For decades, chiropractors have noticed that their patients are healthier than non-chiropractic patients when it comes to colds, flu, allergies, pneumonia and other contagious diseases.

In fact, during and after the Swine Flu epidemic, statistics were calculated on those who used chiropractic treatment versus medical treatment. The results weren’t very good for the medical profession – in Iowa, patients of the medical doctors numbered 93,590 with Swine Flu where 6,116 of them died. That’s one death for every 15 patients.

Comparatively, chiropractic patients numbered 4,735 and there were only 6 deaths, with a rate of only one patient for every 789 patients.

What this taught us was that medical science didn’t have any valid treatment for viral diseases – and they still don’t, over 100 years later.

Finally, in the last 30 years, there has been more research into how chiropractic affects the immune system.  Here’s what the international researchers have found:

1. Spinal adjustments lower the production of inflammatory compounds (called cytokines). Whenever there’s a battle your immune system has to fight, the number of inflammatory cytokines is increased dramatically. Thus, this is one way that chiropractic affects the immune system. It takes the load off the immune system so the real battle between your immune cells and the microbes can occur.

The research backing this discovery goes back to the 1990s at the National College of Chiropractic in Lombard, Illinois. Dr. Brennan published the results of her first study where an adjustment to the upper thoracic spine (near the bottom of the neck) caused an increase in activity of two types of white blood cells to “scarf up” the microbes in the body. She also noted that this response did not happen with massage and concluded that the immune system response needed a certain amount of force (such as what occurs in a chiropractic adjustment).

In her second study, she and her research team concluded that a chiropractic adjustment elicits responses in the body and internal organs as well, which then affect the activity of the immune system cells to “scarf up” the microbes causing infections.

2. Spinal adjustments increase the levels of cytokines that regulate the immune system in the blood. Cytokines are defined as small cell-signaling protein molecules. The immune system secretes them for the purpose of intercellular communication.

Dr. Brennan’s studies were soon followed by another study that showed it wasn’t just the adjustments to the thoracic spine that mattered for the immune system.

Upper cervical spine adjustments increased the CD4 helper cells of the immune system. Interestingly, these are the exact cells in HIV+ patients that cause the body to start responding to viruses such as the HIV virus. The CD4 cell count increased by 48% within a 6-month period of time with the upper cervical adjustment.

Now we know that colds, flu, infections such as pneumonia, mononucleosis, Herpes, warts, chicken pox, and many other types of infections are definitely an immune system challenge – BUT the different parts of the body all work together.

Studies show that our old idea that the immune system works on its own and by its own “thinking” was incorrect. The immune system communicates with the nervous system in several ways.

Oddly enough, this may partially explain why some people who used their mind to imagine immune system cells eliminating cancer cells were successful at reversing the disease. Cancer is one of the ultimate expressions of immune system dysfunction.

The next question is how the nervous system communicates with the entire body.

When looking at specifically how the nervous system and immune system work together, the term used is neural immuno-regulation. In other words, it’s the regulation of the immune system by the nervous system.

The brain and spinal cord control how every organ, cell and hormone work in the body. Each organ has its own hardware set in place anatomically but still needs nervous system input. The nerve impulses “fire up” the cells so they will work. Thus, any blockage of the nervous system at any level could result in the organ malfunctioning.  Chiropractic charges up the firing of the nervous system impulses to every organ by way of the chiropractic adjustment.

There’s a pro-inflammatory mediator produced in the body called Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha or TNF-a which is produced when the body is in a lot of pain. When its production is blocked, there’s a significant reduction in sciatic nerve pain.  Chiropractic has been shown to block TNF-a, thus proving another nervous system regulation mechanism. Interestingly, the reduction in TNF-a was found by Dr. Brennan in the earlier studies on immune system responses from chiropractic.

Listen, keeping your immune system healthy is clearly an important part of ensuring a long, vibrant and healthy life.  Although the research continues to reveal how chiropractic adjustments influence the immune system when we have an infection, why wait until there is a problem, when chiropractic can help you likewise keep your body functioning more optimally from the start?

The connection between chiropractic and immunity is simple and clear enough for most to understand the benefits.

If you haven’t already make chiropractic a part of your life, you may want to consider getting your nervous system checked.

Although many think chiropractic is a merely a means of helping folks with back pains, neck pains and headaches, it is actually one of the best things you can do to keep your body functioning at its best.  It’s for this reason that so many of the world’s elite athletes choose chiropractic.

Sources:

• http://www.chiroadvance.com/files/pdf/Article-Best_Defense_Against_Swine_Flu_04-09.pdf
• Brennan PC, et al. Enhanced Phagocytic Cell Respiratory Burst Induced by Spinal Manipulation: Potential Role of Substance P. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1991 (Sep); 14 (7): 399–408.
• Brennan PC, et al. Enhanced Neutrophil Respiratory Burst as a Biological Marker for Manipulation Forces: Duration of the Effect and Association with Substance P and Tumor Necrosis Factor. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1992 (Feb); 15 (2): 83–89 Selano JL. The Effects of Specific Upper Cervical Adjustments on the CD4 Counts of HIV Positive Patients. Chiro Res J 1994; 3 (1): 32–39 Omos G, MD, et al. Reduction in high blood TNF-a levels after manipulative therapy in 2 cervicogenic headache patients. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2009 (Sep); 32 (7): 586-91.
• http://www.chiro.org/research/ABSTRACTS/Immune_Responses_to_Spinal_Manipulation.shtml