Oddly enough, we occasionally get calls from patients telling us they can’t make their appointments because they’re too sick. When we hear this, we know we still have work to do in the realm of patient education. For those patients who visit our office for treatment during illness, they almost always get well faster than those who do not come in.

In the closing days of World War I, a deadly form of influenza or flu appeared. The influenza pandemic of 1917 to 1918 claimed more lives than the war. During this crisis, doctors of chiropractic noticed that their patients seemed to have a lower fatality rate than the general population. Although this chiropractic observation remains unpublished in the peer reviewed literature (since no scholarly journals were willing to publish chiropractic data in those days), A study was published by the osteopathic profession. Among doctors of osteopathic of the time, it was routine to check patients spines for “osteopathic lesions” (what we now know as subluxations), and to correct them with manipulation. Due to the similarity, the osteopathic publication effectively verifies the chiropractic experience.

The death rate among influenza patients under conventional medical care in the US was estimated at 5% to 6%. The fatality rate among influenza cases under osteopathic care was estimated at .25%. The implication drawn from this data by the study’s author was that lesions (subluxations) depressed the immune system; therefore, correcting lesions assist immune function.

This conclusion, drawn by both osteopaths and chiropractors more than 80 years ago, has received support from recent research. The activity of the immune system’s major players the white blood cells have been found to increase after chiropractic adjustment. An intriguing study suggests that the immune response of HIV positive patients (as measured by CD4 count) improves once final subluxations are corrected. The body is made to heal itself, but sometimes it needs help.

In your ordinary, day-to-day experiences, you are not likely to notice your white blood cells are a bit sluggish. However, this may be one effect of spinal subluxation even in the absence of a sore back or a stiff neck. If you are not already doing so, please consider scheduling monthly chiropractic check ups, even if you are pain free.

Looking for a Huntersville Chiropractor that Treats Cold and Flu Symptoms?

Doyle chiropractic can help…

Most of us know that when we get sick we can just wait it out a few days and we will begin to feel better. For others a cold could linger for weeks. Our immune system fights off thousands of bacteria and viruses each day. Sometimes it needs a little help. Certain areas of the spine, once adjusted, release endorphins which are our bodies “feel good” hormones.

The adjustments will also jump-start our struggling immune system. Acupuncture increases the healing process by 50%. A chiropractic adjustment has been proven to increase immune function by 200 to 400%. This is huge! So the next time you or a member of your family are not feeling well or are too sick to get out of the house, remember that an adjustment can actually allow your body to heal itself in half of the time it would normally take.

Try chiropractic and acupuncture before you turn to medicine. Give Dr. Doyle a call and begin to feel better now!