Mother Nature can’t seem to decide whether it is winter or summer, and she seems to be trying to skip over the spring season entirely. There are plenty of people who probably wish that could happen, but who unfortunately are very aware of what season we are in…the millions of people who suffer from seasonal allergies.
Allergies occur when your immune system creates antibodies to a foreign substance (like pollen, pet dander, dust mites, insect bites or even some foods). They identify the substance as harmful, even though it isn’t, and the reaction causes inflammation in your skin, sinuses, airways or digestive system.
The severity of allergies varies from person to person, ranging from mild irritation to potentially life-threatening emergency. While most allergies can’t be cured, treatments can help relieve your allergy symptoms. Most people think of treatments in terms of medication or shots, but the reality is that good chiropractic care can also help to alleviate some of the symptoms of seasonal allergies.
What are Seasonal Allergies?
All allergies are the result of your immune system overreacting to a substance in the environment. When you have an allergic reaction, your body sets off an alarm; it recognizes that there is an invader and produces an inflammatory reaction. In the case of hay fever and seasonal allergies, the body is overreacting to pollen. The body ineffectively sees the pollen as a threat and, in response, releases histamine. Histamine causes the body to bring fluid to the area that is under attack. This abnormal response causes itchiness, swelling, and all of the uncomfortable feelings you have during an allergic reaction.
Traditional Sources for Allergy Relief
Although we can learn quite a bit about what causes allergies, there seems to be very little focus on how to fix the underlying cause of allergies. Of course, the first line of defense needs to be to try to eliminate exposure to those things that cause you the most issues. Beyond that, conventional allergy treatments are antihistamine drugs, avoiding the things that make you allergic, and allergy shots. Chiropractic care, particularly focusing on the upper portions of the spine, can also help people with the annoying and sometimes life-altering reactions that allergy sufferers have to deal with. Some of our patients have seen a vast improvement in their allergy symptoms.
How Can Chiropractic Care help with Seasonal Allergies?
At Keystone Chiropractic, we practice upper cervical care, a unique chiropractic discipline focusing on the intimate relationship of the upper cervical spine and the central nervous system. The junction where the head meets the neck is inherently unstable. On average, the head weighs 10-13 pounds, and it rests on the top vertebra (called the atlas) which weighs only 2 ounces. As we go through life, traumas such as car accidents, slip and falls, and sports injuries can cause the atlas to shift out of position and become locked out-of-place. This starts a chain reaction through the entire body that weakens the function of the body.
In 2015, an article in NeuroScience News published an article referencing a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The study indicates that the immune system is directly under the control of the nervous system. As a result, a misalignment at the atlas level over time can insidiously cause immune system problems.
The immune system health is a crucial ally in fighting off allergy symptoms. It releases antibodies to combat allergic reactions. Misalignments disrupt communication between the central nervous system and other parts of your body, making you more susceptible to allergies. Correcting spinal misalignment may not eliminate all allergy symptoms. Aligning the atlas, however, sets up your natural immune system to help fight off the effects of allergens.
In our experience, people who suffer from a whole range of allergy symptoms greatly improve when they have their atlas corrected. Here is a video explaining more about the procedure we use.
Your Body Can Heal Itself
Remember: your body can and will heal itself. You just need to try some things that give it a chance for natural healing. Nature needs no help, just no interference. Where there is a problem, there is a cause. Don’t settle for the treatment of symptoms. Allergy relief may be as simple as getting your your upper cervical spine checked for spinal cord interference.
About Keystone Chiropractic
As an engineer, Dr. Schurger looks at the whole body as a system to determine what is best for each patient. Custom spinal imaging is performed for each patient in order to create a custom correction. Dr. Schurger has transformed himself through the ketogenic diet and offers nutritional advice to help patients improve their overall health (weight loss being a side effect). His practice, Keystone Chiropractic is at 450 S. Durkin Drive, Ste. B, Springfield. Call 217-698-7900 to setup a complementary consultation to see if he can help you!
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