When a spinal nerve root is compressed and irritated it stresses the nervous system — a combination of diet and chiropractic care can improve your immune system
Our immune systems protect the body from infections, diseases, germs, and any other nasties that may try to invade it. In addition to helping the body feel better and improve your immune system, diet along with chiropractic care can have positive impacts as well. And a healthy immune system means that you stay well and strong.
Jeff Hurewitz, DC, founder and owner of Balance Chiropractic & Wellness Center a multidisciplinary facility providing chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, nutrition, psychology, yoga, and meditation, has focused on the “whole person approach.” He took time to answer our questions.
What follows is an edited version of our interview.
What happens to our bodies physiologically when we get chiropractic adjustments?
Chiropractic care addresses the vertebral subluxation. This occurs when a vertebra becomes misaligned. This misalignment can result in irritation to the spinal nerve roots, which exit the spinal cord.
When a spinal nerve root is irritated, it stresses the nervous system — thus the potential to weaken the immune system. When we evaluate the spine for these subluxations and identify a misalignment, chiropractors can adjust the spine to alleviate the irritation to the spinal nerve root. This in turn helps to remove the stress from the nervous system.
If people have problems with their immune systems, can diet along with chiropractic care help make them better?
Chiropractic care is not a panacea for disease. Its main role is to remove the interference on the nervous system. The three main stresses on the nervous system are thoughts, traumas, and toxins. These are mainly caused by poor lifestyle and diet choices.
Negative thoughts and self-doubt, physical trauma, and environmental toxins all affect the body in ways that stress the nervous system, thus weakening the immune response. Chiropractic care can address the entire nervous system by not only creating a physiological change, but also inducing a reduction of stress, which results in emotional regulation.
Is there anything else about the physiology of chiropractic care that you think is important for readers to know?
Our health is our wealth. Taking responsibility for our wellbeing and being preventative affords the body the best possible chance of protecting itself from illness and disease.
Chiropractic care is rooted in the fundamentals that our negative thoughts, traumas, and toxins can lead to disease. By properly evaluating every patient and addressing their physical and emotional challenges, we as a profession can be the leaders of preventative care and restore health naturally and effectively.
[Editor’s note: While chiropractic care and diet/supplements have been found to improve immune health, there is no compelling scientific evidence that spinal adjustments alone improve the immune system’s function in a clinically meaningful way.]
