Diseases and conditions such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and many others are heart-breaking. These devastating conditions cause lifelong problems for both patients and their families.
Luckily, there are many therapeutics, treatments, and strategies that have been developed in the last few decades to assist with these disorders. One such treatment strategy lies in chiropractic care.
In this article, we will take a closer look at autoimmune disorders and examine how chiropractic care can be the perfect solution to many of the issues these diseases cause.
What Are Autoimmune Conditions?
Autoimmune disorders are those that involve the body’s immune system inappropriately attacking healthy cells of the body.
To take a step back, let’s look at how the immune system is supposed to function in a healthy individual.
Normal Immune System Activity
When our immune systems are working as they should, they produce various defensive mechanisms that fight off bacteria, viruses, fungi, and a whole host of other pathogens.
We have two basic branches of our immune systems: adaptive immunity and innate immunity. For our purposes, adaptive immunity tends to include processes that are created in response to encountering a foreign invader. These cells “learn” how to fight pathogens.
Adaptive immunity is the basis for the theory behind vaccination. In essence: patients are injected with a very weak form of the virus in question. This forces the adaptive immune system to activate and search for similar pathogens.
In contrast, innate immune functions are those that we are born with and that continue to protect us for the entirety of our lives.
Both of our immune system branches are very helpful when cancerous or invasive cells attempt to take root in our bodies. Our immune systems recognize that these cells are foreign and destroy them through many different techniques.
Autoimmune Conditions
With an autoimmune condition, however, the immune system is not appropriately recognizing cells that should be within our bodies. For instance, with multiple sclerosis, the coating that surrounds our nerves is destroyed by our immune system, leading to significant disability in these patients.
What Issues Do Autoimmune Conditions Cause?
It’s hard to talk generally about autoimmune conditions, as each individual disease has very specific features.
However, one can expect to have worsening symptoms affecting several systems once one has been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition.
Many autoimmune conditions will cause gait problems, pain, and tons of other problems.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help with Autoimmune Conditions
By performing specific manipulations on the spine, chiropractors can often help to improve function, decrease pain, and improve the overall quality of life for patients. This is especially true for patients with autoimmune conditions.
As was stated earlier, many autoimmune conditions lead to movement problems. These motor disturbances can be the result of many different issues, but oftentimes, patients with autoimmune disorders are very stiff. Chiropractic manipulations decrease stiffness and increase range of motion.
To review: autoimmune conditions are typically caused by faulty identification of diseased tissues by the immune system. In some cases, chiropractors can reestablish connections between the nervous system, the immune system, and whatever specific system is being affected by the disorder in question. Strengthening this connection allows for healing and improved function.
With all of the above being said, we can’t stress enough that autoimmune disorders are varied and symptoms are specific to the patient in question.
If you’ve been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, come see us at At Last Chiropractic so that we can provide personalized feedback. We are committed to being the best chiropractors in Lithia FL. Book your appointment with us today and we will help you on your road to recovery!
