Communication is key
Have you been caught in the never-ending cycle of sick bugs this winter? Maybe you have been doing all the right things— taking vitamins, prioritizing sleep, but you just can’t seem to get over it completely. Have you considered assessing the system the controls your immune system? Your nervous system! Immune system communication starts within your spine, and that communication is key when it comes to immune function. Your spine houses your central nervous system which is composed of your brain and spinal cord. From there, nerves travel out to control every cell, tissue, and organ.
This includes all those immune structures like your lymph nodes, spleen, thymus, etc. This communication happens 24/7 and is extra important when there is an immune response that needs taken care of. This immune response is considered a “stress” response. When your body perceives stress, your sympathetic branch of your autonomic nervous system (fight-or-flight) takes charge to eliminate the stressor to the body. This is a good thing. However, sometimes too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.
When this “fight-or-flight” response becomes chronic is when you will experience a suppressed immune response, inflammatory responses, altered white blood cell activity, which are the infection fighters, and many other defense mechanisms. Your sympathetic nervous system exits the spine primarily in your thoracic and upper lumbar regions, so when a subluxation occurs in these areas it can alter the quality of information being sent up and down the central nervous system. As a result, it can diminish immune response.
This is why chiropractic is a great option before you get sick, and when you start to feel under the weather. It is not curing you but is improving the communication from your brain and body so that it can accurately detect, respond, and regulate when these sicknesses come on.
