Asthma in Children and Chiropractic

It’s happening again. Michelle can’t breathe and her parents have to take her to the emergency room at 4:00am on a school night. She is only seven years old and a chronic asthma sufferer. She uses her inhaler several times a day, and her parents never go any where without her nebulizer, inhaler, and medication. She misses a few days of school every month and can’t always play outside with her friends. Asthma has taken over their lives.

 

Asthma

Michelle is one of millions of children who suffer from asthma, allergies, and chronic colds. It is estimated that 10-12% of children suffer from asthma in the United States, and it is the most prevalent cause of chronic illness in children. Asthma is caused by an inflammation in the bronchioles of the lungs, which causes the airways to fill with mucous, become inflamed or tighten up. There is a rise in asthma cases in children in the United States and the cause for this increase in unknown.

 

Common Symptoms of Asthma:

• coughing at night
• difficulty breathing, shortness of breath
• wheezing
• pain, pressure, or tightness in the chest

 

Chiropractic and Asthma

Some children and adults suffer from asthma for many years with little relief. However, there are many well documented case studies showing the benefits of chiropractic for children and adults with asthma. After a few weeks of care, it has been documented that many of the patients in these studies no longer needed to use medications and inhalers, and within a few months, the patients resume sports and other physical activities. While maintaining wellness chiropractic care (once a month or as recommended by the chiropractor), the asthma has not been shown to return years later.

The chiropractors in these studies used a variety of techniques, low force, activator, and manual adjusting. Initial visits were 2 or more times per week and the full spine was examined and adjusted. Asthma sufferers typically had subluxations in the cervical region at C1 and in the thoracic region T3-4 of the spine. The overall well being of the children in these studies were improved to normal functions allowing them to no longer miss school and enjoy social and physical activities.

Asthma doesn’t have to take over your life as in Michelle’s case. Chiropractic care is known to increase the body’s immunity, which greatly helps asthma sufferers by reducing inflammation to allow the body to heal itself. With the help of chiropractic care, asthma sufferers may experience relief of symptoms and even the disappearance of asthma altogether, leading to a better quality of life.

 

 

Author: Lisa Chau, M.Sc. is a scientist and chiropractor.com’s writer and editor. For more information, please see chiropractor.com.

 

Bibliography