According to multiple studies, allergies are the most common cause of chronic illnesses in developed countries. It is estimated that 40 percent of the world’s population suffer from at least one allergic condition. And these numbers continue to increase, with more and more people suffering from sneezing, watery eyes, itching, and stuffed up noses.
The reason cited most often for these large numbers of allergy suffers is environmental changes. As the world continues to deal with air pollution and climate change issues, it is predicted that the allergy levels will increase to epidemic numbers, with many patients suffering from high medical costs, lower productivity, and overall reduced quality of life.
And how much are those medical costs? Estimates show that in the U.S., more than $3 billion are spent on doctors’ visits, medications, and lost time from work.
Allergy sufferers do have an alternative: chiropractic care.
How Do Allergies Affect Patients?
Allergies are triggered with the immune system “meets” an allergen and mistakes it for harmful and attacks that allergen with much more might than it needs to. When the patient touches, inhales or eats the allergen, antibodies are produced, and this triggers the body’s release of histamines. These histamines go on the attack, causing blood pressure to drop, dilating the blood vessels, and filling these spaces around the cells with fluid. This causes all of those miserable symptoms to emerge.
The most common allergies are:
- Dust mites
- Grass
- Mold
- Pollen
- Weeds
Although it is still not fully known how all of this works, it has been proven in multiple studies that stress does play a factor in how the body copes with allergies, showing how stress can exacerbate how the immune system reactions to allergens. If a person is dealing with chronic stress, their adrenal glands can be severely impacted and this can produce cortisol, an anti-inflammatory hormone, causing the allergy symptoms to become even more severe.
Chiropractic care can help with allergy symptoms. Chiropractic manipulation helps improve communication between the spinal cord and the brain which helps coordinate how the body reacts to allergens. The benefits include:
- Stress hormone regulation: Because many patients with allergies have adrenal glands which have been weakened, making sure the spine is properly aligned will help regulate how much cortisol the body produces.
- Strengthen the immune system: When there are misalignments in the spine, the lines of communication from the brain to the rest of the body can be disrupted. Aligning the body ensures these pathways are opened and the brain is sending out appropriate messages to help alleviate allergy symptoms.
- Respiratory system support: The respiratory also depends on the brain’s ability to communicate with the body to work right. Misalignment can impede communication to the respiratory system, causing allergy symptoms. Alignment can alleviate these symptoms.
Resources:
Wikipedia, Chiropractic Care