Last week we talked about how seeing a chiropractor can improve your child’s digestion. This got us thinking about how crucial a properly functioning digestive system is in keeping us healthy overall.

The scientific community is studying the link between our nervous system and immunity, and has discovered time and again that gut health plays an integral role in this vital connection. These links confirm what Traditional Chinese Medicine has proposed for thousands of years—that there are direct relationships between different body systems.

Therefore, our digestive ecosystem plays a significant role in how we feel. So today I thought I’d discuss the ways chiropractic can make an impact on both gut health and your overall immunity.

Chiropractic for Gut Health

Obviously if receiving chiropractic adjustments can ease your children’s digestive woes, the same can be said for adults. The idea is that by correcting sub luxated areas of the spine that are blocking nerve signals from the brain to the gut, digestive distress can be alleviated. This has far greater benefit beyond just restoring my patients to comfort. And here’s why.

Our gut wall houses 70 percent of the cells that make up our immune system. Unbeknownst to many of us, digestive problems are often responsible for seemingly unrelated conditions such as allergies, arthritis, autoimmune diseases and cancer. When you consider all the other important tasks our gut must tackle, like breaking down food and absorbing nutrients, in addition preventing the growth of disease, it makes sense that our gut function must be at optimal levels for us to feel our best.

Furthermore our gut is the only organ with its own nervous system, besides the brain. Our small intestines alone have as many neurons as our spinal cords. The nerve cells in our gut produce 95% of serotonin, and every class of neurotransmitter in our brains also occupies our gut. Chiropractic is designed to work with these nervous systems to restore them to freely flowing information pathways. And when you have a healthy gut-brain balance, you’re better able to combat neurological diseases such as autism, dementia and mood disorders.

Chiropractic for Immunity

If you’ve visited my office even once, you understand that a healthy spine is integral to a fully functioning nervous system. And it’s the nervous system that regulates the immune response that helps the body resist attack by free radicals. In a poorly functioning system, growth of disease cells occurs more rapidly; with regular chiropractic adjustments, however, those lines of nerve communication can remain unimpeded.

Research corroborates the effectiveness of chiropractic care for immunity. A 1992 study found that manual adjustments caused the white blood cell count in the body to rise significantly, giving a body greater resistance to infection and toxic invaders. In 1975, Ronald Pero, Ph.D., chief of cancer prevention research at New York's Preventive Medicine Institute measured 107 individuals who had received long-term chiropractic care and discovered that these patients had a 200% greater immune function than those who had not received treatment.

There’s no question that this time of year when we need all the immunity boosts we can get. So call the In8Love offices at 310-477-3335 and schedule your flu adjustment today. Enjoy being a step ahead of the game with a healthier gut and a supercharged immune system.

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