Have you ever wondered about holistic chiropractic services? What the heck is that word, “holistic?” It’s a fancy-schmancy new-age word that simply means “wholeness.” The wholeness in Dr. Gerstin’s chiropractic treatments is a balanced approach to treatment that considers your whole body, including the energy body responsible for the communications of the nervous system with the immune system.
Building Up Your Immune System
It is common for doctors and nurses to be able to treat many patients during the cold and flu season and not get sick themselves. How does that happen? Obviously, they are constantly exposed to rhinovirus, which is not a big game animal disease but the scientific name for the virus that causes the common cold. They are also bathed in influenza virus with all the coughing, sniffling, and sneezing that patients do while being seen in the office.
It should be encouraging to know that you don’t have to get sick with colds and flu when you have a strong immune system.
The first step to your health adventure is to increase the communication strength of the nervous-to-immune-system connections. Think of this as re-wiring the body. Dr. Gerstin gives you a chiropractic adjustment to create better spinal column alignment and to relieve pressure on the nerves letting inter-body communication flow.
Think of your immune system as a gigantic army standing by, ready to help with your body’s defense. However, it needs the signal to take action, and if the nervous system is blocked or the nerves are pinched, the message does not get through.
Let’s examine some of the science that shows how regular chiropractic care is like getting a new communication system that strengthens the power of your immune response.
The Immediate WOW in Immune Response
In 1991, a research study by Dr. Patricia Brennan showed that there was an incredible burst of white blood cells (you know, the ones that kill the bad guys) by the immune system after a SINGLE chiropractic treatment. One visit to the chiropractic doctor is enough for your body to fight off colds, flu, and other common illnesses.
Long-Term Benefits for Your Immune System
OK, so one chiropractic visit stimulates your immune system. How about longer? Again, we rely on the scientific studies. This time the research was done by Dr. Ronald Pero at the Preventive Medicine Institute. Dr. Pero found that patients under regular chiropractic care had double the response in their immune system compared to patients who never received chiropractic care. Also, the immune response was up to four times stronger and did not decrease in older patients.
Chiropractic Treatments During the 1918 Flu Pandemic
Since we are talking about respiratory infections, such as colds and flu, let’s go back in time to discover a fascinating statistic. Chiropractic care offered by the Palmer School of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, had a huge success. Chiropractic doctors at Palmer treated 1,635 cases of the deadly flu, and only a single patient died. Compare this result to the regular medical care that medical doctors in Davenport used to treat the patients with this killer flu, and one in fifteen of those patients DIED. This means chiropractic care was about 100 times more successful in preventing deaths from the flu.
How is this possible?
It is the communication that supercharges the immune system to beat down colds and flu. It is like making a 9-1-1 call. You have to be able to call to get help. If your phone battery is dead you cannot make a call. If your nervous system is blocked the info cannot get to the immune system.
Chronic stress damages the immune system. Misalignment blocks communication signals. Poor spinal alignment can also mess up breathing, making the body more vulnerable to colds and flu.
More Science is Good Science
Researchers can test for immune system responses by analyzing the level of CD4 “disease killer” cells. One study showed that over a six-month period of regular chiropractic care, the CD4 count went up by 48%, which is a very good thing. The study also found greater activity for the polymorphonuclear neutrophils and monocytes. More good things. You feel better, you can breathe better, your system works better, and that means the pathogens do not stand a chance.
Tell Colds and Flu to Get Out!
You don’t have to face the upcoming cold and flu season expecting to be knocked out for a week and lying while bemoaning your fate, sick in bed. It is time to get to Dr. Gerstin’s office to get your whole health program running at full speed.
The good doctor will give you an initial consultation that includes an alignment. Then, you will get a customized treatment plan that fits your needs perfectly. Coming back for regular chiropractic care will help build up your immune system to fight, fight, fight! Schedule an appointment with Dr. Gertin today, BEFORE you get sick.