breathe easier: chiropractic & asthma
by Steven T. Sadlon, D.C.
Like most automatic life functions, breathing is something we take for granted. Until, that is, we have breathing difficulties. As anyone who has ever suffered from bronchitis or asthma can tell you, having trouble “getting your breath” is one of the most unpleasant, and even scary, experiences you can have.
The good news is that chiropractic can help provide relief from asthma and bronchitis symptoms, and it may even help eliminate them from your life.
Within the past 40 years, there has been a significant upsurge in the frequency of serious asthma. Since the mid-1990s, more than 15 million Americans a year are diagnosed with the condition. More than 5,000 die from it yearly. Asthma now ranks as the number one chronic condition among children.
Asthma results from a combination of factors, including allergies and chemical sensitivities. Diet can play a role. And finally, there can be an emotional connection as well. Highly stressful events often trigger incidents of difficulty in breathing that characterize the condition.
Medical treatment typically consists of inhalers and antiinflammatory drugs, including steroids. While using drugs and inhalers can lead to a temporary lessening of symptoms, over time their use can have serious side effects and can lead to dependency.
Chiropractic is a fast and effective way of reducing or eliminating the symptoms of asthma.
Treating Asthma
The chiropractic approach takes full advantage of our bodies’ natural healing capabilities in a number of ways. For example, chiropractic recognizes the importance of diet in dealing with breathing difficulties. Carbohydrates, for example, tend to be inflammatory foods which exacerbate many disorders, including asthma and bronchitis. It’s important, therefore, to determine whether the patient eats a high-carbohydrate diet.
Deficiencies in the minerals chromium and magnesium are also implicated in disorders of the lungs. So the chiropractor may perform muscle tests (kinesiology) to detect deficiencies, and, if deficiencies are present, prescribe the minerals to be taken as nutritional supplements. Taking chromium and magnesium raises blood levels of these nutrients and makes them more readily available to help combat bronchitis and asthma.
Chiropractic also addresses the underlying physiological conditions that frequently accompany breathing problems, and so looks at the patient’s spine for subluxations. A subluxation can be best understood as a misalignment of a vertebra. Subluxations cause nerve interference and spinal stress that can be direct causes of many diseaselike conditions. People with asthma, bronchitis, or related conditions often exhibit subluxations of the first and second thoracic vertebrae. Frequently, one or two chiropractic treatments to correct these subluxations is all that is required to obtain relief.
Chiropractic, as a holistic medical discipline, focuses on a patient’s entire physical and emotional condition. By re-balancing the patient physically, the chiropractor works with the patient’s natural healing ability, helping the patient to enjoy full, vibrant health.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Steven T. Sadlon, D.C., practices chiropractic at Health and Diagnostic Services of Upstate New York in Penfield. He can be contacted at (585) 586-7630.
Editor’s Note: The information in the preceding article may surprise you, but Dr. Sadlon has numerous references to support him, including the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, Science News, and others. If you are intrigued, as we were, we encourage our readers to pursue their own research. As always, RHL suggests consulting your primary care physician before pursuing any therapies, medical or otherwise.