Can Chiropractic Care Cure the Common Cold?

By Dave Edenfield

Face it, life has lots of ups and downs.  With all the stresses of everyday life, the body, mind and spirit take a beating, all of which is registered, stored and transmitted via the central nervous system.  Whether these stresses manifest themselves as migraine headaches, mood swings and/or physical ailments of one sort or another, the sad fact is that tension takes a toll on everyone’s health.  Add to this the hectic pace of modern life and it’s a wonder that we all aren’t walking wounded.

To deal with and deflect these stresses, some people turn to Eastern disciplines such as Yoga or Tai Chi, while most Westerners turn to Tylenol and Ben Gay.  Thousands of years ago it was learned in Asia that mind, body and spirit are all connected.  By stretching the muscles, realigning the spine and learning how to cope with stress, the rest of the body will benefit.

Chiro is not just good for your aching back

Jim Dubel demonstrating adjustment protocals (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 Many of today’s ailments can be caused by spinal imbalances.  Everything from fatigue and headaches, to allergies, sleep disorders and even poor immune response can be attributed to subluxations, which are caused when one or more vertebrae move out of position creating inflammation around the nerve root and surrounding tissues.  This misalignment causes pressure or irritation on the nerves, which in turn causes them to interfere with the signals traveling up and down the spine.  In order to compensate, the body then attempts to correct the situation by recalibrating muscles and tendons, all of which have a tendency to further misalign the spine. 

The way that chiropractors deal with subluxations is to first detect and then correct the misalignment.  They detect subluxations via orthopedic and neurological tests, structural weight bearing spinal x-rays, and Surface Electromyography (see video below that detects electrical activity).  Once detected, these misalignments can be corrected through both manual and mechanical means.  A number of treatment modalities including ultrasound, interferential, Class IV medical laser treatments, therapeutic activities and Vax-D can be brought to bear to speed drug-free relief.  However, chiropractic care doesn’t stop there.

Contrary to popular opinion, Chiropractic care is not the exclusive domain of those who have wrenched their back, pulled muscles or been involved in a car accident.  One of the hallmarks of chiropractic care is that it is designed to improve overall wellbeing by providing health enhancements that go way beyond an office visit.  Aside from realigning the spine and correcting any musculoskeletal anomalies, chiropractors routinely provide their patients with counseling on everything from exercise and nutrition, to lifestyle enhancements that are designed to keep the body in balance. 

Does Chiropractic Work Better than Pills?

English: X-ray of child's spine before and one month after beginning chiropractic treatment.Kasserol18 ( talk ) 17:16, 16 September 2010 (UTC) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In a study funded by the National Institutes of Healthin 2012, 272 patients with neck pain were treated using three different methods: medication, exercise and a chiropractor.  After 12 weeks, the patients who used a chiropractor were more than twice as likely to be pain free as compared to those who relied on medications.  Those patients treated by a chiropractor experienced the highest rate of success, with 32 percent saying they were pain free,  and only 13 percent of those who relied on medication.

In fact, as far back as 1975 medical studies proved that individuals who received chiropractic care had an improved immune response.

In 1975, Ronald Pero,Ph.D., chief of cancer prevention research at New York's Preventive Medicine Institute and professor in Environmental Health at New York University, began researching the most scientifically valid ways to estimate individual susceptibility to various chronic diseases. Pero's team measured 107 individuals who had received long-term Chiropractic care. The chiropractic patients were shown to have a 200% greater immune competence than people who had not received chiropractic care, and a 400% greater immune competence than people with cancer or serious diseases. 

These and subsequent studies have proven that while chiropractic care won’t necessarily cure the common cold, it will enhance an individual’s immune response to disease. It can also create an atmosphere that helps people deal with stress as well as any discipline espoused in the East.  Besides, it’s one heck of a lot easier than trying to learn how to maintain a lotus posture.

Dr. Dave Edenfield  and Dr. Steven Warfield are part of the team of doctors and therapists at http://chiropractor-jacksonville-fl.com and http://endyourpain.org who are dedicated to helping you and your family lead  healthier, happier and pain-free lives.