By Dr. Stanton Hom

As we move into March, we move gracefully out of the “flu season” and into “allergy season”. 

Yeah right! Graceful? Who are we kidding? 

This is often one of the more difficult transitions families have to make, which is why our theme of this month is KICK THE SICK: ALLERGIES and ASTHMA! 

This is often one of the more simple YET powerful displays of chiropractic. 

From the conventional medical model, allergies are simply overactive histamine/antibody responses in the body and asthma is lung inflammation. With that said, severe food allergies and asthma are NO JOKING MATTER. 

So, getting to the root cause is also NO JOKING MATTER and far more comprehensive than a albuterol, steroids or allergy shots for life. 

From a chiropractic viewpoint, we always think neurology first. Every tissue, cell and organ is governed by neural perception and control–especially when it comes to these two conditions. 

From one lens, this can be immune-based and if you ask any physiologist, the nervous system, endocrine and immune systems are all indissoluble union. Stress in the nervous system due to subluxation can cause a downstream stress response which causes hypersensitive immune responses anywhere in the body, but especially in the lymphatic tissue and gut. 

From another lens, structural problems in the thoracic spine or cranial vault can lead to an inability for normal lung/chest expansion or stagnation in the sinus’s ability to drain fluids out of the head and brain. 

This is the fundamental aspect of EVERYTHING that happens in the body. There is always a functional component (i.e. immune response) AND structural component (i.e. scoliosis in the thoracic spine or plagiocephaly in the cranial vault can hinder lung and sinus function, respectively). 

Having a chiropractor check you or your kiddo is one of the most important things you can do if you are affected by allergies or asthma. We have seen kids on steroids and albuterol for YEARS come off of them in weeks. NOT because we just want to take kids off of drugs (especially if their conditions are life-threatening) BUT because their systems function so optimally their body breathes life and health into their tissue and the drugs become obsolete. 

An important question to ask is, “what percentage of fully healthy children (or adults) suffer from chronic allergies or asthma?” 

The answer is 0%. 

This is not meant to shame parents or doctors even. This is meant only to draw our awareness to the fact that there are many other ways to see the same condition. When you expand the view to the structure and function of the nervous system, not only is healing at the root possible–It becomes simply a matter of time. 

Stay tuned to our content this month. It is going to be exceptional and much needed for this time of year!