Inflammation is your body’s natural response to heal an injury. But like most things, too much of a good thing can become a problem. Chronic inflammation is an issue that affects many people in the United States. Believe it or not, chiropractic care may help decrease inflammation in your body. But first, let’s discuss what inflammation is, and how it affects the body.
What is Inflammation?
Have you ever had a bee sting? Around the area of a bee sting, the skin becomes red and swollen. The redness and the swelling are caused by inflammation in your body. This is considered acute inflammation, and it is an essential process for your body to heal itself and prevent infection. However, you can develop chronic inflammation when your experience inflammation throughout your body over the course of months and years. In 2014, it was estimated that 3 out of 4 people in the world died from chronic inflammatory diseases such as stroke, autoimmune disease, chronic respiratory diseases, obesity, cancer, and diabetes.
Symptoms of chronic inflammation:
- Body Pain
- Constant fatigue
- Mood disorders
- Gastrointestinal complications such as constipation, diarrhea, and acid reflux
- Frequent infections
- Weight gain
What can trigger Inflammation?
- Poor diet i.e. processed carbohydrates and alcohol
- Infection
- Oxidants i.e. sugar, alcohol, and free iron
- Insulin resistance
- Stress
- Lack of or too much sleep
- Trauma caused by an injury
How can chiropractic care help decrease inflammation?
Chiropractic adjustments.
It may seem odd to think that chiropractic care could help solve a problem that seems completely unrelated to the spine. However, chiropractors are experts in spinal manipulation. They are trained to find any subluxations of the spine. These are misalignments in the spine. Subluxations can cause a slew of problems if left unchecked. For example, the misalignments can prevent the brain from communicating with the rest of the body properly by blocking the flow of important nutrients and nerve pathways.
In addition, a study performed in Canada in 2008 found that after several spinal manipulation adjustments participants experienced a decrease in the production of Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). This is one of the main components of chronic inflammation. Subsequently, this means that not only was the amount of inflammation in the affected area (the lower back) decreased, but also throughout the entire body. The study, however, did point out that more research was needed to prove this point completely, but it is a good sign.
Anti-inflammatory diet.
Chiropractors not only can adjust your spine and bring you back in balance, but they can also help introduce an anti-inflammatory diet into your lifestyle. Foods such as fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, whole grains, lean meats, and fish are all part of the anti-inflammatory diet. In short, reducing the amount of inflammation you consume will greatly affect your body’s ability to heal itself and ward off harmful chronic diseases.
Reduced Stress and better night’s sleep.
Stress and the amount of sleep you get each night greatly affect the amount of inflammation in your body. Even if your mind can handle a chronic amount of stress, your body on a cellular level cannot. Chiropractic care can help you to relax, which, consequently, will decrease the amount of stress hormones in your body, and allow you to relax and fall asleep much faster. Check out our blog post for tips to fall asleep quickly each night.
In conclusion, chiropractic care may be able to help reduce the amount of inflammation in your body. To learn more about how chiropractic care can help you decrease inflammation in your body, schedule a visit to Midvale Chiropractic in Tucson AZ.
References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cisPN5hXzvs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxeXfjWzqjc
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3188345/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493173/
https://allamericanhealthcare.net/how-chiropractic-care-can-help-inflammation/
