An Unexpected Positive Effect of Chiropractic: Help for Asthma

Every day we’re amazed at the remarkable results patients of all ages get from chiropractic care. One of those incredible results was experienced by a patient that Dr. Steven had about 15-20 years ago. He cared for a teenager who played high school football and experienced low and middle back pain and neck pain.

A Welcome ‘Side Effect’

As Dr. Steven was treating him, the mother explained that her son didn’t come in for his asthma, which he was diagnosed with, requiring the use of an inhaler. As the teen was being treated, his mother noticed that he used his inhaler 3-4 times a week.

However, as the young patient continued treatment, the mom witnessed something unusual: he hadn’t had as many asthma attacks. She told Dr. Steven that her son reduced his inhaler use to about twice a month versus three times a week. Dr. Steven explained that because her son had his middle back worked on, his sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system was impacted, which could affect his asthma—which wasn’t even what he came in for.

According to Dr. Steven, kids’ and teenagers’ spines do not fully mature until they’re about 25, so they have much growing to do. They get joint pains as their bones are maturing, and then you combine that with things like contact sports, sitting in school all day, and carrying backpacks with heavy books—all of that adds up. So even if a person comes in with spinal symptoms, you often end up helping other issues they didn’t count on.

Chiropractic’s Impact on the Sympathetic Nervous System

The sympathetic nervous system controls things like breathing, respiration, heartbeat, sweating, etc. We cannot control sympathetic responses. That’s why when you get the sympathetic nervous system worked on, it can affect things like breathing, which it did for the teen with his asthma. Dr. Steven feels that many people think chiropractors just treat pain, muscle spasms or joint aches, but our natural care can address many issues in the body.