Autoimmune Disease- Can Chiropractic Care Help with Management?

Chiropractic care is considered a holistic approach to health because of its ability to boost the body’s innate healing potential. This is made possible by focusing on restoring balance in the body via spine alignment and good neural health. When there is good nerve balance, health can flourish free of disease. This is because the nervous system is literally (and figuratively) the backbone for modulating and coordinating everyday bodily function.

What Happens When Our Body Gets Out of Balance?

Proper balance, or full body homeostasis, is crucial for living a life free of disease and suffering. It comes with the benefits of good general health, strong immunity, mental health, strength and endurance and much much more. An imbalance can occur anywhere within our bodily functions, from hormones and genetic expression to biomechanical dysfunction and poor nerve communication. When these imbalances occur, disease can manifest in a wide variety of ways.

Did you know that Chiropractic care can help you holistically manage disease? When imbalance occurs, it requires a lot of energy for the body to attempt to heal and manage the issue. This can lead to a whole cascade of other health issues because all your body’s normal responses are dampened. Autoimmune disease is one example of a multifactorial issue often due to genetics and an overactive immune system. It results in a lot of suffering and can lead to other major health issues due to the strain it puts on the body.

First, let’s dive into what exactly autoimmune disease is about.

What is an Autoimmune Disease?

Our immune system is a vital one that prevents us from falling ill to foreign bacteria, cancer cells, viruses and more. It is designed to detect and launch an attack on any foregin invaders it comes in contact with. Of course, we want a strong immune system that can keep us as healthy as possible.

But what happens when this system becomes overactive? This leads to the attacking of our own vital cells and organs we need for good health. Suddenly, instead of the body expending energy to keep you healthy- it is literally making you sick and taking away your energy reserves for other important functions.

The Different Types of Autoimmune Disease

There are several different classifications of autoimmune disease. They are classified by the specific area in the body that is being attacked. This leads to general symptoms like chronic inflammation, fatigue, fever, swollen joints, skin issues, abdominal pain or bowel issues, and other symptoms specific to the affected area.

Common autoimmune diseases include:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Lupus
• Multiple sclerosis
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Psoriasis
• Type 1 Diabetes
• Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Holistic Treatment Options for Autoimmune Disease

At this time, the medical community agrees that there is no specific cure or treatment for autoimmune diseases. Rather, strong medications are most often prescribed to manage inflammation and pain. Unfortunately, these options come with some pretty nasty side effects that can compromise your overall health and degrade your quality of life even further. Thankfully, literature has shown that holistic care can help naturally manage symptoms and sometimes even reverse debilitating illness.

Potential effective holistic treatment options include:

• Diet modification by reducing intake of food that causes inflammation- these often include dairy, gluten, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and grains.
• Nutrient dense diet focusing on fruits and vegetables.
• Stress management techniques to boost overall health such as massage, meditation, deep breathing, and yoga.
• Regular exercise.
• Chiropractic care to optimize underlying issues like spine misalignment.

How Spine Misalignment Affects Immunity

As you may have guessed, the nervous system plays a vital role in modulating the body’s immunity. The spinal cord and its associated nerves turn signals off and on that regulate hormones and cell proliferation essential for good health, healing and more. When this system is disrupted, it can exacerbate or cause immune dysfunction- either underactive and overactive (like it does with an autoimmune disease).

Spine misalignment is an often overlooked underlying issue that can compromise neural integrity and health. Poor nerve energy impairs the important communication highways within the body that keep everything running in balance. Thus, it should make sense that restoring spine alignment can majorly boost your body’s own healing capabilities. This frees up energy and coordination for optimal bodily function and fighting disease.

Chiropractic Care can Maximize Your Health Potential

While there’s no cure for autoimmune disease, there is a lot that can be done to maximize your comfort and health. You don’t have to be defined by your disease with the right holistic approach. Chiropractic care is a great way to address any subtle misalignments in your body that are taking energy away from where it’s needed most. A chiropractor can offer spine adjustments, pain management, lifestyle recommendations and more to help you feel your absolute best.