Asthma
The airways in asthmatics become over sensitive to stimuli – things that would not typically bother a healthy individual, will cause irritation to the airways of an asthmatic (i.e. cold air, perfume, dust, etc). When the lining of the airways become irritated, the body’s natural reaction is to set off an inflammatory response. Fluid will build up in the lining, the bronchiole tubes will spasm and tighten giving the classical symptoms of asthma:
- Wheezing
- Coughing
- Shortness of breath
- Increased heart rate
Asthma is a chronic lung disease. The hallmark signs of asthma include:
- Tightening of the airways (bronchoconstriction)
- Inflammation of the airways (edema in the lining of the bronchiole tubes)
- Increased sensitivity of airways (hypersensitivity to stimuli)
Possible Causes of Asthma
- Subluxations in the spine interfering with healthy signals from the brain, lungs and diaphragm
- Increase of chemicals in our environment
- Increased use of vaccinations, cesarean births, and antibiotics
- Allergies
For a complete list of possible causes of asthma, please click here.
For a summarized list of a few of the tests we offer to evaluate asthma, please click here.
This is an area that Dr. Lauren is very passionate about. As a young child, she was diagnosed with asthma. If you have never gone through an asthma attack, you are lucky. Can you imagine fighting for air? Fighting for life? To a child, and even an adult, it can be very terrifying. And to a child, the inhaler becomes a crutch for life. That’s your only option right? WRONG.
When I began seeing Dr. Sue Morter and Dr. Scott Cooper, like many other chiropractic patients, I became a patient after a car accident. I was 11. I bounced back from the traumas from the car accident fairly quickly, but for some reason my mom kept taking me in. After only several months of regular chiropractic care, my asthma attacks had decreased significantly.
To this day, as an adult, I still experience occasional asthma attacks and breathing difficulties. Some are brought on by foods I should not eat, some are from the changing climates, some are from emotionally difficult times. The important thing I realized, is that all of my attacks occur because of some form of stress (physical, emotional or chemical). Now what do I do when I experience breathing difficulties? I GET ADJUSTED. Its safe, natural, has only positive side effects, and it re-connects my lungs and my brain. This is the way asthma should be treated. Not with chemicals and steroids that have detrimental long-term effects on health
We ask that you do the research when administering any treatment to your child. Ask about all treatment options available, how they work, and side effects both short term and long term. Many mainstream medical options available offer short term relief at the expense of a future full of other health complications. They poison vital receptors in the body and destroy life-sustaining enzymes involved in normal function. Ask yourself this, “if I choose this treatment, will it help my body heal itself … or will it destroy any chance it has to fight back?”
OWC Testing and Care for Asthma
The OWC will complete a thorough consultation and examination of your child. We assess their physical and neurological status, their lifestyle, diet, and stressors. First, we complete a thorough consultation with you and your child discussing your child’s history, lifestyle patterns, and dietary habits. When we have gathered the necessary information, we will complete a nervous system evaluation utilizing the Insight Millenium Subluxation Station. This will locate areas of interference and stress in your child’s nervous system. There is a high correlation between interference in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th vertebra in the neck (C3-C5), the first three vertebra in the upper back (T1-T3), and asthma. Another key component we evaluate when working with asthma is assessing the major muscle used for breathing, the diaphragm.
If necessary, we will order laboratory testing to determine if there is an inflammatory response occurring in your child’s lungs, if there is an associated intestinal problem occurring, or if there is an allergic reaction triggering attacks. These tests are non-invasive and painless. They are typically covered by your insurance company and are extremely affordable.
Once we have had a chance to evaluate and interpret all of the results, we will sit down with you and your family and go over everything we discovered, explain to you what it all means, present a customized treatment for your child including in-office procedures and important at-home care, and the costs associated with treatment. All with safe, natural solutions with a very high success rate. We will always work with your current physician or specialist to monitor medications. For more information on what we do, please contact us!
Chiropractic Treatment and Research
Considerable research documents the link between the spinal column, the nervous system and the respiratory system. This is why so many people have mentioned improved breathing by consulting our office. Chiropractic research has found links between subluxations in the middle neck-upper back and asthma.
The diaphragm is the primary muscle used for breathing. The nerves that control each breath travel from your brain, down the spinal cord, and exit through the spine in the middle neck (C3, C4, and C5) to reach the diaphragm. The same is true for the nerve supply to your lungs which exit through the upper back (T1, T2, and T3). Subluxations in these areas can have a profound affect on the nerve supply to the diaphragm and/or lungs.
The nervous system is involved in every aspect of living and when this vital system is compromised, a variety of problems can manifest, including difficulty breathing and increased mucus production. Chiropractic understands that the body can heal itself given the right environment.
Chiropractic also believes asthma is not due to a shortage of medication. Instead, we look for environmental and lifestyle stressors, and disturbances in your child’s nervous system. Removing stressors and correcting subluxations through chiropractic adjustments enhance the function of the nervous system and allow your child’s innate intelligence to heal itself.
Asthmatic Children In Canada Use Non-Medical Care
Chiropractic Helps Infant with Serious Lung Condition
Effectiveness of Chiropractic in Correcting Asthma
Link Made Between Asthma and Subluxations
Medical Treatment and Research
The most common medical treatment used for asthma patients is through pharmaceutical intervention. Common medications include: anti-inflammatory agents (leukotriene modifiers), corticosteroids, sodium cromoglycate, bronchodilators, and anti-cholinergics. All of these chemical-based medical approaches poison receptor sites or kill life-sustaining enzymes.
The efficacy of these treatments is questionable. Present guidelines for treatment are focused on adults, not children. There is no agreement between medical professionals on what age is appropriate for treatment and how soon to start. There is mixed evidence and debate among experts of whether or not allopathic treatments interfere with lung development.
Advair & Serevent Increase Risk of Asthma Related Death
Antibiotics Increases Risk for Asthma
Antibiotic Usage in Babies Linked to Asthma
Steroid Treatment Have Negative Affects
