We are in the midst of a terrible flu, RSV, and cold season. Doctors have warned this season is one of the worst they’ve seen as viruses run rampant through families, schools, workplaces, daycares, and community groups. While it is essential to get enough rest, exercise, water, and make healthy food choices to avoid getting sick, chiropractic care can play a key role in keeping you in tip top shape.
It’s all about the lymphatic system
The lymphatic system plays a huge role in your health. This system acts as a filter to get out the bacteria and viruses that could cause you harm. It does that through the lymph, which are made up of white blood cells, the soldiers of your immune system. Have you been to the doctor for a sick visit and they feel under your jaw line? They are checking to see if your lymph nodes are swollen, a sure sign that your body is fighting some kind of infection.
The bad stuff that the lymphatic system filters out goes through lymph ducts, many of which are located along your spine and neck. What happens when your spine and neck are out of alignment? Those ducts get blocked and can’t filter out harmful pathogens and you get sick
Cost effectiveness of chiropractic care for the flu
Your trained and experienced chiropractor can make sure that any misalignments are corrected through regular visits so that when cold and flu season does hit, your body’s immune system is ready to attack whatever viruses or bacteria that come your way. Regular adjustments should be added to your healthy regiment just like exercise, healthy eating, and drinking lots of water are on the list.
By putting chiropractic care at the top of your list for staying healthy, you are taking steps to reduce costs if you do fall ill. Doctors visits and prescriptions add up quickly, along with the side effects of those drugs. By consistently taking care of your body all year, you will be healthier and stronger when faced with flu season.
Multiple studies show that people who regularly see a chiropractor are healthier overall and rack up less medical costs. This applies to both adults and kids.
Decongesting with Adjustments
As in all chiropractic care, the goal is to keep you healthy and pain free, which is accomplished through non-invasive methods of aligning your spine to make sure communication channels are open and operating at top levels from your brain throughout your entire nervous system. Why? So that messages go where they need to go and your body acts in the ways it was designed to act, which means kicking out harmful bacteria or viruses.
This is a natural method of decongesting, which should be done while you’re still healthy but can also be done when you are sick.
Evidence of the Effectiveness of Adjustments
One study on a nearly two-year-old little girl who was suffering from chronic ear infections and respiratory tract infections showed remarkable improvement after consistent adjustments during chiropractic visits. Her family had tried multiple medical interventions from nebulizers to antibiotics to bronchodilators for a year and a half and the child was not improving. She was taken to a chiropractor, who found multiple vertebral subluxations, which were interfering with the functioning of her nervous system. These vertebral subluxations were targeted during spinal adjustments and within one month, the ear infections were gone and within three months, the child was off the nebulizer and without any symptoms of RSV.
Studying the effectiveness of chiropractic adjustments would serve to help so many people suffering from common winter viruses and hopefully they will be taken up in the medical community. Yet anecdotal evidence that chiropractic care helps to not only assist patients who are not feeling well but goes a long way to prevent patients from having a harder time if they do get sick.
Besides this method being effective for those suffering from flu and colds, the Greenville Spine Institute has seen success in patients who have had cancer and chemotherapy. Regular adjustments have been very helpful in aiding in the reduction of pain and correcting misalignments in the spine to help heal the body faster.
Taking Steps to Beat the Cold Season
If you already feel great during this current cold and flu season, that’s a great time to come in for an assessment to see how Greenville Spine can help keep you on the right path and give your immune system even more of a boost to keep you healthy and pain-free. If you’re struggling to feel better, that’s also a great time to be assessed and see how our experienced and compassionate chiropractors can get you on the road to better health.
In the meantime, don’t neglect exercise, choosing healthy foods, and steps to reduce stress in your life. If you’d like to come into our office for a consultation on how we can help you, please call Greenville Spine at (864) 631-1420.