Natural Approach to Asthma Relief

By Dr. Todd Wickmann –

Asthma is a major medical problem for both children and adults more so than ever before. The number of asthma sufferers had more than doubled in the last two decades. There are a wide range of reasons for this upswing in number of asthma diagnosis, including heredity and environmental factors. Asthma is a chronic lung disease responsible for the inflammation and narrowing of the airways. The most common symptoms associated with asthma are wheezing, tightness in the chest, coughing and shortness of breath. This inability to breathe freely can be frightening.

.Costly Medications Have Side Effects
A diagnosis of asthma cannot only be scary for a family, but costly as well. Typically, medical treatments involve inhalers, nebulizers, steroids, and other medications. Even with insurance, none of these options are cheap. The cost is also one that accrues over time due to the fact that these medical treatments only treat the symptoms and do not address the root cause of the asthma. Unfortunately for some, these expensive treatments must be used over the course of a lifetime.

Aside from the astounding cost factors, there are other issues with using these medical treatments alone to treat asthma. Prolonged steroid treatment and other medications for can have side effects that many patients would rather avoid.  Some of the more common side effects for asthma medications include sleep disruption and hyperactivity.

.Chiropractic Care is Safe and Natural
In most cases, chiropractic care may provide a safe, natural and drug free approach that works to treat asthma. A chiropractor can help determine if subluxation, a misalignment of the bones in the spine that irritates nerves, is the cause of the asthma. The lungs and diaphragm are responsible for breathing and their ability to function correctly is controlled by the nervous system. If there is irritation or interference of the nervous system, the lungs simply can’t function optimally. In most cases, chiropractic adjustments can alleviate any pressure or stress that the nervous system is under. Once this is relieved, the lungs are fully capable of functioning properly and incidents of asthma are reduced if not eliminated altogether.

Chiropractic care results in more efficiency of the nervous system and boosts the natural functions of the immune system, which ultimately helps maintain consistent good health. This is particularly important for children who have asthma, as they are more prone to attacks when they have a cold or something more serious such as a respiratory infection.

While chiropractic care cannot end all incidents of asthma, regular adjustments have provided many patients with improvement in their asthma. There have been a number of studies conducted in the past few years that examine the effectiveness of the chiropractic adjustment as an alternative asthma treatment and the results have been encouraging. There is abundant evidence to suggest that proper nerve flow may help relieve or prevent the occurrence of many respiratory ailments, including asthma.  There are documented cases in which patients have been able to stop all medications and experience few if any attacks after a regimen of chiropractic care. One study found that while under chiropractic care, 6 of 15 patients elected to voluntarily reduce their daily dose of medication. An additional patient stopped  using medication all together. This represents a 46.67% decrease in the need for medication while under chiropractic care. Another three-month study determined that chiropractic care in conjunction with medical care improved participants’ quality of life and also decreased the number of severe episodes of asthma attacks.

A chiropractor may be able to provide a safer and more natural way to deal with asthma. Even if they are not able to fully eliminate the attacks, a reduction in severity and frequency without potentially harmful medications is certainly an alternative worth exploring for anyone afflicted with asthma.

Lifestyles Chiropractic is conveniently located in south Fort Myers.  Call 239-334-9355 and take your first step towards better health today!