Your Immune System Could be 200% Stronger

Posted by: The Balancing Center

It’s that time of year. As if the snow and the dark weren’t enough to deal with, the winter season can be a harbinger of the cough, the cold, the runny nose, the stuffy nose, the sore throat, and the flu. The physical and mental discomfort of being sick stops us in our tracks and for good reason: the body heals best when it’s at rest.

Sometimes the commitments of being adults force us to leave the comfort of our homes and beds. In the throes of a nasty cold, canceling the non-essential items on our list can be a huge relief. Maybe your haircut or shopping trip can wait until after you’re not hacking up a lung or running a fever.

But if you want to get better faster, here’s a crucial tip:

Keep your chiropractic appointment!

People who are feeling sick will venture out to visit the doctor’s office for antibiotics or a check-up. You might want to cancel your adjustment but remember that your chiropractor is a type of doctor, and, more importantly, a type of doctor who can help you feel better even faster!

By getting adjusted, you are making sure that your spine is allowing your nervous system to function at its highest capacity. Why is this important? Because the nervous system is the master control of your body, affecting your organs, your brain, your muscles, and your various systems, including your all-important immune system. A misalignment in your spine can greatly interfere with your nervous system and subsequently the regular functions of your body.

A misalignment also throws your body into its “defense physiology.” When your body is under stress, any systems that aren’t essential to your immediate survival are suppressed. The stress of a misalignment reduces the efficiency of your digestion, respiration, elimination, procreation, and your immune response.

So, first, getting aligned means that your immune system won’t be compromised. Second, and even better, regular chiropractic adjustments can actually further boost your immune system! In a five-year study, subjects who receive regular chiropractic adjustments had a 200% increase in immune response than subjects who did not. Chiropractic adjustments also increase the number of white blood cells in your system.

We hope you stay healthy all winter long but if you should come down with a cold, keep that appointment or call us to set one up! In addition to bed rest, hot beverages, and chicken noodle soup, a chiropractic adjustment is just what your body ordered.

Flu Shots: Beyond the Banner Ads

Posted by: Lindsay

Today in the Red Eye I saw an ad that made me pause. Along the bottom of the page, a banner touts the flu shot by way of the tacit endorsement of the sports celebrity pictured in it. It is one ad in a larger, citywide campaign to get you to buy a flu shot because your favorite sports star says it’s a good idea. If you want to be awesome, like this soccer star, buy a flu shot!

If you can tell by my tone, I’m not a fan of this campaign. Using celebrity to promote products or services is nothing new, but a tactic doesn’t have to be new to still be irresponsible. And it’s irresponsible to push the flu vaccine in this manner.

Before we get into a huge fight, let me say this: I’m not here to denounce vaccines. Vaccines can be and have been effective at reducing or eliminating countless once-lethal diseases. I’ve never had polio or the measles and neither have most of my family and friends and coworkers. That’s simply amazing.

What I am here to do is advocate informed consent. A flu shot might work for you and it might not and knowing the difference can be key! There’s no fine print on the ads that tell you that the effectiveness of the flu shot can vary between 30% and 90% depending on how old you are, how healthy you are, and how accurate the CDC is. The vaccine’s effectiveness varies depending on whether or not the CDC has guessed correctly which strains of the flu are going to be most prevalent this year. And the debate about the vaccine's effectiveness continues among the medical and scientific community. (The New York Times alone has posted articles both for and against promoting the vaccine.)

This issue is obviously complex just in terms of science, never mind that the debate involves public health and millions of dollars. It wouldn't be unreasonable to take a step back, learn about both sides, and then make a decision from there.

What I'm also here to do is promote additional and alternative methods of strengthening your immune system. Wouldn’t it be great if you could prevent the flu without having to receive injections of it? Here are some ideas you might have heard before:

1. Eat a healthy, balanced diet.

2. Reduce your stress levels.

3. Exercise regularly.

4. Get regular chiropractic adjustments.

Yes, those recommendations are repeated to the point of inanity. But sometimes the cliches bear repeating.

I’m not a fan of that ad campaign. I am a devoted fan of educating yourself and choosing for yourself.

Check out Dr. Ken’s and Dr. Dan’s take on the flu shot. And visit the National Vaccine Information Center, an informative resource for all-things-vaccine, for an unbiased fact sheet on the flu shot and its risks.