How Chiropractic Helps Asthma
In previous posts I have explained the relationship between pinched nerves and muscle spasms.  Asthma is a condition that also develops as a result of interference with the nerves.

By and large many of us don't give our muscles the credit they deserve because we don't know how much they are involved in our bodies' daily functions.  Or course. the more important muscle in the body is the heart.  But when we are talking about the respiratory system, the muscles around the bronchioles, which control the airway to our lungs, are of great importance.  

When there is mucus inside the bronchioles and the muscles around them spasm, it creates a condition called asthma.  When then muscles around the bronchioles spasm they constrict the airway.   

Chiropractic has had huge success in treating asthma especially in children.  By adjusting the spine and removing the interference  the spasmed muscles around the bronchioles will return to their normal position and the mucus inside will drain. 

At the end of the post, you can see the case studies of chiropractic success with asthma.  The video presentation below will show by animation what we already discussed here.  

 Lungs and Bronchi
In chronic T3 involvement, look to the adrenals (T9) and to allergies (Cl).Acupuncture points BL11, Bl12, BL13, LU5, LI11,

Symptoms:
Structural:
-pain at the area of T3, muscle pain from the neck to the shoulders, intercostal pain
Functional:
-shortness of breath, sighing, chronic cough, fatigue and lassitude
Signs:
-a T3 transverse process nodulated and tender to palpation, measurable reduction in respiratory volume


What do we suggest?
Chiropractic adjustments accompanied with Acupuncture ,Of course the first recommendation we give is that you get regular chiropractic adjustments.  If you are apprehensive about neck adjustments, find a chiropractor who uses instruments to adjust the neck.  For more info click here.
Nutrition:
Allerplex 3, 3 times per day with meals
for 1 year or until signs resolve,
3 per day thereafter
Cal-Amo 2, 3 times per day with meals
for 10 days, then
1, 3 times per day until signs resolve

CASE STUDY
Mary, 7 years old, had such severe asthma that all the doctors in the emergency room knew her by name. Despite all the medication and a completely healthy non-dairy diet, her asthma attacks were still life threatening. Mary started to receive chiropractic care twice a week and within 3 months, Mary is a new child, according to her mother.
“Three months ago, all she could do was sit on the couch and watch television because of her wheezing. Now she runs and roller skates and even plays basketball with her older brother. But the best news of all is she is off all of her medications.”
— Doctor of Chiropractic

There are many reasons why our patients have headaches, but recently we are seeing many patients that suffer from headaches caused by the neck area.

Headaches caused by the neck can manifest for two different reasons: the first is  interference with your circulation.  Misalignment of the vertebrae interferes with the circulation of the artery that goes directly to your brain (vertebral artery). The difference in blood pressure inside your brain compared to outside of your brain can cause severe headaches; in other words the difference in pressure can swell the dura matter and stretch it to the point of pain.  Since most of the nerves that cause headaches are in the dura matter,  even a little difference in pressure can cause severe headaches.  

The second reason, and most common, is the misalignment of your skull or your occiput and of your first vertebra called the atlas.  These could pinch the nerve that goes to the front of your face and the top of your head, this is the trigeminal nerve.  Usually our patients experience this type of headache after a visit to the dentist or when they have slept on their belly or on their face all night, creating pressure between the skull and the first vertebrae.  This type of misalignment can create muscle spasms in the temporal area and create a cluster headache.

Of course the first recommendation we give is that you get regular chiropractic adjustments.  If you are apprehensive about neck adjustments, find a chiropractor who uses instruments to adjust the neck.  For more info click here.

The second recommendation we can give you is to do neck stretches.  For more info click here.

Lastly, we recommend that you change your sleeping patterns.  For more info, click here.

The Effect of Spinal Manipulation in the Treatment of Cervicogenic Headache

This is a randomized controlled trial performed at the University of Odense, Denmark by chiropractors and medical doctors. From the abstract:   Fifty-three [patients] suffering from frequent headaches who fulfilled the International Headache Society criteria for cervicogenic headache.were recruited from 450 headache sufferers from responded to the newspaper advertisements. .28 of the group received high-velocity, low-amplitude cervical manipulation twice a week for three wk. The remaining 25 received low-level laser in the upper cervical region and deep friction massage in the lower cervical/upper thoracic region, also twice a week for three weeks. 

Results:   The use of analgesics decreased by 36% in the manipulation group, but was unchanged in the soft-tissue group; this difference was statistically significant. The number of headache hours per day decreased by 69% in the manipulation group compared with 37% in the soft-tissue group; this was significant. Finally, the headache intensity per episode decreased by 36% in the manipulation group, compared with 17% in the soft-tissue group; this was significant. At a four-week follow-up, she remained pain free. 

 Nilsson N, Christensen HW, Hartvigsen J.   J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1997 (Jun); 20 (5): 326-330