The Importance of Chiropractic Care and Why We Need It

Chiropractic care is more than just providing back pain relief. It is about achieving overall wellness through treatments designed to address the health problems of people of all ages and sizes.

 

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Chiropractic’s core concept is restoring the function of a person’s nervous system so it can perform what it was designed to do in the first place, which is to keep the body active and healthy. To undergo chiropractic treatment means preventing bodily functions from deteriorating.

 

As long as we keep our nervous system healthy, our body can work more smoothly than ever, and a lot of health issues will cease to be problems. In the past few years, research has shown that chiropractic is so much more than just providing relief for our aches and pains.

 

Here are other health benefits we can get from chiropractic care.

 

Decrease in Blood Pressure

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In the US alone, there is about 30% of adults who suffer from hypertension, making it a serious condition and public health issue.

 

In 2007, a group of patients who have high blood pressure received chiropractic adjustment of the atlas while another group had a sham adjustment. Looking at the two groups, those who received atlas adjustments experienced an immediate decrease in blood pressure, similar to what patients will have upon taking anti-hypertensive agents.

 

Improved Immune Function

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In 2010, researchers found that the blood serum levels of essential natural antibodies surged when patients experienced chiropractic adjustments. With the needed chiropractic treatment, the immune system might just experience a boost, which makes it easier to defend the body from more serious illness and infection.

 

Reduction of Inflammation

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In 2011, a study also compared the level of inflammation in patients with a backache to those without any pain. When the group of patients who volunteered to participate received some chiropractic adjustments, the researchers found that back pain patients experienced a dramatic decrease in the levels of the key inflammatory cytokine or TNF-α. 

Without proper chiropractic care, people with inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease will remain to have high levels of TNF-α.

 

Decrease in Stress Levels

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In 2011, a team of Japanese researchers provided chiropractic treatment to a group of men. After the treatment, they examined the PET scan images as well as the blood chemistry of the participating patients. They assessed whether chiropractic has a positive effect on the patients’ autonomic nervous systems.

 

What the study observed is that upon receiving appropriate chiropractic neck adjustment, there was an alteration in brain activity in the area responsible for the processing of pain and stress reactions.

 

The participating group also had a significant reduction in their cortisol levels, which indicates the level of stress a person might experience. Overall, participants experienced decreased pain sores and better quality of life, in general.

Colic Relief in Babies

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A research study in 2012 examined 104 infants who suffered from colic. From that group of newborns, about a third underwent chiropractic adjustments with the parents aware of the treatment. Another third of the group received similar adjustments, but their parents were not aware of the chiropractic treatment. The last third were untreated babies with their parents unaware of the absence of procedures.

 

After the treatments, the proponents of the study found that there was a significant decrease in the crying of their treated infants, unlike the babies who didn’t receive any. They also noted that the knowledge of the parents of the children involved in the study had no effect whatsoever on the improvement.

 

Asthma Relief

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In 2013, another study reported an increase in lung functions for patients who received the needed chiropractic adjustments. And in a different research, symptoms of asthma in some children also reduced upon receipt of necessary chiropractic care.

 

Improvement in Balance

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t is only natural for us adults to lose strength, flexibility, and balance as we age. We no longer have the kind of spring in our youth, and because of that, we become more vulnerable to severe injuries we’d get from trips and falls.

 

With chiropractic care, our body gets restored to normal with a spine that’s still healthy and functioning. Aside from that, we will also experience reduced dizziness and, of course, improved balance. A study in 2015 even reported that chiropractic care could be an effective way to prevent elderly patients from falls and other similar accidents.

 

Takeaway

 

Our central nervous system is a great information highway that carries essential messages to every part of our body. As we age, and in the wear and tear of our everyday life, we can experience dysfunctions in our spine and spinal segments. With that, we might also experience other health issues related to the misalignment of our body.

 

That is why it is essential for us to receive appropriate chiropractic adjustments so we may improve the flow of communication between our brain and other parts of our body. With such adjustments, other health benefits like reduced inflammation, stress levels, blood pressure, and symptoms of asthma, improved balance and immune function, as well as colic relief will follow.

Dr. Leo J. Hart received his degree from the Life University College of Chiropractic. Dr. Hart's specialization is in nutrition and lifestyle medicine. He applies what he has learned through the years in his work on chiropractic terms for the Stuart, FL., area. And before he moved to Stuart in 2007, he conducted eight years of full-time practice in Miami. Now, Dr. Hart is enjoying his time with his wife Jody, and their children, Emma, Macy, and Rennie.