Chiropractic and the immune system – a phrase that has been somewhat controversial over the last several years. Initially, the chiropractic adjustment wasn’t as well understood. There wasn’t much research behind what it could potentially be doing aside from the common pain relief. This, however, has changed over recent years. There have been several research studies conducted looking at chiropractic adjustments and chiropractic care in the positive facilitation of overall health and well-being, stress relief, pain reduction, asthma alleviation, and even a boost in immune function too!
A common concept that chiropractic students are taught is how adjustments to specific areas of the spine can result in either a parasympathetic or sympathetic response – the parasympathetic being our rest and digest, our sympathetic being fight or flight. In a study by Borges, Bortolazoo & Neto (2018), spinal [adjustments] exert an influence on the autonomic nervous system depending on the stimulation site and type. The study measured heart rate variability (the time between successive heart beats) and found that adjusting the cervical and lumbar region induced a stronger parasympathetic tone while adjusting the thoracic region created a sympathetic tone. So what is this demonstrating? Since a higher heart rate variability indicates a larger parasympathetic tone, it’s clear that there was a change in the nervous system from spinal adjustments causing the body to enter a state of rest and digest. In addition to this study, another retrospective case series by Haas & Russel (2018) showed that after 2 to 3 adjustments (over the course of 10 to 52 weeks depending on patient needs) showed a sustained increase in heart rate variability.
Next, while chiropractors use adjustments as a primary treatment, they also use many soft tissue mobilizations such as static stretching, IASTM, and myofascial release. In a study by Lindgren et al. (2010), they found that physical touch (such as soft tissue massage and myofascial release) after five minutes resulted in a reduction of salivary cortisol and an increase in heart rate variability. Much like the other studies mentioned above, the increase in heart rate variability is correlated with a higher state of parasympathetic function – rest and digest.
So why are the above studies important in terms of chiropractic care and the immune system? Your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems have a large effect on a commonly known hormone called cortisol – your stress hormone. Cortisol naturally fluctuates in the blood stream depending on the time of day, and is highly correlated with overall stress and even immune function. Chronic, high levels of cortisol can cause a blunting of the immune system, leaving you susceptible to bacteria, viruses, parasites, and a whole host of conditions. Therefore, it can be speculated that, when taking the previously mentioned studies into consideration, chiropractic adjustments and soft tissue therapies that result in an activation of your parasympathetic nervous system would could result in a reduction in cortisol, allowing your immune system to function more optimally.
Now, a question you may have now is, are there other ways aside from adjustments or soft tissue therapies that can help boost our immune system in a chiropractic office? Absolutely! Turns out, the treatment we love to use at Restorative Wellness Center, our Low Level Laser Therapy device, has been shown to dramatically improve immune mediated processes. This includes down-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, boosted mitochondrial function, and an increase in phagocytosis of diseased/damaged cells. Several studies have demonstrated an increase in overall tissue function when low level laser therapy is applied, therefore using a target approach with laser therapy could be very beneficial for anyone!
All in all, while Restorative Wellness Center loves to help out patients in pain, we also understand that what is done at our healing center goes far beyond that and can truly have a beneficial effect on your overall function and well-being. Have any more questions regarding how we could help you and your immune system? Give us a call or email and we’ll be happy to help!
Sources
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1360859216000085
https://ccforum.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/cc9678
https://molmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1007/BF03402177
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11189026/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29332747/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323934481_Sustained_improvement_of_heart_rate_variability_in_patients_undergoing_a_program_of_chiropractic_care_A_retrospective_case_series
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25694852/