Does regular chiropractic care really boost your immunity? In a word, yes. Here’s the proof. Dr. Roger has been a practicing chiropractor for 25 years, and in that 25 years, he’s seen patients’ health improve consistently. What? You need more proof? Okay, doctors across many disciplines have been studying the effects of chiropractic on the immune system for years.

Dr. Ronald Pero, Ph.D., chief of cancer prevention research at New York’s Preventive Medicine Institute, created a study to determine whether chiropractic might assist in keeping patients healthier. His study measured the immune systems of people under chiropractic care as compared to those in the general population and those with cancer and other serious diseases. His initial three-year study was comprised of 107 individuals who had been under chiropractic care for five years or more. The chiropractic patients were found to have a 200% greater immune competence than those people who had not received chiropractic care, and they had 400% greater immune competence than those people with cancer and other serious diseases. The immune system’s superiority of those under chiropractic care did not appear to diminish with age. Dr. Pero concluded: “When applied in a clinical framework, I have never seen a group other than this chiropractic group to experience a 200% increase over the normal patients. This is why it is so dramatically important. We have never seen such a positive improvement in a group.”[1]

Chiropractic adjustments align vertebrae, allowing greater communication along the spinal cord, which is part of the nervous system. Since the nervous system controls all functions of the body, including the immune system, chiropractic can most definitely have a positive impact on the immune system. If vertebrae are misaligned, the nervous system is in a “sympathetic,” or stress mode, and therefore, does not function at an optimal level.

Another study performed by Patricia Brennan, Ph.D., demonstrated that when a chiropractic manipulation was applied to the thoracic region (mid-back), the white blood cell response taken from blood collected 15 minutes after the manipulation was significantly higher than that of blood collected 15 minutes before the chiropractic adjustment. This research demonstrated a respiratory burst, which is needed for our immune cells to overcome viruses and bacteria.[2]

Still need more? Okay, here’s an oldie, but a goodie – an amazing report, regarding the pandemic of 1918, from the national records of the United States and Palmer School of Chiropractic.

“In Davenport, Iowa, 50 medical doctors treated 4,953 cases (of influenza), with 274 deaths. In the same city, 150 chiropractors including students and faculty of the Palmer School of Chiropractic treated 1,635 cases with only one death.

In the state of Iowa, medical doctors treated 93,590 patients, with 6,116 deaths – a loss of one patient out of 15. In the same state, excluding Davenport, 4,735 patients were treated by chiropractors with a loss of only 6 cases – a loss of one patient out of every 789.

National figures show that 1,142 chiropractors treated 46,394 patients for influenza during 1918, with a loss of 54 patients – one out of every 886.

In the same epidemic, New York health authorities (who kept records of flu as a reportable disease) showed that under chiropractic care, only 25 patients died of influenza out of every 10,000 cases; and only 100 patients died of pneumonia out of every 10,000 cases. This comparison is made more striking when viewed in the following table:

Influenza

Under Medical Care -> 10,000 cases + 950 deaths

Under Chiropractic Care -> 10,000 cases + 25 deaths

Pneumonia

Under Medical Care -> 10,000 cases + 6,400 deaths

Under Chiropractic Care -> 10,000 cases + 100 deaths

The same epidemic reports show that chiropractors in Oklahoma treated 3,490 cases of influenza with only 7 deaths. But the best part of this is, in Oklahoma there is a clear record showing that chiropractors were called in 233 cases where medical doctors had cared for the patients, and finally gave them up as lost. The chiropractors saved all of these lost cases but 25.”

The science agrees with Dr. Roger for a good reason: chiropractic adjustments reduce interference so that the nervous system can perform optimally. When the nervous system is performing at its best, your immune system is performing at its best. As 2020 continues to throw more and more nastiness at us, having a properly functioning immune system is key.

Chiropractic focuses on restoring function to the body by enhancing the performance of the nervous system. Chiropractic helps restore the nervous system to its optimal state. When the bones in your spine become misaligned, it prevents the body from properly functioning and leads to a decrease in optimal health. With regular chiropractic care, your spine will continue to be properly aligned by Dr. Roger. Don’t wait until you are in pain to visit Gulph Mills Chiropractic – recovery will take longer if you are not following a regular proactive schedule. Call Gulph Mills Chiropractic Center to schedule a complimentary initial assessment, including x-rays and start your path to wellness: 484-751-5037.

[1] Pero R. “Medical Researcher Excited By CBSRF Project Results.” The Chiropractic Journal, August 1989; 32.

[2] Brennan P, Graham M, Triano J, Hondras M. "Enhanced phagocytic cell respiratory bursts induced by spinal manipulation: Potential Role of Substance P." J Manip Physiolog Ther 1991; (14)7:399-400.