Chiropractic and Your Immune System

There are numerous studies that show how getting adjusted by a chiropractor can cause an immediate rise immune markers like white blood cells. This is great but if you get adjusted once to boost your immune system that is only going to have a mild impact on your symptoms, no different really than trying to suppress your symptoms with an over the counter remedy. 

What is fascinating about chiropractic is it may help to reduce the stress load on your nervous system.

This stress response in our body is natural and is innately programmed so we could run from the Sabertooth tiger thousands of years ago.  Even though we don't have to worry about these threats today our body reacts the same none the less when the nervous system shifts into the stress response. 

The following are some of the changes that happen during the stress response:

- increased cortisol,  adrenaline,  heart rate,   blood pressure,  blood glucose levels,  blood lipid levels,  blood cholesterol levels,  breakdown of protein,   clotting factors,  feelings of stress fear anxiety and depression,  sensitivity of sensory systems (including pain)

- decreased short term memory,  concentration,  serotonin levels , growth hormone,  sex hormones, bone loss. 

** and you guess it decreased cellular immunity. 

You see in the short term this response is not a disease, it is normal. 

The chronic stressful environment including your internal environment is pathological, not the response your body has to it. 

When we look at your spinal health, the degeneration it may have will create a chronic stressor to your nervous system.  Checking, adjusting, and rehab type exercise is going to help reduce the likelihood of the stress response keeping your immune system working optimally.