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August Newsletter: Chiropractic Care for Autoimmune Diseases
Are you struggling to control your autoimmune disease? Chiropractic care could improve your quality of life and ease a variety of disease symptoms.
Autoimmune Diseases Chiropractors Help Manage
Although chiropractic treatment can't cure autoimmune diseases, visits to your chiropractor can reduce symptoms and improve your comfort.
A visit to the chiropractor may be a good idea if you have these or other autoimmune diseases:
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Lupus
- Fibromyalgia
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Type I Diabetes
- Guillain-Barre Syndrome
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Psoriasis
Chiropractic Treatment Relieves Inflammation and Nerve Pressure
Chronic inflammation can be a contributing factor in pain and other symptoms of autoimmune diseases. For example, researchers discovered that people with Type 1 diabetes have inflammation in the gut and digestive tract, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology
Inflammation can also be a factor in multiple sclerosis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and other diseases. Chronic inflammation may cause symptom flare-ups and eventually damage your cells and tissues. Depending on where the inflammation is located, you may experience swollen, painful joints and muscles, fatigue, high blood pressure, canker sores, stiff muscles and joints, fever, rashes, or weight gain.
You may be more likely to develop inflammation if misaligned vertebrae in your spine press on your nerves. These misalignments, called subluxations, could interfere with the transmission of nerve signals. Interruption of nerve signals could cause or worsen inflammation, trigger pain, and affect the normal function of the immune system.
Spinal manipulation corrects subluxations and reduces inflammation without the side effects medications can cause. As you lie on a comfortable table, your chiropractor uses quick, targeted movements to realign your spine during this treatment.
Other treatments that relieve inflammation include massage, soft tissue inflammation, and ultrasound therapy. Ultrasound isn't just a diagnostic tool. When used therapeutically, ultrasound waves penetrate your deep tissues, relieving pain and reducing inflammation, while speeding healing. In a study published in the Brazilian Journal of Anesthesiology, therapeutic ultrasound treatment reduced swelling and sensitivity to pain in mice. Luckily, you don't have to be a mouse to experience the pain-relieving benefits of ultrasound therapy.
Flexibility and Range of Motion May Improve with Chiropractic Treatment
Your muscles tend to tighten when you're in pain, limiting your ability to move your limbs and body freely. If your muscles remain tight, you may eventually develop trigger points, painful knots in muscle fibers. Tight muscles can also affect your posture or change your gait, increasing your risk for balance problems and injuries.
Subluxations increase stress on muscles and tissues, causing them to tighten. Spinal manipulation not only improves spinal alignment, but also loosens tight tissues, relieves stiffness, and improves flexibility and range of motion.
Feeling Stressed? Chiropractic Care Can Help
It's only natural to feel stressed if you live with an autoimmune disease. Chiropractic treatments like spinal manipulation and massage can ease anxiety and help you feel calmer. During treatments, your body releases serotonin, endorphins, and dopamine. These natural hormones relieve pain and offer mood-enhancing benefits.
Your Chiropractor Can Help You Manage Your Condition with Nutritional Advice
Your body's organs, nerves, cells, and tissues work best when you eat a healthy diet. Your chiropractor can recommend dietary changes that could help you keep your blood sugar under control if you have diabetes or prevent flare-ups if you have inflammatory bowel disease. In addition to offering diet suggestions, your chiropractor can also recommend an exercise program that will ease pain and relief stiffness and swelling.
Ready to schedule a visit with the chiropractor? Contact our office to arrange your visit.
Sources:
Endocrine Society: Type I Diabetes Linked to Gut Inflammation, Bacteria, 1/19/2017
Science Direct: Brazilian Journal of Anesthesiology: Therapeutic Ultrasound Ameliorates Hyperalgesia and Edema on CFA-Induced Persistent Inflammatory Response in Mice, 9/6/2022
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0104001422001051
WebMD: Body Work: Acupuncture, Massage Therapy, Chiropractic and Other Treatments for Lupus, 6/15/2022
https://www.webmd.com/lupus/ss/acupuncture-massage-therapy-chiropractic-and-other-treatments-lupus
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: Autoimmune Diseases
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/conditions/autoimmune/index.cfm
Chiropractic Economics: Adding the Management of Diabetes and Prediabetes to Your Practice, 2/26/2018