Asthma
Study shows asthma sufferers improve over 87% with Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care.
Can Upper Cervical Chiropractors Help Asthma?
The most common misperception about Upper Cervical care is that it only helps back and neck pain. Although our doctors can certainly help those who come to us seeking relief from back and neck pain, these patients represent a small percentage of those helped by Upper Cervical doctors. Patients suffering from a variety of conditions, including asthma, have had their health restored through Upper Cervical chiropractic.
Upper Cervical Care – A Simple Concept
Upper Cervical care is based on the universal law of cause and effect. For every effect or symptom, physical or mental, there must be a cause. Upper Cervical chiropractors focus on locating and removing interference to the nervous system that can be the cause of the health condition. Removing this interference allows the body to heal itself naturally without drugs or surgery. An Upper Cervical correction is very controlled; there is no pulling, tugging, or jerking of the head. This precise yet gentle touch allows the head, neck, and spine to return to the proper position, thus removing the interference and restoring balance to the body.
The Brain Stem & Breathing
The nervous system is a very complex communication network designed to control and coordinate the body’s vital functions. One of those functions is to control the respiratory system and lungs. Consider that you can climb a flight of stairs, run, swim, or ride a bike without even thinking about your breathing. That’s because the respiratory center, housed in the brain stem, is responsible for adjusting the rate of breathing to the demands of the body so that proper oxygen and carbon dioxide levels remain unchanged even during strenuous exercise.
Asthma
Asthma involves both the lungs and the immune system and has become the most common and costly illness in the United States.
An estimated 17 million Americans suffer from asthma at an annual cost of over $13 billion. Asthma accounts for more hospitalizations than any other childhood disease, and children suffering from asthma miss more than 10 million days of school every year. Nearly 5000 people die from causes related to asthma each year, and it is one of the many diseases with an increasing death rate.
Even though asthma is a common condition, if is far from simple. During an asthma attack, the airways become narrow and obstructed due to a combination of muscle spasm, inflammation, and excess mucus production. The symptoms, which vary among sufferers, include wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and chronic coughing.
Asthma attacks can be triggered by any condition that causes inflammation in the airways. These triggers include irritants like the following: dust mites, animal dander, pollen, mold, pollution, smoke, exercise, cold air, or intense emotions.
Asthma & Allergies
Many asthma sufferers also have allergies, which, although related, differ from asthma. However, allergens like pollen, mold, animal dander, and dust mites can make asthma symptoms worse by increasing inflammation in the airways.
Common Medical Treatments for Asthma
Common medical treatments for asthma include anti-inflammatory drugs, inhaled corticosteroids, or long-acting bronchodilators, names like Singulair®, Albuterol®, Ventolin®, Atrovent®, and Prednisone®. According to the Physician’s Desk Reference, all of these drugs can have dangerous side effects.
Possible Causes of Asthma
While the cause of asthma is still unknown, many researchers believe asthma is caused by a disturbance of the respiratory center within the brain stem. In fact, one study suggests this is the “common denominator” and basic underlying mechanism in all varieties of asthma. This disturbance is believed to cause the muscles of the airway to contract thus restricting the flow of air in the lungs.
Upper Cervical Care & the Brain Stem
Misalignments of the top two vertebrae (bones) in the cervical spine (neck) can cause disturbances within the brain stem and respiratory center. Studies have shown that Upper Cervical chiropractic care dramatically improves lung function. One published report showed that each asthma patient in the study improved from 87% to 100% when utilizing an Upper Cervical chiropractor.