Typically we think of chiropractic adjustments as appropriate treatment for whiplash, athletic injuries or other painful conditions. While this is certainly the case, you might not realize how many other conditions (not associated with a specific instance of trauma) can be treated as well.
That’s because not all subluxations (misalignments) are painful. You could be suffering symptoms because an area in your spin is misaligned by no more than a millimeter! Your body must be properly aligned in order to function at its peak and even the slightest excess pressure can produce other symptoms in the body.
Here are 4 conditions that can be treated by chiropractic care!
1. Hearing Loss
It has long been proven that chiropractic adjustments can benefit many systems in the body but a study in 1994 shed some light on the impact it can have on certain hearing loss cases. You might be thinking, what does a spinal adjustment have to do with hearing? The fact that the spine and central nervous system are connected means that an adjustment can help reduce pressure nearly anywhere in the body.
For cases of Vertebrogenic Hearing Disorders, there is a direct correlation between hearing loss and pressure. The amount of pressure that is impacting the blood supply to the audio portion can directly impact the frequencies a certain person can hear. The 1994 study proved that chiropractic adjustments could change the pressure and therefore allow adequate blood flow to the auditory system.
2. High Blood Pressure
A placebo controlled study in 2007 revealed that a chiropractic adjustment can actually lower high blood pressure. The adjustment used for the study is referred to as the atlas adjustment because it adjusts the C-1 vertebra (named atlas since it holds up the head). By relieving pressure there, hypertension can be successfully treated. There are two centers at the base of the brain which control the muscles. In some people, the atlas area can get locked just a millimeter or less out of alignment and while there may not be any pain, there could be other impacts to systems in the body like high blood pressure. Frequent adjustments may help diminish these symptoms.
3. Premenstrual Symptoms
For women suffering premenstrual symptoms or PMS, often muscle relaxers and other harmful prescription medications are the go-to for pain relief. Unfortunately, there are many undesirable side effects of routinely turning to medication. Since many of the nerves exiting the lower back regulate the tissues in the lower abdomen area, the pressure can often be relieved with an adjustment.
A study which split women in to two groups (one group received ineffective pressure and the other full adjustments) those receiving proper manipulation reported vast improvements in the discomforts associated with PMS. If you are someone who suffers regularly from PMS, you can schedule appointments proactively so you do not need to struggle with the discomfort each month.
4. Asthma
Children diagnosed with asthma are often prescribed many medication to keep flair-ups from occurring. While these medications are said to show a 95% non-occurrence rate of asthma you might be surprised to learn that asthmatic children treated through chiropractic care have a 96.5% non-occurrence rate…and they don’t have to deal with all the unwanted side effects of prescription medications!
When you consider that the lungs and the diaphragm (which are used for breathing) are controlled by the nervous system, you will see that the idea of treating asthma holistically with chiropractic care makes sense. When subluxations (or misalignments) occur, the nerve supply to the lungs can be damaged which can result in difficulty breathing. By restoring the nerve supply to the lungs through chiropractic adjustment, many asthma suffers see drastic improvement.