The goal of chiropractic treatment has always been to restore the body to its optimal state of functioning, to health. A doctor of Chiropractic will treat the spine and by anatomical and physiologic relationship, directly affect the ability of the nervous system to communicate signals to the body. When a spinal segment is misaligned from injury, physiologic stress, or mental stress, the spinal structures become inflamed. The inflamed spinal structures, such as joints, discs, and ligaments lie directly adjacent to the spinal cord and exiting nerve roots and it is these delicate nerve structures that are our primary concern. When a nerve is irritated or inflamed it isn’t able to transmit its signal from the brain to the end organ properly and that end organ, over time, will not do its job properly leading to disease.
By correctly aligning the segments of the spine, the chiropractor assists the body in healing inflamed spinal structures, which in-turn, allows inflamed and dysfunctional nerve tissue to heal and transmit a healthier signal to the organ or tissue it communicates with.
This is the idea we want all of our patients to understand and it is from this idea that chiropractors talk about helping with the immune response. If all of the body’s organs and tissues, including immune tissues, are getting clear communication from the brain, they will work the way they were intended to work. This is a holistic view of the body, no one organ or tissue alone can keep a body healthy, all of our body’s organs must work together for the health of the whole body. The brain as the master organizer, the liver as the detoxifier, the kidney as the filter, the heart as the deliverer of nutrition, the immune system to detect foreign particles and neutralize them, every system must work together for optimal health. To be optimally healthy and to avoid disease, your chiropractor must be a part of your healthcare team to ensure an optimal connection of the brain to every organ of your body.
Now let’s put some science behind our idea. In regard to immune function, below is a link to an article that showed an increase in CD4 immune cells in response to an upper cervical chiropractic adjustment in a group of HIV positive patients. The author does a great job explaining a possible mechanism, all through nerve connection. Enjoy.
Brennan P, Graham M, Triano J, Hondras M. “Enhanced phagocytic cell respiratory bursts induced by spinal manipulation: Potential Role of Substance P.” J Manip Physiolog Ther 1991; (14)7:399-400.
We are here for you and would love to help.
Rosalind Placke DC
Seatac Spine and Wellness
16704 International Blvd
Seatac WA 98188
(206) 246-8830