The common cold, the flu, and other illnesses can happen any time of year. Children miss days of school, adults miss days at the office, and families try not to get one another sick. Germs are everywhere, but our bodies have a system in place to help fight them, known as the immune system. While you might associate going to the chiropractor with treatment for neck injuries, you can also see a chiropractor to help boost your immune system. Chiropractors provide an all-natural and drug-free approach to treating a wide range of health conditions. Chiropractic care offers a variety of benefits to the whole body, including how to boost your immune system. A chiropractor won’t just treat your symptoms; they will work with you to address the root cause and work with you to prevent future illnesses. Learn more about how to boost your immune system with chiropractic care.
How Your Immune System Works
The body’s immune system is designed to prevent germs from entering your body and limit their harm if germs do get in. Your immune system is also what helps you heal and recover after you have been sick. White blood cells, proteins, chemicals, and organs comprise the immune system that protect your body from germs that can cause illness, infection, and disease. The immune system targets bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi that can affect your health. When your immune system is working effectively, you typically don’t even realize it’s working. If your immune system is not working properly, you can develop a sickness or infection. Your immune system depends on white blood cells that move through your body to search for germs and destroy them so you can stay healthy. Lymph nodes, tonsils, adenoids, and other parts of the immune system help filter and trap germs like bacteria and viruses.
What Can Weaken Your Immune System
Your immune system needs support to stay healthy, just like the rest of your body. A healthy environment, drinking plenty of water, eating a healthy diet, and getting plenty of rest will boost your immune system and your overall health. Often, our lifestyles and habits can contribute to a weakened immune system. A poor diet, excessive alcohol, and smoking can have negative impacts on your immune system. People who live a more sedentary lifestyle, do not get enough sleep, or function in high-stress environments can also experience a weakened immune system. When your immune system is weakened, you are more susceptible to getting sick because your body is not able to effectively fight off germs.
If you are experiencing fatigue, exhaustion, stress, inflammation, fever, inflammation, or weakness, then your immune system may not be functioning at its best. High levels of stress for a prolonged period of time can affect you both mentally and physically. When you are stressed out, your muscles tend to tense up, and you are more likely to get into a habit of poor posture. Tense muscles and poor posture can put additional pressure and physical stress on your body, along with any mental stress you may be experiencing. Pressure on your spine can impact the healthy functioning of your nervous system and immune system. The brain sends signals to the rest of the body through the central nervous system, which is housed in the spinal column. Disruptions to this flow of information can negatively impact the ability of the immune system to do its job effectively.
Boost Your Immune System with Chiropractic Care
You have likely heard of a chiropractor and may associate them with treating back and neck pain. Chiropractic care can actually benefit a wide range of issues and healthcare concerns, including chronic pain, injuries, health conditions, and illnesses. Chiropractors take a holistic approach to each person they work with and provide personalized attention and care. Here are 5 ways chiropractic care can help boost your immune system.
Relieve Stress
Chiropractors use natural and noninvasive treatment approaches, which means you don’t have to worry about medications with uncomfortable side effects or long recovery times after a procedure. Instead, a chiropractor will use a combination of hands-on treatments and techniques to help you. One way a chiropractor can help boost your immune system is by helping relieve your stress. Chiropractic techniques may help lower your stress hormones that can negatively impact the immune system. Reducing muscle tension and pressure on your spine and joints can also help relieve the effects of stress on the body.
Reduce Pain
When the spine and joints are out of alignment, they are not able to function at their best. A misalignment in the spine can disrupt the flow of communication from your brain to other parts of the body, like the immune system. Chiropractors use manual techniques and chiropractic instruments to identify and resolve misalignments in the spine and joints. Whether you are dealing with chronic pain or pain from a specific illness or injury, a chiropractor can provide you with natural and effective options for reducing or eliminating your pain. If you are living with chronic pain, then it can start to impact your immune system. A chiropractor can help reduce your pain while also boosting your immune system.
Reduce Inflammation
Inflammation can occur inside the body for a number of reasons. If germs get inside the body, one way the immune system may react is to send cells to fight these germs, which can stimulate inflammation in the area. Consider when you accidentally cut your finger on a sharp object. You may notice the area becomes red, tender, and swollen around the cut. This is how your body and immune system react to potential foreign invaders. Inflammation can develop with health conditions, injuries, and illnesses as the body develops a plan of attack. Your chiropractor can identify inflammation by signs of pain, redness, swelling, heat, and disrupted mobility. Chiropractic care involves using safe, gentle, and effective techniques to reduce inflammation and jumpstart the immune system.
Increase Blood Flow
Your immune system depends on white blood cells to help fight infections. When you see a chiropractor regularly, they can help identify any misalignments or disruptions to healthy blood flow. Poor posture can restrict blood flow by affecting the normal and healthy routes of blood circulating in your body. An injury can lead to a temporary loss of mobility, pain, and swelling. Your chiropractor may use techniques like therapeutic massage to help restore healthy blood flow to target areas in the body. Chiropractic adjustments have also been known to help with stabilizing blood pressure and addressing long-term issues with poor blood circulation. A chiropractor can resolve a misalignment in your spine that can restore healthy blood flow, which can also make you feel energized again.
Improve Functioning
When you get a chiropractic adjustment with a chiropractor, it can help restore healthy functioning to the area. Misalignments, also known as subluxations, can disrupt healthy functioning in the body and cause nerve signals to misfire or inappropriate immune responses. If you are dealing with an injury to your musculoskeletal system, then chiropractic adjustments and treatment techniques can help restore mobility and range of motion. A joint that is even slightly out of place will not be able to function properly. Chiropractic care involves assessing your body for areas of poor functioning and resolving misalignments or disruptions so you can experience improved health and well-being.
What to Expect at the Chiropractor
When you go to the chiropractor for the first time, you might be surprised to learn about the benefits of boosting your immune system. You might even expect to hear the cracking or popping sounds during a chiropractic adjustment. In fact, when a chiropractor performs a spine or joint adjustment, it may or may not make a sound! And contrary to what some may think, the cracking sound does not actually have anything to do with your bones. It is actually the sound of gasses being released from the joint when it is moved back into place. The body has mechanisms, like the immune system, for readjusting and removing gasses, toxins, and germs from the body.
After your chiropractic adjustment, it is not uncommon to experience some brief, mild cold-like symptoms. This is your body’s way of flushing out toxins that the treatments have stirred up. A chiropractic adjustment can help prompt the body’s immune system to start the healing process and expel germs from your body. This might look like sweating, a cough, or a runny nose as these toxins leave the body. These types of responses are more common after your first few chiropractic adjustments as your body gets used to this new treatment technique.
To experience the benefits of boosting your immune system and supporting your overall health and well-being, visit a Snellville chiropractor near you today. AICA Orthopedics in Snellville has a team of chiropractors who work alongside orthopedic doctors, physical therapists, neurologists, and more so you can receive quality, comprehensive care from a team of doctors dedicated to providing you with the best care in Snellville.