become educated on building healthier lifestyle choices that can have a positive impact on our overall well-being. Whether it be through better diet choices, a new exercise regimen, or maintaining a healthier weight, surely there have been new habits added to your daily routines at some point during the pandemic to assist your immune system and protect yourself from ailments and illnesses. Combining these types of habits along with increased personal hygiene and sanitation efforts can have a profound impact on yourself, but it can also help protect those around you as well.
Individuals with weakened immune systems, such as the elderly or people already dealing with pre-existing ailments, are likely to face more frequent and severe symptoms when their bodies are compromised by infections and disease. We’ve likely elevated the frequency of already learned simple tasks such as washing and sanitizing our hands, as well as adding newer more unfamiliar approaches such as masking and social distancing. Whether we are aware of it or not, we have naturally adopted certain methods into our daily lives to help safeguard others, perhaps without even personally knowing who they are.
While these new formed lifestyle choices are a positive trend in the right direction, there are also other steps that individuals can take to better protect themselves, their families, and others within their communities. For some, these new changes might be enough to supplement their health now, but for many it either isn’t enough or they are still lacking the proper education and support that they need to continue building positive impacts on their health later down the road. Luckily, there are reasonable and practical options out there for those looking to help boost their immune system and overall health. One of those options is by receiving regular chiropractic care.
How Chiropractic Care Can Boost Your Immune System
To learn how chiropractic care can benefit your immune system, it is important to first understand what your immune system really looks like. Made up of various organs, cells and proteins, the immune system plays a vital role in keeping us alive and healthy. Over the course of our entire life, the immune system keeps our bodies safe from harmful germs, viruses, substances, and potential cell changes that could cause us to fall ill.
A strong immune system will support your body and allow it to quickly and effectively release antibodies when harmful compounds are detected. Sometimes our immune systems will become compromised due to a broad range of factors, and in some cases, with few answers as to why or how. Some people with compromised immune systems will spend years trying to find the answers and understand why their condition seems to be so severe when compared to others.
This is where chiropractic care can be particularly helpful in addressing certain deficiencies within the immune system. Chiropractic care seeks to improve the function of the nervous system and the bodily functions. The nervous system and the immune system are both hardwired to work together in order to create optimal responses within the body and to relay information amongst its various functioning parts, such as the brain and organs.
The nervous system sends information to the brain from all over the body and can actually directly influence receptors in the immune system. The brain has the ability to use nerve cells to communicate directly with the immune system and trigger an immune response, and vice versa. The immune system can send signals to the brain to let it know of any foreign, unwanted antigens, and in turn the brain can then tell the nervous system how it should respond accordingly. Adjustments on a specific inflamed area of the body can reduce stress on the nervous system, allowing it to better communicate with the rest of the body. The better your nervous system can function and communicate, the better the rest of your body can function and communicate.
Any sort of dysfunction within the body can throw off the balance of your immune system. Your immune system is essentially pushed into overdrive all the time when something in your body is sending “threat” signals. It is sometimes the case that a subluxation in your spine is the cause of a serious dysfunction within your central nervous system. A subluxation is what’s known as a slight misalignment within the vertebrae, and it is what a chiropractor seeks to treat when providing care.
If you are someone who deals with immune system deficiencies, or are looking to further boost your immune system in some way, then you may be considering the option of receiving chiropractic care. A chiropractor understands exactly how to detect potential sources of misalignment within the spine. Chiropractic adjustments on a specific inflamed area of the body can reduce stress on the nervous system, allowing it to better communicate with the rest of the body. If your nervous system can function and communicate better, then so too will the rest of your body.
Chiropractors do more than just perform adjustments, they are also experts in nutritional counseling and nutrition science, and can assist you in multiple different aspects when it comes to immune health. They can provide you with personalized diet plans and certain exercise regimens that cater to your specific needs which can also encourage better immune health. Our Duluth Chiropractor Dr. Robert Torgrimson has over 30 years of experience treating various ailments through the holistic approach of chiropractic care.
If you are interested in learning more about our chiropractic services, then we highly encourage you to reach out to us. You can contact Associated Chiropractic Physicians at (218) 728-3686, we look forward to helping you!