THE BENEFITS OF CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENT 1

The Benefits of Chiropractic Adjustment

Amanda Devine

COMM 2715-02: Academic Writing For Success

Professor Rob Creighton

Durham College

July 12, 2020

For years the majority of the western world has believed that if you have any type of ache

or ailment, the best treatment that your family physician will lead you to is most likely some
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over-the-counter medication, such as Tylenol or Advil. However, most people are still

unaccustomed or unaware to the next best treatment of daily nagging pains (or are opposed or

unsure of the results of such work): chiropractic care. In addition to relieving chronic neck and

back pain, chiropractic adjustments have been able to reduce chronic allergies and increase

immunity in patients. By addressing and fixing the problem within the body, chiropractic care

has improved the severity of common ailments and are more beneficial than its counterpart of

traditional over-the-counter medicine.

For instance, daily neck and back pain have become more common for people

everywhere. Because of the stress that people constantly put on their backs while hunched over

phones and computers, our spines react by tensing the surrounding muscles to alleviate and

support the new positioning, causing discomfort, and in some cases, altered posture. Some

spines have even readjusted to adapt to the new constant curvature and angle of the spine. These

aches and pains would otherwise not be there if we practised proper posture. As an illustration to

this point, a study was published in 2014 with a focus on office workers in the United States

(Sherrod, Johnson, & Chester, 2014). It outlined that a large majority of the country’s population

works at a computer desk for most of the day. Naturally, these workers were also accompanied

with chronic upper body pain, and were studied after routine chiropractic checkups at eight,

sixteen, and fifty-two weeks (Sherrod, Johnson, & Chester, 2014). At the end of this trial, people

had significantly less neck discomfort and better upper body function, as well as increased

productivity and general cognitive ability (Sherrod, Johnson, & Chester, 2014). Even though the

source of the problem remains in the diligence of the office workers, to persevere in maintaining

a certain posture throughout their day, the chiropractors essentially adjusted their misaligned
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bodies to relieve and fix the problem directly. Even though pain medication would obviously

reduce the pain of the worker, it does not fix the issue that the worker is still attributing to their

spine’s misalignment, in which case the chiropractor also aids in rehabilitative exercises and

regimen to keep the body in normal working order (Sherrod, Johnson, & Chester, 2014).

Similarly, another study published in 2004 showed the effects of chiropractic care with

patients of severe allergies, such as skin itches (atopic dermatitis) and asthma (bronchial asthma).

Takeda & Arai, 2004). In this case, each patient had the same issue of vertebral displacement at

the 8th to 10th vertebrae of the spine, known as the thoracic region (Takeda & Arai, 2004). The

chiropractors noted that it is a possibility the nerves trapped in the compressed vertebrae are also

the nerves that directly affect the allergic reactions via the adrenal cortex. Upon chiropractic

adjustment these symptoms had noticeably decreased or disappeared and everyday thereafter

that treatments were conducted (Takeda & Arai, 2004). It was also noted by the chiropractors

and other medical professionals conducting the study that most allergie symptoms were due to

the misalignment of the 8th to 10th spinal vertebrae. While the reasons behind the misaligned

vertebrae are a separate issue, the basis of the study is that chiropractors aided in alleviating the

allergies of patients. Again, this was done by addressing the source of the problem within the

body. The patients of these diseases could try and treat themselves with allergy medication from

the drug store, but success in alleviating these symptoms is questionable, and through personal

experiences I can attest to the use of these medicines.

Finally, and in conjunction with, chiropractic care also increases the immunity of the

human body (Axe, 2017). When the body is under stress, the brain releases the “fight or flight”

hormones (Axe, 2017). While this is not detrimental for the body in a temporary state, long term
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stress can be very damaging: the body releases cortisol, the stress hormone, and high levels

inhibit any system deemed unnecessary to get the body out of the stress (2018). This could mean

the immune system becomes inhibited, as well as the digestive system or the reproductive

system. Stress contributes to a variety of issues, and when chiropractors reset the body to its

natural position and state, they also naturally alleviate the stress off of the body (Axe, 2017).

This decreases the cortisol levels and increases immunity protein levels, which in turn

strengthens the immune system (Axe, 2017). In other words, chiropractors essentially help your

body heal itself. The human body has the ability to self heal under most conditions, but in

consideration with the information about cortisol and stress as mentioned earlier, this becomes

difficult for your body and thus cannot function properly, leading to injuries and illnesses lasting

longer than what is typical. Chiropractors can undo these tensions and aid the healing process,

allowing your body to become stronger and more self reliant.

For these reasons, seeking the services of a decent chiropractor to combat common

ailments can be more beneficial than pursuing the temporary solution of modern medicine.

Chronic neck and back pain, allergies, and the immune system can be fixed and stimulated with a

natural reset from a chiropractor, instead of ingesting questionable synthetic chemicals into your

body. At the end of the day, what matters most is knowing that your body is able to heal and

fight off what it needs to - a bottle of Tylenol is never the solution.

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References

Axe, J. (2017, July 12). Chiropractic Adjustment Benefits for the Entire Body With Dr.

Dan Sullivan [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TZrjwTEr-A

Sherrod, C., Johnson, D., & Chester, B. (2014). Safety, tolerability and effectiveness of

an ergonomic intervention with chiropractic care for knowledge workers with upper-extremity

musculoskeletal disorders: A prospective case series [Abstract]. Work, 49(4), 641-651.

doi:10.3233/wor-131732

Takeda, Y., & Arai, S. (2004). Relationship Between Vertebral Deformities And Allergic

Diseases. The Internet Journal of Orthopedic Surgery, 2(1). doi:10.5580/13ab

Cortisol. (2018, November). Retrieved July 11, 2020, from

https://www.hormone.org/your-health-and-hormones/glands-and-hormones-a-to-

z/hormones/cortisol